Vehicle Registration Information

It's Required

Before you can get on the road with your motor vehicle, motorcycle, tractor truck, trailer or semitrailer, (§46.2-600) you're required to title and register it at one of our customer service centers (CSCs) or a DMV Select office.

You will need additional information to title and register a vehicle if you are a new Virginia resident or if you lease your vehicle.

Your vehicle must pass an annual safety inspection and display a valid safety inspection sticker before it can be operated in Virginia. Be warned: if you drive your vehicle without an inspection sticker, you may be ticketed by law enforcement. A conviction for violating Virginia inspection laws could result in a fine and be posted to your driving record.

Before Registering Your Vehicle, You Must....

• Have your car titled in Virginia.
• Complete either an Application for Registration (VSA 14) or For-Hire Vehicles Registration Application (VSA 123)
• Have an emissions inspection on your vehicle if it is garaged in the counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William, or Stafford, or in the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas, or Manassas Park. Motorcycles are not required to have an emissions inspection.
  
  Important: When you have your vehicle's emissions system inspected, the emissions inspection station will electronically update your DMV vehicle record with the test results immediately. When registering your vehicle, DMV will not ask you for emissions information unless your vehicle failed the test or this information has not been received from the inspection station.
• Certify that the vehicle is covered by the minimum insurance requirements or pay the uninsured motor vehicle fee. Your insurance carrier must be authorized to conduct business in Virginia. Virginia requires the following minimum coverage:
  
  • Bodily injury/death of one person: $25,000
  • Bodily injury/death of two or more persons: $50,000
  • Property damage: $20,000
  
  Higher insurance limits are required of vehicles operated for-hire and subject to intrastate operating authority requirements.
  
  Note: If liability insurance coverage on a vehicle terminates or cancels during the registration period, either reinsure the vehicle, pay the uninsured motor vehicle fee or surrender the license plates to DMV.

If you are applying for an original registration or are transferring an existing registration to a different vehicle and the vehicle being registered is owned by or being registered in a name other than the holder of the intrastate operating authority certificate or permit, you must have the lessee (holder of the operating authority certificate or permit) complete the Leased Vehicle Information section of the VSA 123 application. Additionally you must have the insurance company for the holder of the operating authority certificate or permit complete Section B of the Insurance Certification section of the VSA 123.

Registration Renewal

After your first registration, DMV will alert you about your upcoming renewal. You can receive these notifications by mail, or opt for the convenience of receiving notices by email, phone, or text message by signing up for e-notifications.

You can renew your registration by telephone, by mail, online, or at any DMV Select or customer service center.

• You can save money and time by renewing your vehicle registrations (decals) online, by telephone, or through the mail.
• If you renew in person at a customer service center, you'll pay an additional $5 fee for each vehicle registration renewal transaction.
• You will receive a discount if you renew your vehicle registration for two years or three years; however, these discounts are not available in all cases. Please refer to Multi-Year Fee Discounts below for more information.
• Here are your registration renewal service options:
  • Internet. Renew online, receive a $1 discount, and avoid the $5 fee. If you are eligible to receive a multi-year renewal fee discount, renew for two years and receive an additional $2 discount (for a total discount of $3) or renew for three years and receive an additional $3 discount (for a total discount of $4).
  • Telephone. Renew by using the DMV automated service (1-888-337-4782) to avoid the $5 fee. Additionally, when you renew for one, two or three years you will receive a discount of $1 for each year.
  • Mail. Avoid the $5 fee by mailing in the vehicle renewal notice. Most customers receive their vehicle registration materials within 5 days, but U.S. mail delivery times vary. Please allow 15 days to receive your decals before contacting DMV.
  • DMV Select. Visit one of the 57 DMV Select offices in Virginia to avoid the $5 fee. Refer to DMV Select Locations by District to find the DMV Select office that is closest to you.
  • Customer Service Centers. Beginning July 1, 2008, you will pay an additional $5 fee if you renew your vehicle registration in a customer service center (CSC). The fee will not apply if your registration renewal is conducted with another transaction for you, and the second transaction cannot be completed online, by mail, by telephone or at a DMV Select location.
    
    Only a few transactions, such as an application for an original driver's license, are required to be completed at a CSC.

Fees

Your registration fee is determined by the empty weight or gross weight of your vehicle. The type of license plate you purchase and whether you register for more than one year may result in additional fees.

Multi-Year Fee Discounts

If you are eligible to receive a multi-year fee discount and renew your vehicle registration for two years, you will receive a $2 discount. You can save even more by renewing your registration online or over the phone for three years and receiving a $3 discount. If you renew your registration online for one, two, or three years, you will receive an additional $1 discount for using the internet.

The discounts for Internet and two-year or three-year renewals are not pro-rated and not refundable if the registration is canceled before it expires.

Your License Plates

DMV will issue you two license plates, decals showing the expiration date, and a registration card. Place the plates on the front and rear of your vehicle so that they are securely fastened and clearly visible, and place the decals on the plates. If your vehicle is a motorcycle, tractor truck, semitrailer or trailer, DMV will issue you one license plate for the vehicle.

It is illegal to mount colored glass, plastic, or any other type of covering on your license plates that alters or obscures the letters, numbers, decals or the state where the vehicle is registered and when the registration expires (§46.2-716). Keep the registration card with you whenever you operate the vehicle.

Military Returning From Outside the United States

Active military members who are stationed and own vehicles garaged outside Virginia and return to the Commonwealth have 72 hours to obtain a current vehicle inspection sticker. In addition, if you own a vehicle registered in Virginia and are serving or have served outside of the United States on active duty military service, the Code of Virginia (§46.2-221.4) grants you a 90-day grace period, from the date you return to the United States, in which to renew your current registration. The grace period applies to qualifying vehicles only. To be eligible for the grace period, the vehicle must:

• Be owned or leased by you while you were serving outside of the United States in the armed services of the United States;
• Have had valid registration issued by DMV at the time you began service in the armed forces outside of the United States;
• Be properly insured;
• Display the latest license plates and decals issued by DMV for the vehicle; AND
• Be operated only by you, or another person who qualifies for the grace period, while possessing:
  • Orders or other military documentation demonstrating that you, or they, are entitled to the grace period; AND
  • The latest registration card issued by DMV for the vehicle.

If possible, you may renew your qualifying vehicle registration prior to returning to Virginia. You do not have to wait until you are in the grace period to renew.

State Agencies:

Refer to state-owned vehicles for additional information.