First-Time Virginia Drivers 18 to 20 Need Driver’s Ed and a 90-Day Permit

• From Jan. 1, 2027, Virginians aged 18 to 20 who apply for a first license must finish an approved driver education program and also keep a learner’s permit for 90 days or longer.
• Applicants 21 and older and applicants under 18 keep the rules they follow today.
• The driving school sends the completion certificate to the DMV, and the DMV mails the license to the address on file, so keep that address current.

Adults Under 21 Lose the Shortcut to a Virginia License

Virginia is closing a route that young adults have used for years. Starting Jan. 1, 2027, a person who is 18, 19 or 20 and has never held a driver’s license in any state, U.S. territory or foreign country has to finish a state-approved driver education program and carry a learner’s permit for 90 days or longer before the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles issues a license. Today an applicant in that age group picks one path or the other.

House Bill 1224 made the change, and it lives in section 46.2-324.1 of the Code of Virginia, which carries the 2026 Acts of Assembly chapters 754 and 755 in its history line. The Code text for 2027 says no license goes to an applicant who is at least 18 and under 21 unless the person shows written evidence of finishing a course at a licensed driver training school, or a comparable course approved by the DMV or the Department of Education, and has held a Virginia learner’s permit for at least 90 days. No dollar penalty attaches. The new burden is time plus a course.

The DMV ties the new rules to the applicant’s age on the day the license is issued. Each band applies to a person who is 18 through 20 “when you obtain your driver’s license”, so the issue date decides which set of rules applies.

What Changes on Jan. 1, Age by Age

Three age bands now sit side by side in the Virginia licensing rules.

Applicants 18 through 20 who have never held a license anywhere face the new double requirement: a permit held at least 90 days and a state-approved driver education program completed while holding that permit. The applicant needs both.

Applicants 21 or older who have never held a license keep a choice. They hold a permit for at least 60 days, or they complete a state-approved program while holding the permit. The Code text for 2027 keeps that 60-day language for the 21 and older group.

Applicants under 18 follow the same rules as before, and teen rules differ by state: Indiana now issues licenses on a teen’s 16th birthday once a 180-day permit hold is met. They complete a state-approved program, hold the permit for at least nine months, and a parent or guardian signs the program’s completion certificate, certifying at least 45 hours behind the wheel, 15 of them after sunset, and the accuracy of the certificate.

The old adult rules show what the 18 to 20 group loses. Before the new year, an adult applicant has two options. Option one is a driver education program with its end-of-course skills exam, which waives the mandatory 60-day holding period and the skills exam given by the DMV. Option two is a Virginia permit held at least 60 days plus a Behind-the-Wheel Checklist before the road skills test at the DMV, with a licensed driver certifying that the person sat beside the applicant while practicing and that the permit rules were followed. From Jan. 1, an applicant aged 18 to 20 cannot use either option alone.

How Much Time the Program Takes

The DMV builds the driver education program from 36 classroom sessions, seven driving sessions and seven observation sessions, followed by a road skills exam at the end. Each session runs 50 minutes. That adds up to 30 hours of classroom time (36 sessions of 50 minutes is 1,800 minutes), 5 hours 50 minutes of driving and another 5 hours 50 minutes of observation.

Programs run at public or private schools and at driver training schools, and a driver training school can deliver the classroom part online. A student who has reached age 15 and six months can sit the classroom portion before holding a permit. The driving portion needs a permit, which is where the 90-day clock and the course meet: the program has to be completed while the applicant holds the permit.

The 90-minute parent and teen component of the classroom curriculum is for students under 18. Applicants who are at least 18 are exempt, so an adult in the new age band does not need to bring a parent to a session.

If You Already Hold a Permit

A permit issued before Jan. 1, 2027 does not protect an 18 to 20 year old from the new rules. The DMV rules that an applicant who obtains the license after Jan. 1, 2027 must show proof of completing an approved driver education program, whatever the permit date.

Permit time held before January counts toward the 90 days, and the Code sets no start date for the count. A permit issued on Nov. 1, 2026 reaches day 90 on Jan. 30, 2027. Counting the same way, a permit issued on Nov. 7 reaches 90 days on Feb. 5, 2027, one issued on Nov. 15 reaches it on Feb. 13, and one issued on Dec. 1 reaches it on Mar. 1. The last three dates are Motoring Chronicle’s own arithmetic from the Nov. 1 example, so confirm the exact date with the DMV before booking a road test. The permit holder still needs the approved course on top of the 90 days, and the license cannot issue until both are done.

Birthdays change the band. The FAQ sets the 60-day or course choice for a person who is 21 or older when the license is obtained, so a 20 year old who turns 21 before the license date falls into the lighter group.

Permits from other states count differently. The rules apply to a person holding an out-of-state learner’s permit, and a Virginia resident who moves from another state or territory with a valid permit is eligible to have that time counted toward the Virginia minimum. If the person finished a driver education program elsewhere while holding that permit, the program must document 30 classroom hours and six hours in the car. Someone who held a license in another state, territory or country is outside the new rule: with proof of that earlier license, the DMV says the applicant could skip a repeat of driver education and of both the knowledge and road tests.

The Code text for 2027 adds a provision the DMV pages do not explain. Under subsection E, a permit accompanied by documentation that the driver is at least 18 and under 21 and has completed an approved driver education course counts as a temporary driver’s license for driving without a licensed driver 18 or older, as long as all other requirements of the chapter are met. It stays valid only until the permanent license arrives. Ask the DMV how that documentation works before relying on it.

How Proof and the License Reach You

The completion certificate reaches the DMV through the driving school. The school submits it, and the DMV does not accept a certificate handed in by the applicant. An applicant who finishes the course should confirm with the school that the certificate has gone to the DMV before the license appointment.

After all requirements are met, the DMV mails the license to the address in its records. The U.S. Postal Service will not redirect a driver’s license to a new address, and the DMV says the same about learner’s permits, so a mover who skips the address update waits for a card that went to the old home. Applicants under 18 can also be called to a court licensing ceremony, attended with a parent or guardian, and the court mails the notice when one applies.

Commercial licenses run on a separate track in subsection B of the same section. That subsection covers commercial applicants who are 18 or older, requires theory and behind-the-wheel training within one year of starting, and requires the range and public road portions with the same training provider. A commercial learner’s permit is held at least 14 days. The January change does not touch it.

What to Do Before the New Year

First, check which band applies. A first-time applicant who is 18, 19 or 20 and has never held a license anywhere needs the permit and the program. Anyone who held a license elsewhere should gather proof of it.

Second, apply for the permit early: finishing the course sooner does not shorten the 90 days. The applicant must have reached age 15 and six months and applies in person at any DMV customer service center, where appointments can be booked online (see how Virginia cut DMV wait times for what to expect at the counter). The permit costs $3, and the DMV adds the yearly price of a driver’s license to that fee. The application needs one proof of identity, one proof of legal presence, two proofs of Virginia residency and proof of a Social Security number if one was issued, all as originals and in the full legal name. The same appointment includes a vision screening and a two-part knowledge exam. A permit holder drives with a licensed driver in the seat beside them, aged at least 21, or at least 18 if that person is a legal guardian or sibling.

Third, choose a DMV-licensed driver training school from the list on the DMV site. The DMV pages do not list driver education prices, so ask each school for its fee and schedule before booking. Ask the school to confirm that it submits the certificate to the DMV.

Fourth, update the mailing address with the DMV after any move, and write down the permit issue date. Add 90 days, then check that date with the DMV.

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Sources

• Virginia DMV: Revised Learner’s Permit Holding Period and Driver Education Requirements FAQs
• Virginia DMV: Driver Education
• Code of Virginia: section 46.2-324.1, Requirements for initial licensure of certain applicants
• Patch: Virginia Changing Driver’s License Requirements For Young Adults In 2027

Reviewed by Preetam Gadekar