The term "vehicle" includes motorcycles, automobiles, trailers,
vans, and boats regularly parked or garaged overnight in Virginia.
If
you 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 vehicle 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 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.
To apply for a driver's
license, learner's permit, commercial driver's license (CDL) or CDL instruction
permit, you must bring two identification documents, one proof of legal
presence, one proof of Virginia residency, and one proof of your complete social
security number. For current and detailed list of required documents, visit the
DMV online, the web address is listed in contacts/links.
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 Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) online, the web address
and toll free number is listed in contacts/links.
Some cities and
counties in Hampton Roads require a city/county decal for automobiles owned by
individuals residing in the area. Active Duty personnel whose vehicle
is registered (title, registration, and plates) in another state are not
required to obtain a city decal. For additional information, contact
the DMV.
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.
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, semi
trailer or trailer, DMV will issue you just one 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.
Vehicles registered in
Virginia are subject to a personal property tax. The only exception
is for a vehicle registered solely in the name of an active-duty member who is
not domiciled in Virginia. A vehicle registered in the names of a
husband and wife, where one spouse is a civilian, is subject to taxation,
regardless of either spouse's domicile. Some military members choose
to avoid the tax by removing the spouse's name from the title. This
is done by having the civilian spouse sign over his or her ownership interest on
the original title and applying for a new title and registration at the
Department of Motor Vehicles. (If the vehicle has a lien against it
because of a loan, you may have to get the original certificate of title from
the bank.) Note, however, that removing one spouse's name from the title gives
sole ownership to the other spouse.