This legislative change is included in the 2018-2020 Appropriation Act (House Bill 1700, as adopted), § 3-6.03 Driver’s License Reinstatement Fee. The specific wording of the change can be found at HB 1700 (Chapter 854).
Effective July 1, 2019, Virginia courts no longer ordered the suspension of an individual’s driving privilege for failure to pay court fines and costs. Additionally, any F&C suspension(s) in place as of that date were removed from DMV’s system and related reinstatement fees were waived.
Suspensions for failure to pay F&C no longer show on driving records obtained for personal use, insurance use or employment purposes. However, driving records for law enforcement and court use do show any F&C suspension(s) that was in effect prior to July 1, 2019 and that the suspension ended as of July 1, 2019. This is because drivers may have been cited for driving on a suspended license while the suspension was in effect and law enforcement and the courts will need to have information related to the underlying suspension.
Yes. Although suspensions were removed from driving records and the requirement to pay related reinstatement fees was waived, the responsibility to pay assessed fines and costs to the court(s) remains in effect.
No. Only F&C suspension orders were removed. All other suspension/revocation orders will remain in effect until the individual complies with the requirements, including but not limited to suspensions for failure to pay child support and failure to pay tolls.
Yes. DMV mailed letters by first-class mail to all individuals with a Virginia address on file who have a F&C suspension on their driving record. The letter provided an explanation of the legislative change along with information about any requirements to obtain a Virginia license.
If you have any other type of effective suspension on your record, a compliance summary with information about outstanding compliance requirements was included.
Just after midnight June 30, 2019.
No. Your license status returned to a “licensed” status on July 1 and no action is required.
You are likely eligible to obtain a replacement license.
*Legal presence means that a person is a U.S. citizen, a legal permanent resident of the U.S., or is legally authorized to be in the U.S. in one of the eligible immigration statuses outlined in Va. Code (§ 46.2-328.1). Information regarding proof of legal presence can be found at Virginia's Legal Presence Law.
- If you have no other outstanding suspensions or requirements, you are eligible to obtain a new license. The only fee is a driver's license replacement or driver’s license fee.
- If you do not have your unexpired physical license, you must obtain a replacement license. The replacement license fee is $20.
- If your license is expired, you will be charged $32 for a new license.
- If you have never held a driver’s license or there is no evidence that you have ever been licensed, you will be charged a $3 fee for a learner’s permit in addition to the $32.
- You may opt to get a REAL ID license at the time of replacement or renewal for an additional one-time $10 fee.
No. Any fees collected prior to the change in law are non-refundable.
No. Testing is not required, unless your last license was also revoked*. However, a vision screening is still required.
*If in addition to your suspension for F&C, your license was revoked for a serious offense such as driving while intoxicated, then knowledge and road skills testing is required.
Yes. Testing is required, unless DMV has a record of you previously holding a license or you can present acceptable proof that you previously held a license in Virginia or any other U.S. jurisdiction. Acceptable proof includes an expired driver’s license or court/insurance documentation that indicates you have held a license.
If there is no record of you ever holding a driver’s license and you are unable to provide proof that you have held a license, you will be issued a learner’s permit following successful completion of the knowledge test. You must hold the learner’s permit for a minimum of 60 days (unless you complete a DMV-approved driver education course) before you are eligible to take the road skills test and be issued a driver’s license.
If your license was also revoked, testing is required.
Yes. All current procedures and requirements still apply to CDL holders.
Yes. However, testing is NOT required if there is evidence on DMV’s record that you previously held a MC class.
Yes. However, if you have provided evidence to DMV since January 1, 2004 that you are a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident, you are not required to show LP again. If you have not previously provided proof of LP, you must submit proof in order to get a driver’s license.
*Legal presence means that a person is a U.S. citizen, a legal permanent resident of the U.S., or is legally authorized to be in the U.S. in one of the eligible immigration statuses outlined in Va. Code (§ 46.2-328.1). Information regarding proof of legal presence can be found at Virginia's Legal Presence Law.
No. This legislative change only addresses suspensions for failure to pay F&C to Virginia courts
- Yes. All F&C suspensions were be removed July 1, 2019 and related reinstatement fees waived, regardless of where the person is licensed. Additionally, the Virginia suspension was removed from the National Driver Register, so it is no longer visible to the licensing state.
- Any fees imposed by the home state as a result of a Virginia F&C suspension may still be required by the home state.
- Virginia DMV also sent notification to the driver’s home state to inform the licensing agency of the removal of any outstanding F&C suspensions.
- If an out-of-state customer requires a letter indicating they are no longer suspended in Virginia, they can purchase a clearance letter through DMV’s website.
- If an out-of-state customer requires a letter indicating they are no longer suspended in Virginia, they can contact DMV and follow the instructions for submitting a secure email to DMV. Upon receipt of the email, a DMV representative will contact the customer to provide assistance in obtaining a clearance letter.
Removing the suspension for failure to pay fines and costs does not affect your point balance. Points are assigned to driving-related convictions and the underlying conviction is not removed. For more information, refer to Points and the Driver Improvement Program.
DMV has created a web page specific to this F&C legislative change. This page provides an explanation of this change, addresses licensing requirements and provides links to forms that a customer will need to obtain a license.
Detailed information is provided on the DMV website explaining eligibility requirements and instructions on how to apply for original, replacement, and renewal driver’s licenses.