How to Complete Virginia Form VSA 66: Sections, Filing, and Costs

Virginia Form VSA-66 is the DMV application you use to add a new lien to an existing vehicle title, move a lien from one lender to another, or request a replacement or substitute title. The form covers four different transactions, and the sections you fill out and the documents you attach depend on which one you are doing. Sort that out first, before you write anything on the form.

What VSA-66 Does

The form handles four separate transactions:

Supplemental lien: you already have a Virginia title and you take out a new loan secured by the vehicle. Virginia law requires any security interest created after the original title was issued to be shown on the certificate of title, and the owner must apply to the DMV to have it recorded.¹
Transfer of lien: an existing lien moves from one creditor to another, such as when you refinance with a different bank or your lender sells your loan.
Replacement title: your paper title is lost, destroyed, or too damaged to read. Once the DMV issues a replacement, the prior title is invalid.²
Substitute title: information on the current title needs to change, such as a name change after marriage, an address correction, or removal of a deceased co-owner.³

The current VSA-66 is available as a PDF on the Virginia DMV vehicle forms page.⁴

Information to Have Ready

Gather everything before you sit down with the form. A missing lienholder code is the kind of detail that will send your application back.

Vehicle Details

Section 2 asks for the vehicle identification number, title number, plate number, plate type, make, model, year, body type, and weight.⁵ The title number appears on the face of your Virginia title certificate. If you no longer have the title, check your registration card or contact the DMV.

Owner Details

Section 1 requires your full legal name and residential address as the DMV currently has them on file. If your name or address has changed, you may need a substitute title alongside your other transaction.

Lienholder Details

Supplemental lien and transfer of lien transactions require the lienholder’s name, mailing address, and Virginia lienholder code, plus the date each lien was filed. The lienholder code is a state-assigned identifier your lender should have. If they don’t, or you want to verify it, call the DMV’s Electronic Lienholder Work Center at (804) 367-2495.⁶

Reason for Replacement

If you’re asking for a replacement title, Section 6 requires you to check whether the original was lost, mutilated, or illegible.⁵ The DMV uses this statement to invalidate the prior title.

Sections to Complete by Transaction Type

The form’s instructions list the required sections for each transaction. Complete what applies and skip what doesn’t.

Supplemental lien: complete Sections 1 (Owner), 2 (Vehicle), 3 (Current Lien), the Supplemental Lien section, and Certification. Attach the original title unless the new lienholder is the same as the current one and participates in Virginia’s electronic title program.⁷
Transfer of lien: complete Sections 1, 2, 3, the Transfer of Lien section, and Certification. Attach the original title unless the lienholder is on the electronic program.⁷
Replacement title: complete Sections 1, 2, the reason for replacement, and Certification. Include Section 3 if the vehicle has an active lien.⁵
Substitute title: complete Sections 1, 2, the substitute title section, and Certification. Include Section 3 if applicable.

You sign the Certification section under penalty of law, so read what you’ve written before signing.

Whether You Need to Send the Original Title

This is the step people miss. Supplemental lien and transfer of lien applications require you to send in your current Virginia title certificate so the DMV can issue a new one showing the updated lien information. The exception is when the lienholder participates in Virginia’s Electronic Lien Program. In that case the DMV holds the title electronically and there is no paper document to submit.⁷

If a lienholder currently holds your paper title, contact them to arrange the transaction. Virginia law requires the first-priority lienholder to retain the title until the debt is paid, so you’ll need the lender to send the title to the DMV or release it for the filing.⁸

Virginia requires banks and financial institutions that record 50 or more auto liens per year to transmit lien information electronically.⁹ Most large banks and credit unions qualify and participate automatically; smaller lenders and private lien holders typically still use paper titles. If you aren’t sure, ask your lender or call (804) 367-2495.

For a replacement title you obviously can’t send a document you no longer have. For a substitute title, include the current title so the DMV can issue the corrected version.

Where to File and What It Costs

You have three ways to submit the completed form:

By mail: Virginia DMV, Titling Department, P.O. Box 27412, Richmond, VA 23269. For UPS or FedEx, use Virginia DMV, Titling Department, 2300 West Broad St, Richmond, VA 23269.¹⁰
At a DMV customer service center, either as a walk-in or through the title application drop-off service, where you leave the paperwork and pick up the result later.¹¹
At a DMV Select office, which handles original titles with or without liens, substitute titles, replacement titles, and general title maintenance.¹²

The fee is $15 per transaction. That applies to supplemental lien, replacement, and substitute title actions alike.¹³ If you’re combining a lien transaction with a replacement, expect to pay for each. Payment methods accepted vary by channel, so check before mailing a personal check.

After You File

The DMV processes title applications within five business days of receipt.¹¹ Drop-off applications at a customer service center are ready in three to five business days.

Where the new title goes depends on whether a lien is recorded. If the vehicle has an active lien, the DMV sends the title directly to the lienholder, not to you.¹⁴ The first-priority lienholder holds the certificate until the debt is paid, then delivers it to the next lienholder in priority order, or to you if no other liens remain.⁸

One point matters if you are a lender. For a supplemental lien, priority is set by the date the DMV receives the VSA-66 application, not the date the loan documents were signed.¹ Don’t sit on the paperwork.

When to Use VSA-67 Instead

If you only need a replacement or substitute title and no lien changes are involved, download Form VSA-67 from the DMV forms page. It’s a shorter form built for that single purpose.¹⁵ If your vehicle has a lien and you need a replacement or substitute title, contact your lienholder first, because they may need to initiate or authorize the request.³

1
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 46.2-637 – Security Interests Subsequently Created
2
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Replacement Titles
3
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Substitute Titles
4
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Download Vehicle Forms
5
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Virginia DMV VSA-66 – Application for Supplemental Lien, Transfer of Lien, Replacement Title Certificate, and Substitute Title Certificate
6
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Electronic Lien – Lienholder Codes for Participants
7
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Virginia DMV VSA-66 – Application for Transfer and Supplemental Liens
8
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 46.2-641 – Who to Hold Certificate of Title Subject to Security Interest
9
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Electronic Lien Program
10
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Submit Titling and Registration Applications by Mail
11
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Title Application Drop-off Service
12
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. DMV Select
13
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. DMV 201 Fees
14
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Liens on a Title
15
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Replacement and Substitute Titles