How to Fill Out and Submit the Virginia Vehicle Registration Application (VSA-14)

The VSA-14 is Virginia’s vehicle registration application, the form you file with the Department of Motor Vehicles to get license plates, decals, and a registration card for a car, truck, or motorcycle. You can download the VSA-14 form in Virginia directly from the DMV website and submit it in person at a DMV Customer Service Center, at a DMV Select partner office, or by mail to Richmond.1Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. VSA-14 Virginia Vehicle Registration Application Virginia law requires every owner to register before driving on any public road in the Commonwealth.2Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 46.2-600 – Owner to Secure Registration and Certificate of Title or Certificate of Ownership

What to Have Ready Before You Fill It Out

Showing up at the DMV missing one item is the fastest way to waste a trip. Gather everything first:3Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Register Your Vehicle

  • A Virginia title. For a used vehicle, complete the “Certification of Buyer” and “Application of Registration” sections printed on the title itself. For a new vehicle, bring the Manufacturer’s Statement of Origin from the dealer.
  • Proof of liability insurance meeting Virginia’s minimum limits: $50,000 per person for bodily injury, $100,000 per accident for bodily injury, and $25,000 for property damage. You certify this directly on the form.4Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Insurance Requirements
  • A current Virginia safety inspection sticker on the vehicle.
  • An emissions inspection if your vehicle is garaged in Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William, or Stafford counties, or in the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas, or Manassas Park. Motorcycles are exempt.5Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Emissions Inspections
  • Payment for your registration fee. The exact amount depends on vehicle weight and type and is listed on form DMV 201.6Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. DMV Fees
  • Proof of your Virginia address if you do not already hold a Virginia driver’s license, learner’s permit, or DMV-issued ID showing your current address. A utility bill, bank statement, mortgage document, or lease agreement works.7Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Acceptable Documents

Working Through the Form

Owner Information

Enter your full legal name (last, first, middle initial, suffix) and your residence address. A post office box is not accepted. You also need one of three identifiers: your Virginia DMV customer number, your Social Security number, or, for a business-owned vehicle, the Federal Employer Identification Number. Virginia law requires the SSN or FEIN for titling and registration.8Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 46.2-623 – Statements in Application A co-owner or lessee goes on the next row with their own identifier.

Vehicle Information

Fill in the year, make, model, body type, and Vehicle Identification Number. Copy the VIN exactly from the title or the metal plate on the dashboard. One transposed character makes the application unprocessable. The form also asks for fuel type (gas, diesel, electric, or other) and the odometer reading at the time of the transaction. Record the mileage precisely; a rounded or estimated figure can create problems if you later sell the vehicle.

Personal Property Tax Relief Eligibility

Virginia localities assess an annual personal property tax on vehicles, and the state subsidizes part of the tax on the first $20,000 of assessed value for qualifying personal-use vehicles under the Personal Property Tax Relief Act. The VSA-14 asks whether the vehicle is used for business or personal purposes, because business-use vehicles do not qualify.9Fairfax County. Vehicle Tax Subsidy

Check “Business Use” if any of these apply: more than 50 percent of the vehicle’s mileage is claimed as a business expense on your federal return; more than 50 percent of its depreciation is deducted as a business expense; or the vehicle is owned by a business entity. Otherwise, check “Personal Use.” Getting this wrong will not block your registration, but it changes how much personal property tax your locality bills you each year.

Lien Information

If you financed through a bank, credit union, or other lender, enter the lienholder’s name and full business address. The DMV notes the lien on the title, and you will not receive a paper title until the loan is paid off. If there is no lien, leave this section blank.

Insurance Certification

Near the bottom of the form, certify that the vehicle carries liability insurance meeting Virginia’s minimum limits. Fill in your insurance company’s name, policy number, and effective date. Virginia technically lets you register without insurance by paying a $600 uninsured motor vehicle fee to the DMV, but that fee buys no coverage; it only lets you drive legally without a policy.4Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Insurance Requirements

What You Will Pay at Submission

Two charges land at the same time as the registration itself.

The motor vehicle sales and use tax is 4.15 percent of the vehicle’s gross sales price, with a minimum of $75 on any taxable sale.10Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 58.1-2402 – Levy You pay it to the DMV when you title and register, separate from the annual registration fee. Have the exact purchase price from your bill of sale on hand. Certain transfers, including gifts between spouses, parents, and children, inheritances, and some revocable living trust transfers, are exempt.11Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 58.1-2403 – Exemptions

The annual registration fee itself depends on the vehicle’s weight and classification. Passenger vehicles, trucks, and motorcycles each have their own tier, and heavier vehicles generally pay more. The DMV publishes the full schedule on form DMV 201.6Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. DMV Fees A few other costs may apply:

  • Title fee of $15 for an original title, and the same for a substitute or replacement.6Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. DMV Fees
  • An annual highway use fee on electric and fuel-efficient vehicles, calculated from the shortfall in fuel tax compared to a vehicle rated at 23.7 MPG, using 11,600 average annual miles and Virginia’s fuels tax rate. Low-speed vehicles pay a flat $25 per year.12Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. What Is the Highway Use Fee?

Three Ways to Submit the VSA-14

  • In person at a DMV Customer Service Center. Walk-in visits allow same-day processing, and you leave with your registration card and decals.
  • At a DMV Select. These partner offices sit inside local government buildings, AAA branches, and community centers, handle most DMV transactions including vehicle registration, and tend to have shorter waits. Virginia has roughly 60 Select locations statewide.13Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. DMV Selects
  • By mail. Send the completed VSA-14 with a check or money order payable to “DMV” to the Special Registration Work Center, Post Office Box 27412, Richmond, Virginia 23269-0001. Expect several weeks for processing and delivery.

Mistakes That Will Bounce Your Application

These errors come up repeatedly, and a mailed application has no clerk to catch them in real time:

  • A wrong character in the VIN. Check it against the title and the dashboard plate before signing.
  • A blank insurance certification. The DMV specifically flags this one; leave it empty and the application stops.3Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Register Your Vehicle
  • Partial lien information. A missing or wrong lienholder address delays title issuance.
  • The wrong payment amount. A check that does not match the DMV 201 total gets the whole package returned.
  • Missing signatures from co-owners. If the title joins owners with “and,” every owner must sign.
  • Skipping emissions testing in a locality that requires it. Registration will not go through.5Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Emissions Inspections

After the DMV Approves It

You receive a registration card and month/year decals for your license plates. In-person applicants walk out with them; mailed applications come back through the U.S. Postal Service to the address on the form. Virginia law requires the vehicle operator to carry the physical registration card at all times while driving, and failing to produce it during a traffic stop is a separate violation.14Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 46.2-104 – Possession of Registration Cards; Exhibiting Registration Card and Licenses Registration is not permanent; the DMV sends a renewal notice before the expiration date printed on your card and decals, and online renewal runs $1 less than renewing in person.