Virginia Teen Driver Education

Registering to teach the in-the-car (behind-the-wheel) portion of our Virginia Drivers Ed course is an easy process. Simply:

1.Parents must meet the requirements for home school instruction by meeting the following criteria:

• Hold a valid Virginia driver's license.
• Have an accumulation of no more than six demerit points in the last 12 months.
• No convictions of driving while intoxicated or a substantially similar law in another state in the last 11 years.
• No convictions of voluntary or involuntary manslaughter or a substantially similar law in another state in the last 11 years.
• Grant consent to DMV to review and monitor parent's/guardian's driving record throughout the authorization period and until the student successfully completes the DMV road skills test.
• Maintain proper vehicle insurance as required by Va Code.

2.Apply with the DMV by completing a Home-Schooled In-Car Driver Education Parental Authorization Application form (HS 1). Complete, sign and mail the HS 1 form to:

Department of Motor Vehicles
Commercial Licensing Work Center
Post Office Box 27412
Richmond, VA 23269-0001

When applying, you must also provide one of the following documents acknowledging that the requirements for home-schooled instruction have been satisfied (separate letter must be submitted for each child):

• A copy of notification to the school division superintendent or designee of your intent to home-school the child
• A letter from the school division superintendent or designee acknowledging that the child is home-schooled

Photocopies will not be accepted.

A separate form must be submitted for each child who must be under 18 years of age.

If, for any reason, your status as a home-schooling parent/guardian expires or is rescinded or if your child no longer meets the requirements for home-schooling, it is your responsibility to terminate the in-car instruction for certification purposes and notify DMV.

3.Within 5 working days of receipt of the HS-1, the DMV will mail you:

• A Letter of Authorization to provide in-car instruction to the home-schooled minor
• A copy of Module 11 of the Curriculum and Administrative Guide for Driver Education in Virginia as approved by the Virginia Board of Education

And If You're Interested In What The In-Car Training Consists Of...

After receiving the Letter of Authorization, you must follow Module 11. Your child must complete:

• 7 periods (50 minutes each) of driving (at least 50 miles)
• 7 periods (50 minutes each) of observation
  If no other student is taking the course, the child may observe the parent/guardian driving, utilizing the lesson plans in the training module.
• No more than 2 periods of instruction in any 24-hour period (1 period of driving and 1 period of observing)

Training received prior to the date of the Letter of Authorization will not be credited toward the in-car requirements.

In addition, a parent/guardian/foster parent must provide at least 45 hours of driving time, 15 hours of which must occur after sunset. Download a Virginia Parent/Teacher Guide.

Then Once You've Completed the Course

Upon completion of the student's in-car training, you must present the Letter of Authorization at a DMV customer service center.

Any Questions?

Contact us at 1- 800-990-2814
Or call the Virginia DMV Customer Contact Center toll-free at 1-866-DMVLINE (1-866-368-5463).