Car Registration

When you're ready to get on the road with your newly purchased car (or your out-of-state car if you've just moved here), you must first title and register it. The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) handles the registration and titling of vehicles, as well as issuing driver's licenses, commercial licenses, and driving records.

Usually the auto dealer will take care of this paperwork for you when you buy from a licensed dealer. If you got your car from someone other than a dealer, though, you'll need to make an appearance at the DMV and apply for the title and registration yourself.

Titling a Vehicle

To register your motor vehicle or trailer, you must first get a title for it at a Virginia DMV customer service center.

• 1. Complete the Application for Certificate of Title and Registration.

• 2. Present proof of address, a manufacturer's certificate of origin (for new vehicles) or the previous owner's title signed over to you (for used vehicles), and proof of purchase price such as a bill of sale.

• 3. Pay any fees due, including taxes. There is a $10 titling fee and a motor vehicle sales and use tax based on 3% of the vehicle's sales price or $35, whichever is greater. If you cannot provide proof of purchase price and you owe taxes, the DMV will use the official NADA trade-in value to calculate your tax.

  If you are exempt from the motor vehicle sales and use tax per statute 58.1-2403, bring proof of your exemption status or a completed Purchaser's Statement of Tax Exemption.

  If you are titling an out-of-state vehicle in Virginia for the first time and you hold a title or registration for it in another state, you will not owe sales and use tax. However, if you purchased it in the previous 12 months, you must provide proof that you paid sales and use tax in your previous state, or Virginia tax will be assessed.

  4. Record the odometer reading. Whenever a vehicle is sold or transferred, the seller must record the mileage on the title. If it is an out-of-state title that does not have a space for the mileage, you can use an Odometer Disclosure Statement.

  5. Receive your title. You may choose to be issued a paper title, or the DMV can keep an electronic title on file for you.

  You can request a title in writing through the mail if you can't visit a customer service center in person. A paper title will be mailed to the address you have filed with the DMV, as long as there are no held or stop conditions on your record. Send your written request and payment (if any) to:

  • Virginia DMV
  • Attn: Titles and Registration Work Center
  • PO Box 27412
  • Richmond, VA 23269

Registering a Vehicle

If you are registering your vehicle at the same time as you title it at the DMV, you will not need to fill out a separate registration application form. However, the rest of the following steps will apply to you.

1. Get insurance. If you have not already done so, you must get insurance on your vehicle before you can register it. If you do not have the minimum amount of insurance required, you can pay the $500 uninsured motorist fee each year, but you will not be insured. Minimum coverage amounts for insurance are:
   • Bodily injury/death of one person: $25,000
   • Bodily injury/death of two or more people: $50,000
   • Property damage: $20,000

   Bring proof of insurance with you when you register your vehicle.



2. Get an emissions inspection if your vehicle is garaged in an emissions county or city. Motorcycles do not need emissions inspections.


3. Complete a Vehicle Registration Application. When you visit a DMV customer service center to register your vehicle, also bring with you the emissions certificate if required. The inspection station usually forwards information to the DMV unless the vehicle fails the inspection. But bring proof with you just in case the DMV asks for it.


4. Pay any fees due. Registration fees are determined by the type of license plate you purchase, the empty or gross weight of the vehicle, and whether you register for one or two years.


5. Receive license plate(s). The DMV will give you one or two license plates depending on the vehicle type, decals showing your registration expiration, and a registration card. If you are registering a motorcycle, tractor truck, semitrailer or trailer, you will only get one license plate. Mount the plates on the front and back of your vehicle (or the rear if only one plate) and place the decals on them. Carry the registration card with you whenever you drive the vehicle.

   You can also purchase personalized license plates or plates with special designs.



6. Get a safety inspection. Upon registering your car or other motor vehicle, a safety inspection may be required. The Virginia State Police administers the safety program and can give you more information.

Renewing Your Registration

Non-Operational Vehicles

Virginia doesn't have a special registration available for non-operable vehicles.

If you have a non-operable car with expired plates that you later decide to drive, it's best to just go ahead and re-register the vehicle with new plates. If you simply renew your old plates, you'll have to pay registration fees for the entire time that you weren't driving your vehicle.