Car Registration

As a Delaware resident you must register your car before you can legally drive it on Delaware roads. If you are new to Delaware, you have 60 days to complete the process.

To some the three-step process of inspecting, titling, and registering a vehicle may seem complicated, but the Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is very organized and you will find the procedures logical and convenient if you allow plenty of time to complete your business with the DMV.

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Liability Insurance

You must carry the minimum auto liability insurance on your vehicle before you are allowed to inspect, title, and register it in Delaware. After you have met with a Delaware licensed insurance company, you will better understand your insurance responsibility.

The Delaware DMV has set minimum insurance levels:

• $10,000 for property damage

• $15,000 for personal injury or death to one person

• $30,000 for personal injury or death to more than one person

Before you are able to visit the DMV for vehicle inspection, you have to buy the insurance and get an Insurance Identification Card. Keep the card in your car at all times and bring it to your vehicle inspection at the DMV office.

If you don't yet have an insurance card and you still want to begin registering your vehicle, you can bring a binder or policy with you to the DMV. The binder must be 30 days new―an old binder dated back 60-days will not work.

What happens if you drop your insurance after you've purchased the liability coverage, passed your car inspection, received the certificate of title, registration, and tags? Not only will you be operating your vehicle illegally―you could be caught and fined.

The DMV randomly audits all valid registrations to make sure the proper insurance coverage is in effect. The fines can be steep―$1,500 or more, plus driver license and registration suspension.

When your insurance is canceled, the DMV is notified directly by the insurance company; any lienholders are usually notified, too. When your insurance is canceled, it is your responsibility to return the vehicle tags to the DMV. They will hold them for you if your insurance gap is only temporary.

Driving without liability insurance is against the law and irresponsible. In addition to the physical and emotional stress of an accident, the financial fall out could be staggering. Don't put yourself or anyone else in that situation―buy the insurance from an insurance company licensed to do business in Delaware.

Vehicle Inspection

At the heart of the Delaware DMV safety effort is the vehicle inspection program. A trained inspection technician at one of the four DMV offices will inspect your vehicle. There are over 19 safety criteria, including basics like:

• Tread depth

• Brakes

• Mirrors

• Glass and windshield

• Signals and headlamps

• Horn

The DMV is also responsible for evaluating your exhaust system and its contribution to pollution through exhaust emissions. Several state and federal agencies are working to reduce the amount of both evaporative (fuel vapors off your engine or gas tank) and exhaust emissions.

You can expect this portion of the vehicle inspection to become very scrupulous as technology evolves in response to growing air quality concern. The Environmental Protection Agency provides an online publication, Sources of Emissions.

When you show up for the vehicle inspection you will need some documents to prove you own the car and have current insurance:

• Certificate of Title or Certificate of Origin

• Insurance Identification Card, binder, or policy

Your vehicle may fail one of the safety inspections or the emissions test. If the failure is not considered a serious safety problem, you may be offered a temporary registration. Once you've made the repairs to your car return to the same DMV office to be inspected again.

An inspection waiver is given to vehicles sold by dealers who also supply the Delaware Application for Title―Form MV212A.

Once you have passed the inspection, the technician will give you a title application that includes an inspection report for your vehicle. Present this application, signed by you, when filing for a Certificate of Title.

As you travel Delaware's highways, you can take comfort knowing that all Delaware-registered vehicles have passed the same safety inspection. Even multi-year registration requires annual inspections.

Certificate of Title

Delaware requires a Certificate of Title for all registered vehicles. To get your certificate you need to bring the title application to the DMV Office. You will be given the title application from the inspection technician when your vehicle passes the safety and emissions test.

A complete application includes the owner's signature; the owner could be you or a corporate officer for company-owned vehicles. When the owner is not able to sign the application, a person with authority, power of attorney, can sign.

If you are younger than 18, ask your parent or guardian to sign the application, too. For you, registration is like the drivers license process when parents of teen drivers are expected to participate in all of your DMV dealings.

There are fees for the title application. A regular title is $25 and a title with a lienholder is $35; the Certificate of Title is mailed to the lienholder.

The DMV also requires a document fee equal to 3.25% of the vehicle value. The vehicle value is figured on the purchase price or NADA trade-in value.

The document fee can be a lot of money if you are registering an expensive car. Can you get a waiver of the document fee? Yes, if you are able to prove you have already paid taxes to another state when you bought the vehicle. If you paid the tax within 90 days of registering in Delaware, you qualify for the waiver.

Registration

The final step in the vehicle registration process is when you actually receive the registration card and license plates. If you are interested in special license plates orvanity tags, visit the DMV office to determine eligibility, then complete the appropriate paperwork and pay the $40 annual fee.

Delaware has several levels of registration fees based on how long you are able to register for:

• $21 for 6 months

• $40 for 1 year

• $80 for 2 years

• $200 for 5 years

Registration fees for commercial motor vehicles, trailers, and recreation vehicles are calculated based on the weight of your vehicle.

If your car is five years old or newer, you can register for five years. The DMV encourages you to register for as long as possible because it saves you and them the registration process each year. The registration fee is $40 per year whether you do one year or five years; the benefit to you is time saved when renewing your registration.

If you are able to choose the five-year registration renewal, you will still have to visit a DMV Office for annual vehicle inspection. It is also important to remember that you must keep your liability insurance policy paid up because if you lose the automobile liability insurance, the DMV will be notified and your license could be suspended.

Temporary Registration

You might need a temporary registration if you are buying a car and have to get it home. When you fail portions of the inspection, you might be offered a temporary registration. The $10 fee covers your temporary registration, which is good for 30 days or less. You must still provide some documents:

• Proof of insurance

• Proof of ownership

• Proof of residency

Proving insurance is best done with an Insurance Identification Card. You can prove ownership with a Bill of Sale, Certificate of Origin, or Certificate of Title assigned to you.

Residency is often documented by your driver's license. You can also use other documents from Delaware's Required Documentation Table.

The process for registering your vehicle in Delaware may seem complicated but it is really three easy steps―inspection, titling, and registering. Once you have successfully registered your car, you'll be able to renew or register another vehicle easily.

You can find information on car registrations in the Driver's Manual and also the Guidelines for New Residents.

The DMV is ready to help you with any questions might have so be sure to visit one of the four DMV offices when you first move to the state or buy a car.

Non-Operational Vehicles

Delaware doesn't have non-operational vehicle registrations.

But if you have a non-operational vehicle that's less than six years old, it's technically possible to get its registration renewed. Vehicles under six years old don't need to pass a a safety inspection. This isn't a likely scenario, since newer vehicles are usually operable.

If your non-operable vehicle is more than six years old, you're out of luck. You would be required to take it to a safety inspection. Since non-working vehicles can't pass the inspection, you won't be able to renew the registration.

Driving Privileges for Non-Citizens

You may drive in Delaware with a valid driver's license issued in your home country, providing you're at least 16 years old. Be sure to always have your license with you when driving.

If you become a Delaware resident, you must convert your license to a Delaware license within 60 days. However, you can still keep your foreign-issued license.

To become a licensed Delaware driver, you'll need to pass the written and road tests. Drivers with a current German license do not need to take these tests.