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Does my teen need drivers ed to get a license in Virginia?

Yes, if your teen is a Virginia resident under 18 and wants a driver's license. Virginia requires an approved driver education program, and its classroom part can be taken online through a driver training school. Anyone 18 or older follows different rules.

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The rule, fact by fact

Who needs it
Residents under 18 must complete an approved driver education programThey must also hold a Virginia learner's permit for at least nine months before they can get a driver's license.
Verified. www.dmv.virginia.gov (opens state website) · checked Nov 13, 2026
Course hours
36 classroom sessions, seven driving and seven observation sessionsEach one lasts 50 minutes, and a final road skills exam ends the program.
Same source and date as above
Online accepted
The classroom component can be taken online through a driver training schoolThe program may also be taken at a public or private school.
Same source and date as above
Supervised driving
A parent certifies at least 45 hours of driving, 15 of them after sunsetThe parent or guardian signs the completion certificate.
Same source and date as above

How to get it done

  1. Step 1. Check who it covers. A Virginia resident under 18 must hold a learner's permit for at least nine months and complete a Commonwealth of Virginia-approved driver education program before getting a driver's license.

  2. Step 2. Choose where to take it. You can take the program at a public or private school, or at a driver training school, and the classroom part can also be taken online through a driver training school. The program includes 36 classroom sessions, seven driving and seven observation sessions. Start with the state's list of driver training schools.

  3. Step 3. Anyone 15 years and 6 months or older can take the classroom portion without a learner's permit, but you need a learner's permit to take the driving portion. Students under 18 also take an additional 90-minute parent/teen component as part of the classroom portion.

  4. Step 4. Your parent, guardian or foster parent signs the driver education completion certificate, which certifies that you have driven at least 45 hours, 15 of which occurred after sunset.

Before you pay

Check that the school is a Virginia driver training school before you pay.

Ask whether the price covers the in-car sessions and the 90-minute parent/teen component.

Ask where the parent/teen component is held, since families in Planning District 8 must do it in person.

We haven't confirmed what a Virginia driver education program costs.

Questions

Who is exempt from the 90-minute parent/teen component?

You are exempt if you are at least 18 years old, an emancipated minor, or an unaccompanied minor who is not in the physical custody of your parent or guardian.

Which areas must do the parent/teen component in person?

A student and a parent or guardian must complete it in person if they live in Planning District 8: the counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William, and the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas and Manassas Park.

We moved to Virginia with a learner's permit. Does the time count?

Yes, for a resident under 18 who moves from another U.S. state or territory with a valid learner's permit: the time held counts toward the Virginia minimum holding period. If an out-of-state program was completed, it must show at least 30 classroom hours and six in-car hours.

I am 18 or older and have never been licensed. What are my choices?

Until January 1, 2027, you get a learner's permit and either complete a driver education program and pass the knowledge exam, or hold the permit at least 60 days and complete a Behind-the-Wheel Checklist before the road skills test. From January 1, 2027, ages 18 through 20 must hold it at least 90 days and complete a state-approved program while holding it. From that date, those 21 or older either hold it at least 60 days or complete the program.

What to do next

Start with Virginia's driver education page, then choose where your teen will take the program.

www.dmv.virginia.gov

Sources we read