Virginia Driver Licensing After a DUI: Hearings, Reinstatement & SR-22

After a DUI arrest in Virginia, the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (dmv.virginia.gov) opens its own case against your driving privilege. It is administrative, it moves faster than the criminal case, and it is decided regardless of what the court later does with the charge.

• An immediate administrative suspension applies at arrest under the implied consent law for a refusal or a failed test, pending court disposition.
• After a conviction the DMV suspends or revokes the privilege as the court order directs.
• Reinstatement requires payment of the reinstatement fee under Va. Code § 46.2-411.
• The DMV publishes current reinstatement fees on its reinstatement pages.
• Interlock installation through a DMV-approved provider is required for certain offenders seeking a restricted licence.

1. Serve the full suspension or hard-suspension period the agency sets.
2. Complete any ordered assessment, education or treatment programme.
3. Install an approved ignition interlock device — Virginia requires one in most first-offense cases.
4. Virginia requires a FR-44 certificate of financial responsibility for 3 years before a licence is reinstated after a DUI conviction.
5. Pay the reinstatement fee and any licence-issuance fee in full.

Fees and processing times change; confirm the current amounts on dmv.virginia.gov before you travel to an office.

These Virginia ZIP-code pages carry the local court, filing and licensing detail for the area, and each one links back to this resource page.

Browse all Virginia ZIP codes.

How long is a first-offense suspension in Virginia?

A first DUI offense generally carries a 1 year suspension in Virginia. Reinstatement conditions, fees and any interlock requirement are set by the licensing agency.