Your Virginia driving record is a detailed history of your time as a driver over a set number of years—you can buy a copy online for $8 from Virginia’s DMV.

Written by Jason Tushinski

Reviewed by Carrie Adkins

Updated on Sep 7, 2023

Table of Contents

What is a driving record?
How to access your Virginia driving record
Requesting a Virginia driving record elsewhere
What is on my record?
How can my driving record affect me?
What is the difference between driving records in each state?

Load full table of contents

Virginia

, your driving record is a detailed history of your driving in the state over a set number of years, and there are five types of records available for $8 online, or $9 by mail or in person.

Your driving record can have a significant impact on your life, and this includes your

car insurance

premiums. If you notice any discrepancies on your driving record, get in touch with Virginia’s DMV to rectify the problem immediately.

For Virginia drivers, we've put together everything you need to know about your driving record and how to access a copy in the Old Dominion.

What is a driving record?

Your driving record is a detailed history of your time as a driver, usually starting from the day you first get your license. It includes records of any tickets, accidents, license suspensions, or other infractions.

How to access your Virginia driving record

You can buy a copy of your Virginia driving record

online from the DMV

for $8. You can also buy a copy by filling out a

written request

. You’ll need to include the following with the request:

Full name

Address

Social Security number

The reason why you want your record

$9 fee

Mail the written request to:

Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles

Attention: Vehicle (Driver) Records Work Center

P.O. Box 27412

Richmond, VA 23269

You can also purchase a copy of your driving record

in person

at a customer service center. You’ll need to present proper identification and pay the $8 fee.

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Requesting a Virginia driving record for another person

In order to request a driving record for someone else in Virginia, you must present written and signed authorization from the subject of the information.

Requesting a Virginia driving record elsewhere

You can also request a copy of your Virginia driving record elsewhere, such as through your auto insurance agent or an online third-party vendor. However, this will likely cost more than getting a copy from the DMV.

Auto insurance agent

Whenever you apply for car insurance, the insurance agent will have access to a copy of your driving record. You can ask them for a copy, and they will most likely hand one over to you. However, do know that if you obtain a copy of your driving record from an insurance agent, it is not considered official.

Online third party vendor

You can also buy a copy of your driving record from an online third-party vendor if you’re in a pinch. Be sure that the vendor has an accurate copy of your driving record, and ask if they are able to get an official version from the DMV.

What is on my record?

In Virginia, you can obtain different versions of your driving record, depending on the purpose—these records cover your driving history for different amounts of time, as will be explained below.

Still, your Virginia driving record will contain the following information:

Personal information

Traffic tickets

Traffic accidents

Any license suspensions, revocations, or cancelations

Your Virginia driver’s license status

Points on your Virginia driver’s license

MORE:

How do driver violation points affect your insurance rates?

Types of driving records available

Depending on your purpose, you’ll need to order a specific type of driving record in Virginia. The following are the types of driving records you can purchase in Virginia:

Type of driving record	Usage	Length of time
Driver/Personal use	For personal use only	Up to 11 years of driving history
Driver/Employment/School/Military	Can be sent to your employer, your academic institution, or military branch so long as you have granted written and signed authorization that an agent of these institutions can obtain your record	Up to 7 years of driving history
Driver/TNC	Only requested and submitted to Transportation Network Companies (TNC) for employment purposes	Up to 7 years of driving history
Driver/Insurance	For insurance purposes only	Up to 5 years of driving history
Driver/Habitual Offender Restoration	Only for petitioning a court to restore your driver’s license	Up to 11 years of driving history

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DMV points in Virginia

In Virginia, demerit points can be added to your record depending on the driving infraction you commit. You can find a complete list of violations on the

Virginia DMV website

, but here are the most common types of points that are added:

Three points	Four points	Six points
Driving one to nine miles over the speed limit	Driving 10 to 19 miles over the speed limit	Driving more than 20 miles over the posted speed limit
Making an illegal U-turn	Not yielding the right of way to emergency vehicles, other vehicles, or pedestrians	Passing or trying to pass a stopped school bus
Turning left on a red light	Aggressive driving	Driving with a suspended license
Disobeying highway or traffic signs/signals	Failure to keep a safe distance from other vehicles	Failing to stop after a collision

Points remain on your record for at least three years, although more severe infractions can remain on your record for up to 11 years or even stay there permanently. It just depends on the infraction.

In Virginia, drivers can earn a safe driving point by driving without receiving any violations or suspensions for an entire calendar year or by completing a Virginia-authorized driver improvement course. A Virginia driver can amass up to five points.

These points can be used as a shield against demerit points. For example, if you have five safe driving points and commit a violation that would add three demerit points to your record, you will be left with two safe driving points (and still no demerit points on your record).

Key Takeaway Earning safe driving points can protect you from earning demerit points for future infractions.

How can my driving record affect me?

Besides getting demerit points on your record, there are other ways a poor driving record can impact your life in Virginia, including the impact on your insurance rate, your driving privileges, your credit rating, and your job prospects.

Car insurance premiums

A poor driving record can cause your car insurance rates to skyrocket. Drivers with clean driving records pay far less in premiums than drivers with spotty records. Insurers label those with poor records as

high-risk drivers

Your driving privileges

In Virginia, your license may be suspended if you receive too many demerit points within a given time period. The consequences vary depending on the age of the driver and the number of points.

For adult drivers, you may need to complete a driver improvement clinic if you receive 12 demerit points in 12 months. Your license will be automatically suspended if you receive 18 demerit points in 12 months.

Regardless of age, your license will be automatically suspended if you commit a severe violation, like driving under the influence or causing an accident that results in fatalities.

MORE:

10 most common ways to get a suspended license in Virginia

Your credit rating

Your driving record itself won’t directly impact your credit rating. However, if you have several unpaid tickets and ignore or forget to pay them, you could be in trouble. If a city or state hires a collection agency to come after you for unpaid fines, your credit rating can take a hit.

MORE:

How does your credit score affect car insurance?

Your job prospects

If you’re looking for work that involves any driving, you will need a spotless driving record. In these circumstances, a spotty driving record will likely sink your chances of employment.

What is the difference between driving records in each state?

Your driving record is located in the state where you reside and hold your driver’s license. If you live in Virginia, this means your driving record will be in Virginia as well.

However, this doesn’t mean you can get away with violating traffic laws in other states.

Most U.S. states, including Virginia, are signatories to the Driver License Compact (DLC). This agreement facilitates the sharing of information between states in regard to license suspensions and traffic offenses. This means that if you commit a traffic violation in another state, it will be reported to the DMV in the state where you live—and you can be charged.

There are only five states that are not a party to the DLC. They are:

Still, these states can use other agreements to share information.

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