State service guide

Virginia driving records: transcript types by use, CRD-93 requests, and a separate compliance-summary track

Virginia sells driving records as driver transcripts, and the correct transcript depends on why you need it. The official DMV record page separates personal-use transcripts with up to 11 years of history from employment, school, military, and TNC transcripts with up to 7 years, plus a 5-year insurance summary and a habitual-offender-restoration transcript with up to 11 years. The practical Virginia split is between your own record, which can be ordered online, and someone else's record, which generally requires a written CRD-93 request and authorization or another allowed release basis. Virginia also treats the compliance summary as a different product, not as a substitute for the actual driver transcript.

Open official source View Virginia services
Personal transcript length Virginia's personal-use driver transcript can show up to 11 years of driving history
Employment transcript length Employment, school, military, and TNC transcript types use up to 7 years of driving history
Request channels Virginia allows online self-request, written CRD-93 requests by mail, and in-person requests at a customer service center
Separate reinstatement record The compliance summary is a courtesy reinstatement summary and Virginia says it is not an official driving-record transcript

Overview

What this page helps you verify

A useful Virginia driving-records page should fix two common mistakes. First, Virginia's current DMV materials do not frame this as one generic 'abstract' request. They break the product into transcript types tied to personal use, employment, insurance, TNC work, or habitual-offender restoration. Second, the state separates a true driver transcript from the compliance summary used for reinstatement work. If you need the actual conviction and license-history document, the transcript page is the one that matters.

Last reviewed: 2026-05-18. This page was manually upgraded against service-specific official sources, but requirements can still change quickly.

Usually needed

Documents and information to prepare

  • Your Virginia DMV login or the identifying information needed to order your own record online
  • Your full name, address, Social Security number, and the reason for the request if you are sending a written request by mail
  • A completed Information Request form CRD-93 if you are requesting a record through the written-request path
  • A signed authorization from the driver if you are an employer or another requester that is not already authorized by Virginia law
  • A valid driver's license or photo ID if you are requesting the record in person at a DMV customer service center
  • Payment for the transcript fee and any certification charge listed in Virginia's DMV fee chart

Typical flow

What the process often looks like

  1. Choose the transcript type first, because Virginia uses different record scopes for personal use, employment or school, insurance, TNC work, and habitual-offender restoration.
  2. If you need your own record, use Virginia's online Record Request service for the fastest path and make sure the address on your license or ID is correct if you want a mailed copy.
  3. If you need another person's record or a written release-based request, complete CRD-93 and include the driver's authorization or other legal basis for release.
  4. Use the compliance summary only for reinstatement guidance, and pair it with the driver transcript when a court or other entity needs the actual driving-history document.

What Virginia sells

Virginia's record request starts with transcript type, not just with delivery method

That is the first thing the page should make clear.

  • Virginia lists separate driver transcript types for personal use, employment or school or military, TNC, insurance, and habitual-offender restoration.
  • The personal-use and habitual-offender-restoration transcripts can show up to 11 years of history.
  • Employment, school, military, and TNC transcripts use up to 7 years of history, while the insurance transcript is a 5-year summary.

Your record versus someone else's

Virginia gives you a direct online lane for your own record, but third-party access is more controlled

This is where the benchmark tends to oversimplify the process.

  • Virginia's online Record Request service is designed for ordering or viewing your own driver record.
  • For written requests, DMV tells customers to send a request or use Form CRD-93 with identifying information and the reason for the request.
  • CRD-93 says employers and other requesters not otherwise authorized by Virginia law need the subject's signed authorization for a one-time driving-record release.
  • Virginia's non-governmental access guidance also says DMV records may be used only for the purpose for which they were released.

Official copies and timing

Virginia treats mailed transcripts as official copies and keeps the fee chart separate

This is more precise than a generic 'download your abstract' description.

  • Virginia's online transaction page says you may order an official copy of your driver record.
  • If you request the record through the mail, DMV says it will be mailed within 5 business days.
  • The same transaction page says a viewed record can be viewed again within 5 days of the original purchase at no charge.
  • Virginia publishes the transcript fee and any added certification charge in DMV Fees rather than on the main record-request page.

Do not confuse the products

A compliance summary helps with reinstatement, but it is not the driving record itself

That distinction matters throughout the Virginia records section.

  • Virginia's compliance-summary page says the summary is not an official transcript of your driving record.
  • The state describes it as a courtesy summary showing reinstatement-related items such as fees, required documents, suspension dates, and court contacts.
  • When a court or another entity needs detailed driving history, Virginia says the compliance summary should be accompanied by the driver transcript.

Accuracy notes

Where people get tripped up

  • Virginia driving-record content should use the state's transcript categories instead of flattening everything into one generic abstract.
  • The self-request versus third-party-request split matters because Virginia's current materials pair online access with your own record and use CRD-93 plus authorization language for other requesters.
  • The compliance summary should stay separate from the transcript throughout the page because Virginia expressly says it is not an official driving-record transcript.

FAQ

Common questions

  • How far back does a Virginia driving record go?

    It depends on the transcript type. Virginia says a personal-use transcript can show up to 11 years, employment or school or military and TNC transcripts use up to 7 years, and the insurance version is a 5-year summary.

  • Can I get my Virginia driving record online?

    Yes. Virginia's Record Request service lets you order or view your own driver record online.

  • Can an employer request my Virginia driving record directly?

    Yes, but Virginia's CRD-93 form says employers and other requesters not otherwise authorized by Virginia law must include the driver's signed authorization for the one-time release.

Sources

Official references used for this page

Related services

More Virginia tasks people often check next

Virginia Car Insurance

Understand minimum coverage rules, proof-of-insurance expectations, and when you must show insurance to drive or register a vehicle.

Virginia Car Registration

Find out what is usually required to register a vehicle, including title documents, proof of ownership, fees, and emissions or inspection rules.

Virginia DMV Point System

Review how traffic convictions and other events can affect a driving record, suspension risk, and defensive-driving eligibility.

Virginia Driver's License

Get a clear starting point for applying for, replacing, or maintaining a standard driver license in your jurisdiction.