Virginia requirements · Checked September 12, 2026
Follow each instruction on your notice.
A knowledge test, vision screening, road test, document request, and renewal method are separate steps. Your notice can contain more than one.
Virginia law provides for renewal notices to identify reexamination requirements. Not receiving a reminder does not extend a license’s validity. Virginia Code § 46.2-330: License renewal and examinations.
What your notice asks you to do
| Instruction | Your next step |
|---|---|
| Renew online or by mail | Use that method only if DMV authorizes it and current eligibility conditions permit it. Virginia DMV: Ineligibility to Renew Online or by Mail. |
| Renew at an office | Plan for an application, documents as applicable, a new photo, and vision screening. Virginia DMV: In-person renewal. |
| Knowledge / written test | Prepare for the two-part knowledge exam. Virginia DMV: The Knowledge Exam. |
| Vision / eye test | Complete the vision requirement. This instruction alone does not call for knowledge-test practice. Virginia DMV: Vision Screening. |
| Road / behind-the-wheel test | Follow road-test requirements, including the passed-knowledge-exam prerequisite. An existing passing record may satisfy it; the notice alone does not prove you need a new knowledge exam. Virginia DMV: Road Skills Tests. |
| Medical or driver-safety review | Follow the individual reporting and examination instructions from DMV. Virginia DMV: Medical Review of Drivers. |
| Documents | Bring the requested evidence; after expiration, review legal-presence requirements and exceptions. Virginia DMV: Legal Presence. |
| eLearning or unclear wording | The reviewed Virginia renewal sources do not establish an eLearning replacement for these tests. Ask Virginia DMV to identify the exact instruction; another state’s alternative does not apply automatically. |
Also expired?
Virginia DMV says that a license expired for more than one year requires a vision screening, a knowledge exam, and a road skills test. The checker considers that rule even when you have a notice.
Check my next steps →A checklist for your notice
Select the instructions on your notice to combine them with your expiration requirements and get a printable checklist. No notice upload is needed.
Official sources
- Virginia DMV: Renew Driver’s LicenseRetaking Tests; Renew In Person
- Virginia DMV: Ineligibility to Renew Online or by MailOnline and mail exclusions
- Virginia Code § 46.2-330: License renewal and examinationsSubsections B–D; age 75 and older
- Virginia DMV: The Knowledge ExamOfficial guidance
- Virginia DMV: Vision ScreeningOfficial guidance
- Virginia DMV: Road Skills TestsEligibility; vehicle and documents; retesting
- Virginia DMV: Medical Review of DriversIndividualized medical review
- Virginia DMV: Legal PresenceExpiration and previously documented status exceptions