Within 60 days of moving here, you must obtain a Virginia
driver's license. However, if you hold a commercial driver's license
(CDL), you must obtain a Virginia CDL within 30 days.
If you hold a valid
driver's license issued by a U. S. state, territory, jurisdiction, a Canadian
province, France or Germany, you may not be required to take the two-part
knowledge exam or the road skills test, but you must pass a vision screening.
Canadian or U. S. licenses must be surrendered when you apply for a Virginia
driver's license. Be sure to photocopy your out-of-state driver's
license before surrendering it - you may need it for insurance or licensing
purposes.
If your license has been suspended or revoked by another state,
a Virginia license may not be issued until your driving record in that state is
cleared and you meet Virginia requirements.
If your are an active-duty
member of the Armed Forces stationed in Virginia, you, your spouse and dependent
children 16 years and 3 months of age or older may drive with a valid driver's
license issued by your home state or country. vehicles registered in
your name may be driven with valid out-of-state license plates if you are the
sole owner. If the vehicles is co-owned, all co-owners must be
active-duty members of the Armed Forces. You may register your
vehicle in Virginia without obtaining a Virginia driver's license.
If you
are a non-resident temporarily living in Virginia, you may drive with your home
state or country driver's license and license plates for no more than six
months.
To ensure that your vehicle is mechanically safe to operate on
the highways of the Commonwealth, it must pass an annual vehicle safety
inspection. for information about the safety inspection and the
nearest location of a safety inspections station, visit the DMV on
line.
Virginia law requires the following minimum insurance coverage for
all registered vehicles.
$25,000 for injury or death of one
person;
$50,000 for injury or death of two or more people; and
$20,000 for
property damage.
Or, if insurance is not an option, pay a $500 uninsured
motor vehicle fee (UMV). Paying this fee does not provide insurance
coverage, but it does allow you to register and operate your vehicle in Virginia
for one year.
If you register your vehicle in Virginia and it's not
covered by liability insurance and you do not pay the UMV fee, you face a $500
fine, suspension of your driver's license and vehicle registration(s), and
higher insurance premiums for the next three years. Whenever you
obtain or cancel a liability policy, or add or remove a vehicle from a policy,
the insurance company notifies DMV immediately.
LICENSE PLATES
DMV
will issue you two license plates, two 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. If
your vehicle is a motorcycle, tractor truck, semitrailer or trailer, DMV will
issue you just on e license plate for the vehicle.
It is illegal to mount
license plates frames, 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.
The
locality in which you live may require you to register the vehicle and obtain a
city/county sticker. contact your locality to fine information for
your local Commissioner of the Revenue, Treasurer or Director of Finance.