Sale: $100 OFF All Exemptions!
A Virginia sun-shading medical authorization is issued by the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles, not by a doctor. Without it, front side windows must let in at least 50% of light, and darker tint can result in a citation. With it, side and rear windows may go as dark as 35%, and the windshield may be tinted to 70%. The DMV says the authorization should be obtained before the tint is applied. The process involves two parts:
Some drivers ask whether a Virginia medical authorization lets them tint their windows as dark as they want. The answer is no. With authorization, side and rear windows may not go below 35% light transmission, the windshield may not go below 70% (35% above the AS-1 line or in the top 5 inches), and film may not exceed 20% reflectance.
ForeverTint connects you with an independent licensed physician who reviews your medical history by chart review or, occasionally, a brief phone call. If you qualify, the signed MED 20 physician certification is emailed to you so you can submit the application to the Virginia DMV.
It’s important for all Virginia drivers to understand the state’s window tint laws, even if you do not currently qualify for a Medical Window Tint Exemption. Virginia has specific regulations that determine how dark vehicle window tint can legally be. These laws are intended to maintain driver visibility and roadway safety while still allowing some protection from heat and sunlight.
These limits mean that front side tint darker than 50%, rear tint darker than 35% on a passenger car, or any windshield tint below the manufacturer’s sunshield requires a sun-shading medical authorization from the Virginia DMV. ForeverTint helps you find out whether you qualify for the physician certification that supports your MED 20 application. Eligibility is determined by a licensed physician based on your medical history, and the DMV decides whether to issue the authorization.
Traditionally, getting a physician certification for a Virginia sun-shading authorization meant making an in-person doctor’s appointment. ForeverTint moves the physician review online:
*If the physician determines you do not qualify, you receive a full refund.
An independent licensed physician decides whether your condition qualifies. Conditions a physician may consider include:
Lupus is an autoimmune disease in which ultraviolet light can trigger skin rashes, joint pain, and fatigue. Physicians commonly advise people with lupus to limit UV exposure, including the UVA light that passes through car side windows.
Porphyrias are a group of disorders in which certain compounds build up in the body and react to light, causing blistering, burning pain, and skin damage after sun exposure. Avoiding sunlight is a central part of managing the cutaneous forms.
Xeroderma pigmentosum is a rare genetic disorder that prevents the body from repairing DNA damage caused by ultraviolet light. People with XP burn after minimal sun exposure and face a greatly increased risk of skin cancers and eye damage.
People with albinism produce little or no melanin, the pigment that helps protect skin and eyes from ultraviolet light. They are highly prone to sunburn and skin damage and often experience significant light sensitivity and glare.
Photosensitivity dermatitis is an abnormal skin reaction to sunlight that can cause redness, itching, swelling, and rash on exposed skin. It can be linked to an underlying condition or to medications, and limiting UV exposure helps prevent flare-ups.
A personal history of melanoma or other skin cancers means ongoing UV exposure is a serious concern. Dermatologists routinely advise these patients to reduce sun exposure wherever possible, including time spent driving.
Some eye conditions, such as uveitis, certain retinal disorders, and sensitivity following eye surgery, cause pain or impaired vision in bright light. A licensed physician or optometrist can assess whether reducing light exposure while driving is medically necessary.
Cockayne syndrome is a rare genetic disorder that causes extreme sensitivity to sunlight, along with other developmental and health effects. Strict sun protection is part of everyday care.
Bloom syndrome is a rare inherited disorder that causes sun-sensitive skin, often with a facial rash after sun exposure, and an increased lifetime risk of cancer. Limiting UV exposure is a standard precaution.
Vitiligo causes patches of skin to lose their pigment, leaving those areas without natural protection from ultraviolet light. Depigmented skin burns easily, so physicians often recommend extra sun protection.
Some autoimmune conditions, such as dermatomyositis, cause skin and muscle symptoms that worsen with sun exposure. Certain medications used to treat autoimmune disease can also increase sensitivity to light.
Healing burns, skin grafts, and scar tissue are more vulnerable to sun damage, and UV exposure can cause scars to darken. Physicians typically advise protecting these areas from direct sunlight.
Other diagnosed conditions, including sun sensitivity caused by medications, can make sun exposure a health concern. Describe your condition during intake, and an independent licensed physician will review your medical history and decide whether darker tint is medically necessary for you.
DMV form MED 20 (Sun-Shading Medical Authorization Application) includes:
You submit the completed MED 20 to the Virginia DMV at a customer service center, by mail, or by fax. The vehicle must have outside mirrors on both sides. If the DMV approves the application, it issues a new registration card with “sunshading” in the Special Conditions space. The authorization remains valid until the vehicle is sold or the medical condition no longer exists, whichever comes first; the tint must then be removed. The provider certification is needed for new applications only, and vehicles can be added to an existing authorization.
A physician’s statement by itself is not a Virginia tint exemption. Without a sun-shading authorization from the DMV, tint darker than the standard limits can result in a citation, even if your medical condition is legitimate. The MED 20 form itself notes that tint darker than the authorized levels is not allowed even with a provider’s recommendation. An authorization does not guarantee you will not be stopped or cited; officers retain discretion.
Virginia Code § 46.2-1052: Except as provided in § 46.2-1053, window film may not “reduce total light transmittance of such window to less than 50 percent” on front side windows, may not “reduce the total light transmittance of such window to less than 35 percent” on rear side and rear windows, and may not “have a reflectance of light exceeding 20 percent.” “No film or darkening material may be applied on the windshield except to replace the sunshield in the uppermost area as installed by the manufacturer.”
Virginia Code § 46.2-1053: A vehicle operated by or regularly used to transport a person with a medical condition that makes them susceptible to harm from sunlight or bright artificial light may use films that reduce light transmission to no less than 35 percent, and on the windshield film “shall not cause the total light transmittance to be reduced to any level less than 70 percent” except in the top five inches or above the AS-1 line. “Vehicles equipped with such sun-shading or tinting films shall not be operated on any highway unless” the driver or an occupant carries a written authorization from the Commissioner of the Department of Motor Vehicles, issued on a signed statement from a licensed physician or optometrist. The authorization “shall be valid so long as the condition requiring the use of sun-shading or tinting films or applications persists” or until the vehicle is sold.
Source: Virginia Code § 46.2-1052 and § 46.2-1053; Virginia DMV form MED 20
Virginia Code § 46.2-1053 allows tint down to 35% on side and rear windows, and 70% on the windshield, for a vehicle operated by or regularly used to transport a person with a medical condition that makes them susceptible to harm from sunlight or bright artificial light. The vehicle may be driven with that tint only if the driver or an occupant carries a written authorization from the Virginia DMV, issued on a signed statement from a physician or optometrist. Without authorization, front side windows must let in at least 50% of light.
ForeverTint connects you with an independent licensed physician who reviews your medical history by chart review or, occasionally, a brief phone call. If you qualify, the signed Medical Provider Certification on DMV form MED 20 is emailed to you. You then complete the vehicle and owner sections and submit the form to the Virginia DMV yourself, and the DMV decides whether to issue the authorization.
If your tint is darker than the standard limits and your vehicle has no DMV sun-shading authorization, you can be cited; a driver violation of § 46.2-1052 is a traffic infraction. Virginia law requires the driver or an occupant to carry the written authorization, which the DMV issues as a registration card marked “sunshading,” so keep that card in the vehicle. Under § 46.2-1052(P), officers may not stop a vehicle solely for a violation of that section, but you can still be cited if you are stopped for another reason.
No. With a DMV sun-shading authorization, side and rear windows may not go below 35% light transmission, and the windshield may not go below 70% (35% above the AS-1 line or in the top 5 inches). Film may not exceed 20% reflectance or produce a holographic or prism effect, and the vehicle must have mirrors on both sides.
Yes. Virginia’s medical tint exemption is a written authorization issued by the DMV. You submit form MED 20, with a signed certification from a physician or optometrist, at a DMV customer service center, by mail, or by fax. If the DMV approves the application, it issues a new registration card with “sunshading” in the Special Conditions space.
First, a physician or optometrist completes and signs the Medical Provider Certification on DMV form MED 20, stating that sun-shading is necessary for your health and describing the condition. Then you complete the vehicle and owner sections and submit the form to the Virginia DMV, ideally before the tint is applied. If the DMV approves, the authorization remains valid until the vehicle is sold or the condition no longer exists.
Virginia law does not list specific conditions; it covers a medical condition that makes a person susceptible to harm from sunlight or bright artificial light, as certified by a physician or optometrist. Conditions a physician may consider include lupus, porphyria, xeroderma pigmentosum, albinism, photosensitivity dermatitis, melanoma and other skin cancers, and light-sensitive eye conditions. An independent licensed physician decides whether your condition qualifies.
Having a medical recommendation from a doctor for darker window tint does not guarantee you will not get a ticket. An officer can still give you a ticket at their own discretion.