Motorcycle License in Virginia
Verified against Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles ·
Compiled and verified against primary state DMV/DPS/BMV sources by GetMotorcycleLicense Research Team — cite-or-deny, with no invented figures. How we source & verify →
Virginia adds a Class M, M2 or M3 motorcycle classification to an existing driver's licence. Completing a Virginia Rider Training Program course exempts a rider from the motorcycle knowledge exam and road skills test for one year, though a rider under 18 must still hold a learner's permit for nine months regardless. Virginia requires a helmet of every operator and passenger, with no age exemption.
Virginia's motorcycle license requirements — including a minimum age of 18 and a training course completion that can waive the skills test if within 12 months — are verified against Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (see Virginia DMV — Getting a Motorcycle License), current as of 2026-07-28.
Virginia Motorcycle License Requirements at a Glance
| Requirement | Virginia |
|---|---|
| Permit | Motorcycle Learner's Permit |
| Permit minimum age | — |
| Permit fee | $3 |
| Permit validity | — |
| Minimum age (unrestricted) | 18 years |
| License fee | — |
| Renewal fee | — |
| Knowledge test | Required25 questions |
| Skills test | Required |
M covers both two- and three-wheeled motorcycles, M2 covers two-wheeled only, and M3 covers three-wheeled only; a licence carrying an M, M2 or M3 designation together with a '6' restriction authorises only motorcycle operation, not a motor vehicle. A separate, less common route is a driver's licence restricted to motorcycle operation only, which costs $6 per year and is normally valid for eight years; a driver's licence with a Class M/M2/M3 designation instead follows the ordinary licence's own renewal cycle. Virginia does not accept an out-of-state motorcycle safety course certificate on its own; an out-of-state licence holder without an existing motorcycle classification must pass the Virginia knowledge and road skills tests and hold a permit for the standard period.
How do you get a motorcycle license in Virginia?
- Pass the knowledge test. Virginia requires a motorcycle knowledge test. It has 25 questions.
- Get your motorcycle permit. The permit costs $3.
- Hold the permit, and train if required. You must hold the permit at least 30 days before taking the skills test, but riders under 18 must hold it at least nine months. Riders under 18 must complete a motorcycle safety course.
- Pass the skills test, or waive it. Virginia requires a motorcycle skills test. Completing Virginia's motorcycle safety course waives it if within 12 months.
- Pay the fee and get your license. The minimum age for an unrestricted motorcycle license in Virginia is 18.
Common questions about motorcycle licensing in Virginia
How old do you have to be to get a motorcycle permit in Virginia?
A rider must pass a vision screening and the motorcycle knowledge exam to obtain the permit; a rider who does not yet hold any Virginia driver's licence or permit must also pass the two-part driver's licence knowledge exam. While holding the permit, a rider must wear an approved safety helmet and eye and face protection, cannot carry passengers, and must be supervised by a rider at least 21 years old, licensed to operate a motorcycle, riding alert in a separate accompanying motor vehicle. An applicant 18 or older must hold the permit at least 30 days before the road skills test; an applicant under 18 must hold it at least nine months, whether or not a rider training course has been completed. A rider 19 or older who completes a Virginia Rider Training Program course may instead operate a motorcycle for 30 days from the course completion date without ever obtaining a permit, provided the classification is added at DMV within that period.
What is the minimum age for a motorcycle license in Virginia?
You must be at least 18 for an unrestricted motorcycle license in Virginia.
Virginia's own motorcycle pages state the requirements as two branches, 'if you are 18 or older' and 'if you are under 18', rather than a single minimum age for the permit or classification. From 18 the permit-hold period is 30 days and the rider training course is optional; under 18 the hold period is nine months and the course is mandatory.
Does Virginia require a motorcycle knowledge test?
Yes, Virginia requires a motorcycle knowledge test. It has 25 questions.
A 25-question computer-based exam drawn from the Motorcycle Operator Manual, offered in several languages. Using a cell phone during the exam ends it and forces a wait until the next day to retest.
Does Virginia require a motorcycle skills test?
Yes, Virginia requires a motorcycle skills test. In Virginia, completing Virginia's motorcycle safety course waives it if within 12 months.
Measures starting, accelerating, shifting, turning, braking and swerving at a participating DMV customer service centre; the rider must bring a registered, inspected motorcycle and wear a DOT-approved helmet with face shield, protective clothing and boots. Failing it twice requires completing a Virginia Rider Training Program course before a Class M designation can be added.
How much does a motorcycle license cost in Virginia?
The permit costs $3.
Completing Virginia's motorcycle safety course waives the state's motorcycle skills test if within 12 months. See Virginia’s motorcycle safety course.
Virginia helmet law
Required for all riders
Every operator and any passenger on a motorcycle or autocycle must wear a protective helmet meeting Snell, ANSI or federal DOT standards, with no age exemption. Operators and passengers are excused only on a motorcycle with wheels eight inches or less in diameter, or on a three-wheeled motorcycle or autocycle with a nonremovable roof, windshield and enclosed body, and while riding at 15 mph or less as part of a Department of Transportation or locality-authorised, law-enforcement-escorted parade. Failure to wear the required gear does not constitute negligence per se in a civil proceeding. Transporting a child under five years old as a passenger on a motorcycle or motor-driven cycle is separately unlawful.
Code of Virginia § 46.2-910 · verified 2026-07-28
Source Notes
Where a source is stale, conflicting, or required a judgment call, we document it here rather than presenting a single confident-sounding number. See our methodology for how these calls are made.
- Licence classifications, permits, tests and fees come from the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Helmet and eye-protection rules come from the Code of Virginia.
- Virginia requires a helmet of every motorcycle operator and passenger, regardless of age. There is no adult exemption.
- Virginia does not run its own rider-training sites. Course providers are independent companies found through the Motorcycle Safety Foundation's national locator, and each sets its own price.
means no primary source publishes that figure — left blank on purpose rather than estimated or copied from an unverified aggregator.
Sources
Data last verified: 2026-07-28 (verified by: agent) | Source: Virginia DMV — Getting a Motorcycle License