Driver training schools are licensed by DMV to offer driver education programs statewide to residents of all ages.
The program includes 36 classroom sessions, seven driving sessions, seven observation sessions and a final road skills examination. Each session is 50-minutes long.
Completing a driver education program gets you a completion certificate, which most new drivers need to qualify for a permanent driver's license.
Requirements to Get a License
If you are a Virginia resident under 18 years old, before you can get your driver’s license, you are required to either:
- Complete a Commonwealth of Virginia-approved driver education program and hold your Virginia learner’s permit for at least nine months, or
- Have completed an out-of-state driver education program and hold your Virginia learner’s permit for at least nine months
- The out-of-state program must provide proof you have completed at least 30 hours of classroom instruction and six hours of in-car instruction.
Note:
Your parent, guardian or foster parent must provide their driver's license or state-issued identification card number and sign the driver education completion certificate, which attests to your academic standing and certifies that you have driven at least 45 hours (15 of which occurred after sunset).
If you are a Virginia resident age 18 or older and have never held a license issued by any state, U.S. territory or foreign country, there are two options to get your driver’s license.
Option 1: Pass the driver's license knowledge exam to be issued a learner’s permit, and complete a driver education program.
- This waives the 60-day holding period of a learner's permit. You also won’t be required to take the road skills test at DMV, as the test is part of the driver education program.
Option 2: Hold a Virginia learner's permit for at least 60 days and complete a Behind-the-Wheel Checklist before taking the road skills test at DMV.
- This waives the need for a driver education program. However, a licensed driver must certify they were with you while you practiced, and that you have complied with all requirements for learner's permit holders while operating a motor vehicle.
Additional Information
If you have comments or concerns about driver training schools, call our toll-free hotline at 1-877-885-5790.
The program consists of 36 fifty-minute classroom periods of instructions and 14 fifty-minute periods in-car instructions (7 periods of driving and 7 periods of observation, including the final road skills examination). It includes components about alcohol safety, drug abuse awareness, aggressive driving, distracted driving, pedestrian and bicycle safety, handicapped parking, fuel efficient driving practices, motorcycle awareness and organ and tissue donation awareness.
DMV is committed to promoting transportation safety through the certification of quality driver training programs. For information about the laws governing driver training schools, see the Driver Training School Regulations and Driver Training School Statutes.