How to Get Your Virginia Driving Record
Which DMV transcript to order, what it costs, and how to read the points on it
The short answer
Your Virginia driving record is a driver transcript issued by the Virginia DMV. For your own use, order the Driver/Personal Use transcript: it covers up to 11 years of history and costs $8 online, or $9 by mail or in person. The fastest way is online through the DMV's online services, where you can view and print it as soon as you pay. It shows your license status, every conviction on file with the number of years it stays, your demerit points and your safe driving points.
- Court ordered you to a clinic? The record confirms what the court sees. Ask the clerk whether they want a certified copy ($5 more, mailed).
- DMV notice? The record shows the point total that triggered it and the offense dates the two-year clock runs from.
- Want safe driving points? Check your balance first: the DMV caps safe driving points at +5.
- Insurance discount? Insurers pull the 5-year Driver/Insurance transcript. Your own copy tells you what they will see.
The Virginia driver transcripts, side by side
The DMV issues several versions of the same record. They differ in how many years they cover and who is allowed to order them.
| Transcript | History it covers | Who can order it | Use it for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Driver/Personal Use | Up to 11 years | You | Checking your own points, a court date, a DMV notice. This is the one. |
| Driver/Insurance | Up to 5 years, summary | You, or an insurer | What your insurance company rates you on |
| Driver/Employment/School/Military | Up to 7 years | An employer, school or the armed forces, with your signed release | Job applications, driver positions |
| Driver/TNC | Up to 7 years | Rideshare companies only, with your signed release | Driving for a rideshare app |
| Driver/Habitual Offender Restoration | Up to 11 years | You | Petitioning a court to restore your license |
Three ways to order it
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Online, in a few minutes
Sign in to the DMV's online services at dmv.virginia.gov (you will need your driver's license details to confirm who you are), choose the driver record request, pick Driver/Personal Use and pay the $8 fee. Enable pop-ups in your browser: the record opens in a new window for you to view, save and print.
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By mail
Complete DMV form CRD-93, Information Request, and mail it with the $9 fee to Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles, Attention: Customer Records Work Center, P.O. Box 27412, Richmond, VA 23269. Mailed transcripts are official copies and can be certified for an extra $5. Allow time for the round trip if a court date is close.
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In person
Visit any DMV customer service center with valid identification and the $9 fee. Useful when you need a certified copy the same day.
How to read your record
Four things on the transcript matter for a driver improvement clinic, and the DMV prints them in a way that takes a minute to decode.
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1
Convictions and how long they stay
Each conviction is listed with the offense date, the conviction date and the court. The DMV keeps each conviction on your record for a set number of years: 3 years for most 3-point and 4-point violations, 11 years for reckless driving (including 20 mph or more over the limit, or 85 mph and above) and for DUI, and permanently for a few commercial-vehicle offenses. A conviction can still show on the record long after its points have stopped counting.
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2
Demerit points
Every moving violation carries 3, 4 or 6 demerit points. Points count against you for two years from the date you committed the offense, not from the conviction date, so the offense date next to each entry is the one to watch. The DMV acts on totals: at 8 points in 12 months (or 12 in 24) you get an advisory letter; at 12 points in 12 months (or 18 in 24) you must complete a driver improvement clinic within 90 days; at 18 points in 12 months (or 24 in 24) your license is suspended for 90 days, a clinic is required before it comes back, and six months of probation follow.
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3
Safe driving points
You earn one safe driving point for each full calendar year you hold a valid Virginia license with no violations or suspensions, credited in early April, up to a maximum of +5. Completing a driver improvement clinic adds +5 safe driving points at once. The cap still applies: if your record already shows +5, the clinic keeps you there rather than pushing you higher, which is worth knowing before you enroll for points alone.
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4
License status, suspensions and requirements
The top of the transcript states whether your license is valid, suspended or revoked, and lists any outstanding DMV requirements, including a clinic you have been ordered to complete and its deadline. If the court or the DMV told you to take a clinic, this is where the requirement, and later your completion, appears.
What each reason for the clinic needs from the record
Drivers take the Virginia Driver Improvement Clinic for four reasons, and the transcript plays a different part in each.
Court-ordered
Your order sets the deadline
The judge's order controls your deadline, not the DMV thresholds. The record lets you and your attorney see exactly what the court is looking at. We report your completion to the DMV within 24 hours and your certificate is available for the court.
DMV-required
Your notice names the threshold
Your DMV notice names the threshold you crossed and gives you 90 days. The transcript shows the convictions behind it and the offense dates, so you can tell when the oldest points will stop counting.
Voluntary
Check your safe driving points first
Order the record first and look at the safe driving point line. Below +5, a clinic adds five points immediately. The DMV allows the voluntary clinic once every 24 months.
Insurance discount
Your insurer sees the 5-year version
Your insurer sees the 5-year insurance transcript, not the 11-year one. Ask your agent what discount the completion certificate earns you; Virginia lets you use one clinic completion either for the safe driving points or for the insurance discount in a 24-month period, so choose the reason when you register.
Ready to take the clinic?
Eight hours online, on any device, in as many sittings as you like. Certificate within a few hours of passing.
Licensed by DMV (License 5347). The course fee is paid when you register. Completion reported electronically to the Virginia DMV within 24 hours.
Common questions
How much does a Virginia driving record cost?
A driver transcript from the Virginia DMV costs $8 when you order it online, or $9 by mail or at a customer service center. A certified copy costs $5 more and is issued by mail or in person. Employers and schools that request your record with your signed release pay the same transcript fee.
How do I get my Virginia driving record online?
Sign in to the DMV's online services at dmv.virginia.gov, request a driver record, choose the Driver/Personal Use transcript and pay $8. Turn on pop-ups in your browser, because the record opens in a new window for you to view and print.
What does a Virginia driving record show?
Your license status, every conviction on file with the offense date, conviction date, court and the number of years it stays on the record, any suspensions or revocations, outstanding DMV requirements, your demerit points and your safe driving points.
How long do points stay on your record in Virginia?
Demerit points count for two years from the date of the offense. The conviction itself stays on the transcript longer: 3 years for most 3-point and 4-point violations, 11 years for reckless driving and DUI, and permanently for certain commercial vehicle offenses.
Does a driver improvement clinic remove points from my Virginia record?
No. The conviction and its demerit points stay on the record. Completing a clinic adds five safe driving points, which offset demerit points in your total, up to the DMV's maximum of +5 safe driving points. Completions are reported to the DMV electronically.
Can my employer or insurance company get my Virginia driving record?
Insurers can obtain the 5-year Driver/Insurance transcript. Employers, schools and the military can request the 7-year employment transcript only with a written request and your signed release. Other businesses need a Commercial Information Use Agreement with the DMV.
Please note: this guide describes Virginia DMV procedures and fees as published at dmv.virginia.gov in September 2026, in general terms. It is not legal advice. Fees, forms and the rules for demerit and safe driving points are set by the DMV and the Code of Virginia (Title 46.2), and the DMV is the authority on your own record. Traffic Safety Institute is a driver improvement clinic, Licensed by DMV (License 5347); it does not issue driving records.