How to Complete the West Virginia DMV-1-B VIN Verification Form

The West Virginia DMV-1-B is a one-page form that confirms a law enforcement officer has physically inspected your vehicle’s identification number. You complete the owner and vehicle information at the top, then take the vehicle to a West Virginia State Police officer or an authorized inspection station, who fills in and signs the certification. The signed form becomes part of your title application. You cannot sign the certification yourself, and you cannot submit the form without it.

When You Need the Form

West Virginia will not issue a certificate of title for any vehicle coming from another state, a U.S. territory, or a foreign country until the vehicle has been physically inspected and its serial number confirmed.¹ That includes military vehicles registered overseas. If you move to West Virginia with a car titled elsewhere, the DMV-1-B goes into your title packet; without it, the DMV won’t process the title.

The form also applies when a vehicle’s public VIN plate is missing. In that case the DMV can assign a replacement identifying number after inspection, and Section B of the form captures the details.²

New residents have 30 days from establishing residency to apply for a West Virginia title and registration, so schedule the inspection early.³

What You Fill In

Download the form from the West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles at transportation.wv.gov, or pick up a copy at any regional DMV office. The top half is yours. Enter your full legal name and current residential address, including street, city, state, and zip. Joint owners list both names exactly as they will appear on the title.

In the vehicle section, you provide:

Make (Ford, Toyota, Chevrolet, and so on)
Model year
Body style (sedan, pickup, SUV, convertible, etc.)
Title number from the current out-of-state title, and the issuing state
The full 17-character VIN

Check every character of the VIN before you head to the inspection. Any erasure or alteration on the form voids the certification, and you’ll have to start fresh with a new copy.⁴ White-out does not save it.

Who Signs the Form

The certification section must be completed by a law enforcement officer.⁴ Under state regulations, two sources are authorized:

The West Virginia Department of Public Safety (state police troopers and officers)
Any official West Virginia Motor Vehicle Inspection Station authorized by the Department of Public Safety, other than stations designated as fleet-only

If the vehicle is still in another state and you can’t move it before you need the West Virginia registration, the DMV will accept a serial number inspection signed by a law enforcement officer in the state where the vehicle currently sits.¹ That option matters when you’ve relocated ahead of the car.

At the inspection, the officer looks at the VIN on the vehicle itself (usually stamped on the dashboard near the windshield or on the driver’s side door jamb) and confirms it matches what’s on the form. The officer must certify that the VIN was read from the vehicle rather than copied from your registration documents.⁴ Once satisfied, the officer signs, dates the form, and notes a badge or unit number.

When the VIN Plate Is Missing

If the public VIN plate is gone, the officer also completes Section B. They’ll look for a confidential VIN, a secondary number stamped in a location known to law enforcement and manufacturers, and record it if found. If no confidential number exists, the DMV will issue a West Virginia-assigned identification number for the vehicle.⁴ A $5.00 fee applies when Section B is required.

Submitting the Form

Once the officer has signed, the DMV-1-B goes in with the rest of your title application. You have two routes:

In person at any West Virginia DMV regional office, with the signed DMV-1-B, your out-of-state title, and payment.
By mail to the Division of Motor Vehicles, PO Box 17710, Charleston, WV 25317.⁵

The DMV-1-B carries no fee of its own unless Section B is used. The title transaction it accompanies does. For new and used vehicles alike, expect:

Title fee: $15
Privilege tax: 6% of the net purchase price for vehicles valued over $500, or a flat $30 for vehicles valued at $500 or less
Lien fee: $10 if a lienholder appears on the title
Registration: $51.50 for a standard Class A plate covering cars and trucks up to 10,000 lbs; other plate types and vehicle classes vary⁶

Title fee and privilege tax figures come from the DMV’s title page.⁵ The DMV does not guarantee a specific turnaround for mail submissions. In-person visits let staff review your paperwork on the spot, though the physical title still arrives later by mail. Keep a copy of the signed DMV-1-B and every supporting document until your West Virginia title is in your hand.

Salvage and Reconstructed Vehicles

The DMV-1-B alone will not get a salvage-titled vehicle on the road. A salvage vehicle has to go through a state safety inspection at a station licensed by the WV State Police and then a separate examination by a WV DMV reconstructed vehicle inspector before it can be retitled as reconstructed and registered.⁷ If your vehicle has a salvage title, start with that process rather than the standard DMV-1-B route.

1
Legal Information Institute. West Virginia Code R 91-2-9 – Physical Inspection of Serial Number of All Motor Vehicles Being Registered In This State From Any Other Jurisdiction
2
West Virginia Legislature. West Virginia Code 17A-3-20 – Department May Assign New Identifying Numbers
3
West Virginia Legislature. West Virginia Code 17A-3-1A
4
West Virginia Department of Transportation. West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles Verification of Vehicle Identification No
5
West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles. West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles – Titles
6
West Virginia Department of Transportation. WV Motor Vehicle Registration Fees Brochure
7
West Virginia Department of Transportation. How to Title a Reconstructed Vehicle