Virginia · all 75 DMV Customer Service Centers
Virginia DMV, in one trip.
Office hours, what to bring, and whether you can skip the line and do it online. In plain English.
Step 1 · Your state
Virginia
Step 2 · What do you need?
Or find an office near you
- Free, no sign-up
- Every rule cites Virginia DMV, the Virginia State Police, DEQ or Virginia law
- We never charge state fees
Start with the task
What are you here to do?
Renew a driver's license
Virginia lets you renew online or by mail every other time. $32 for 8 years. Check in 4 questions.
Fee $32 for 8 years · 10 min online, or 1 visit
Check in 4 questionsReplace a lost or stolen license
Lost, stolen or damaged? Most adults can order one online for $20.
Plan itGet a learner's permit
From 15 and a half, after a two-part test: all 10 sign questions right, then 24 of 30.
Plan itGet your license: the road test
Under 18, driver ed gives the road test. Adults test at DMV, and from January 2027 the rules change for 18 to 20. 3 questions.
Plan itChange your address
Virginia gives you 30 days. It's free online; a new card is optional.
Plan itMoving to Virginia
Title and register your car within 30 days, and get your license within 60. Usually one DMV visit.
Plan itGet a REAL ID
Look for the star in the upper right. In Virginia it's optional and costs $10 once.
Check my card
Your car
Registration, titles and inspections
Renew car registration
Online in minutes, $1 cheaper than in person. Northern Virginia needs a current emissions test. 3 questions.
Plan itBuy or sell a car
The seller keeps the plates and tells DMV. The buyer pays 4.15% tax and titles it within 30 days, often online. 3 questions.
Plan itCar inspection
Every car needs a safety inspection each year. Northern Virginia adds an emissions test every 2 years.
Plan itEvery fee in one place
Licenses, IDs, registration, titles and inspections, each linked to its official source.
See Virginia fees
Who does what
How the DMV works in Virginia
In Virginia, the Department of Motor Vehicles runs Customer Service Centers that do everything: licenses, IDs, tests, titles and registration. DMV Select offices, run by cities, counties and towns, do vehicle work only, often closer to home. Many renewals can be done online. Every car needs a yearly safety inspection, and Northern Virginia adds an emissions test. Here's how it works.
DMV Customer Service Centers
Everything: licenses, tests, titles, plates
Run by the state. Book a weekday appointment, hold a spot with E-Ticket, or walk in; most are open Saturday mornings. Live wait times are posted for each one.
Virginia DMV: locationsDMV Selects
Titles, registration and plates only
Run by local governments and a few businesses under contract with DMV. Same state transactions for vehicles; no licenses, permits or IDs, and no mechanic's lien titles.
Virginia DMV: DMV SelectsWhy people come back
No more second trips.
Most wasted DMV visits come down to a missing paper or the wrong office. We fix both before you leave home.
- 01
Answer a few questions
We tell you if you can do it online and skip the trip entirely.
- 02
Get your checklist
Only the papers your situation needs. Tick them off as you pack.
- 03
Go at the right time
Status based on published hours, and a straight link to book.
Near Downtown Richmond
DMV centers around Downtown Richmond
Richmond Central DMV Center
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles · Richmond · 2.0 mi
East Henrico DMV Center
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles · Richmond · 5.2 mi
Chesterfield DMV Center
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles · Richmond · 9.0 mi
Offices by city
All citiesVirginia rules worth knowing
- New residents: 60 days
- Get a Virginia license within 60 days (a CDL within 30). Title and register your car within 30 days.
- Online every other time
- Renew online or by mail every other time, up to a year early. $32 for 8 years.
- Teens: 9 months, 45 hours
- A permit at 15 and a half, driver ed, 9 months and 45 hours (15 after sunset), then a license at 16 and 3 months.
- January 2027 change
- From January 1, 2027, first-time drivers 18 to 20 need 90 days on a permit and driver ed.
- Inspections
- A safety inspection every year, up to $20. Northern Virginia adds an emissions test every 2 years.
- Address changes: 30 days
- Tell DMV within 30 days of moving. It's free online; a new card is optional.
Permit test practice
Pass the knowledge test the first time.
Real Virginia rules, a clear explanation after every answer, and your weak topics called out at the end.
Sample question · Parking
You may not park within how many feet of a fire hydrant?
- A5 feet
- B10 feet
- C30 feet
Straight answers
Questions people ask
Still stuck? How Virginia DMV appointments work, or see how we check facts.
Virginia center and DMV Select data from Virginia DMV's own location pages. Live waits from DMV's wait time pages.