Virginia Road Test Documents: What to Bring

Arriving at the Virginia DMV without the right paperwork is the fastest way to fail your test before you even start the engine. The examiner won't conduct your road skills test if any required document is missing, expired, or fails to meet state identification and residency rules.

What Documents Does the Examiner Check Before Your Virginia Road Test?

For a DMV-administered road-skills test, bring the documents required for your specific path, including the valid learner's permit when one was issued, current vehicle registration, proof of insurance, and the applicable DMV road-test forms. Standard under-18 applicants normally complete the road-skills test through driver education instead of bringing a separate teen practice log to a DMV road-test appointment.

• Valid Learner's Permit: Your physical, unexpired Virginia permit. Phone photos won't work.
• Vehicle Registration Card: Current card for the test vehicle, matching its plates.
• Proof of Insurance: Active coverage for the test vehicle. Virginia no longer offers the uninsured-motor-vehicle fee as an alternative to insurance.
• Licensed Accompanying Driver: Bring the license of the qualified accompanying driver. Most supervisors must be at least 21; the 18+ exception is limited to a parent, legal guardian, brother, sister, half-sibling, or step-sibling.
• Vision Correction: Bring and use glasses or contacts if your credential carries Virginia's corrective-lenses restriction, code C.
• Training/road-test forms: The required record depends on the licensing path. CSMA 19 is used for specified adult learners and qualifying home-school students, while standard teen applicants use the applicable driver-education completion certificate.

Form / Record	When It Applies
CSMA 140	Vehicle Owner and Applicant Acknowledgement for DMV-administered road-skills testing.
CSMA 19	In-Car Maneuvers Observation Record for specified adult learners and qualifying home-school students taking a DMV road test.
Driver-education completion certificate	Used for the approved driver-education licensing path; standard under-18 applicants use this process to certify the required supervised practice.

Print your insurance and registration the night before. DMV kiosks fail all the time, and a dead printer at home will ruin your morning.

What Is Virginia DMV Form CSMA 140 and Do You Need It for the Road Test?

CSMA 140 is the Road Skills Testing Vehicle Owner and Applicant Acknowledgement used for DMV-administered road-skills testing. If your licensing path requires a DMV road test, follow DMV's current instructions for completing this form before the test.

When Do You Need CSMA 19 Instead of a Driver-Education Certificate?

CSMA 19 is used for specified adult learners and qualifying home-school students who follow the DMV road-test route. It is not the general 45-hour teen driving log and does not replace the standard teen driver-education completion certificate.

What Documents Do You Need If You Passed the Knowledge Test but Were Not Issued a Learner's Permit?

If DMV allows you to proceed to a road-skills test without a learner's permit having been issued, bring the original licensing documents DMV requires for that exception. Do not assume a knowledge-test result alone replaces the identity and eligibility documents.

Extra Documents Virginia Drivers Under 18 Must Bring

Standard under-18 applicants normally complete the road-skills test through an approved driver-education program rather than reporting to DMV with a separate 45-hour practice log. The parent or guardian certifies the required 45 supervised hours, including 15 after sunset, on the applicable driver-education completion certificate.

If a teen is using a special path that requires a DMV-administered road test, follow DMV's current instructions for that path instead of assuming DL 1P or CSMA 19 is the general teen road-test log.

Do Standard Under-18 Drivers Bring a 45-Hour Log to a DMV Road Test?

Normally, no. Standard under-18 applicants complete the road-skills test through approved driver education, and the parent or guardian certifies the required 45 supervised hours, including 15 after sunset, on the applicable driver-education completion certificate.

What Happens If You Forget a Document at the Virginia DMV?

If you forget a required document, the examiner will not begin the road test. You must leave, retrieve the document, and return. If you miss your appointment window by doing so, you will need to book a new appointment and potentially wait weeks for the next available slot.

In Virginia Beach, a candidate's test was cancelled because their vehicle inspection sticker expired the day before. The examiner refused the vehicle, and the next opening was five weeks out.

A driver in Roanoke used a parent's car but brought the insurance card for their own vehicle. The VINs didn't match, so the test never happened.

In Arlington, a teen showed a digital insurance card, but poor cell signal inside the DMV prevented the image from loading. No printed backup, no test.

Use a physical checklist. Pack the permit and the forms required for your specific path, plus the vehicle registration and insurance, before test day. Do not assume DL 1P is the general practice-hour document for a DMV road test.

Vehicle Requirements for the Virginia Driving Test

The test vehicle must meet DMV's current registration, insurance, inspection, and safety-equipment requirements. For the full pre-test vehicle checklist, use the dedicated Virginia road-test vehicle requirements guide rather than duplicating it here.

Virginia DMV ID and Residency Requirements

The road test documents above differ from the identity and residency documents needed when applying for your license. For the complete list of acceptable ID and residency proofs, download the DMV 141 form or see the Virginia DMV Driver License Guide.

If you need to understand who qualifies as a supervising driver or want to know more about insurance requirements for your permit, those details matter too.