How to Fill Out the Virginia DMV Title Transfer Form (VSA 17A)

Form VSA 17A is Virginia’s Application for Certificate of Title and Registration, and you use it to put a vehicle’s title in your name after a purchase, gift, inheritance, or move into the state. File it with the DMV within 30 days of the transfer, along with the title assigned by the previous owner, the applicable tax and fees, and proof of insurance if you’re registering the vehicle at the same time. The form covers passenger vehicles, motorcycles, trucks, motor homes, and trailers.¹

The 30-Day Deadline

Virginia law requires the buyer to forward the assigned title and a completed application to the DMV within 30 days of the transfer.² The same clock runs if you move to Virginia from another state with a vehicle already in your name. Missing the deadline can trigger late fees and leaves you driving on a title that no longer reflects current ownership.

What You Need Before You Start

Gather everything before you sit down with the form. A single missing document means a wasted trip or a returned envelope.

Assigned title from the seller. The previous owner signs the assignment section on the back of the existing title and fills in the buyer’s name. If the title is from Virginia, the seller also completes the odometer disclosure printed on the title. For out-of-state titles that lack an odometer section, use a separate Odometer Disclosure Statement (Form VSA 5).³
The completed VSA 17A. Download it from the DMV or pick one up at any Customer Service Center.⁴
Proof of your residential address. You do not need to be a Virginia resident to title a vehicle here, but you must show where you live. Accepted documents include a utility bill no more than two months old, a lease agreement, or a mortgage statement. Cell phone bills do not count on their own.⁵
Your Social Security number. Virginia Code requires every title applicant to provide one. If the application is in a business name, use the employer identification number instead.⁶
Bill of sale. Not strictly required for every transaction, but it documents the purchase price for tax purposes and protects both parties if a dispute arises later.
Proof of insurance. If you’re registering the vehicle at the same time, you must certify it meets Virginia’s minimum liability coverage.⁷

Keep the vehicle identification number and current mileage in front of you. Transposing even one digit of the VIN will get the application rejected.

Filling Out the Form

Owner Information and Joint Ownership

The top section asks for every prospective owner’s full legal name and residential address. If two or more people will own the vehicle, you choose between an “and” or “or” designation. That one word matters more than most buyers realize. Titling with “and” means both owners must sign any future transfer, so neither can sell the vehicle alone. Titling with “or” lets either owner sign independently. For married couples who want the surviving spouse to take the car without probate, joint ownership with right of survivorship is an option, though it still requires both signatures to sell while both owners are alive.⁸

Vehicle Description

Enter the make, model, year, body type, and the full 17-character VIN exactly as it appears on the vehicle’s dashboard plate or door jamb sticker.¹ Copy it character by character. Don’t rely on memory or the seller’s verbal recitation.

Odometer Disclosure

Record the current mileage as whole numbers with no tenths.⁹ Check the box certifying that the reading is accurate, that the odometer has exceeded its mechanical limits, or that the actual mileage is unknown. Federal law requires this disclosure whenever a titled vehicle changes hands.³

Lienholder Information

If a bank, credit union, or other lender financed the purchase, fill in the lienholder’s name and address. The DMV will note the lien on the new title, and the lender holds the physical title until the loan is paid off. Recording a lien costs an additional $15.¹⁰

Signatures

Every listed owner must sign at the bottom. A missing signature is one of the most common reasons applications get kicked back. If you’re mailing the form, confirm that everyone signed before sealing the envelope.

Sales and Use Tax and Fees

Virginia charges a 4.15% motor vehicle sales and use tax on the gross sales price, with a minimum tax of $75 on any taxable sale.¹¹ On a $10,000 car, that’s $415. On a $1,500 car, the percentage comes to about $62, so the $75 minimum applies instead.

Beyond the tax, expect these DMV fees:

Title fee: $15¹²
Registration for a passenger vehicle 4,000 lbs or less: $30.75¹⁰
Supplemental lien recording: $15, if a lender is listed¹⁰

Heavier vehicles and specialized plates cost more to register. All fees are due when you submit the application. In-person offices take checks, cash, and credit cards; mailed packages need a check or money order for the full amount. An incomplete payment sends the whole application back unprocessed.

Tax Exemptions for Gifts and Family Transfers

If you receive a vehicle as a gift from a spouse, parent, son, or daughter, the transfer is exempt from the 4.15% sales and use tax.¹³ “Son” and “daughter” include biological and adopted children only. Stepchildren, in-laws, siblings, and grandchildren do not qualify.¹⁴ To claim the exemption, complete the Purchaser’s Statement of Tax Exemption (Form SUT 3) and submit it with your title application.

A few other transfers also avoid the tax: vehicles inherited from a deceased owner and transferred to a spouse or heir, and vehicles moved into or out of a revocable living trust where the titleholder and beneficiaries are the same people.¹³ For gifts outside these categories, from a friend or a sibling for example, the full tax applies based on the vehicle’s fair market value even though no money changed hands.

Insurance Requirements

If you’re registering the vehicle at the same time you title it, Virginia requires you to certify at least the state’s minimum liability coverage. For policies effective January 1, 2025 and later, those minimums are:

Bodily injury, one person: $50,000
Bodily injury, two or more people: $100,000
Property damage: $25,000⁷

Have your policy number and your insurer’s NAIC code ready when filling out the form. Virginia technically lets you drive without insurance if you pay a $500 uninsured motor vehicle fee, but that fee only covers registration. It provides zero financial protection if you cause an accident.

How to Submit the Application

Virginia offers several ways to file, and the best option depends on how quickly you need the title and plates.

Online transfer. If the vehicle already has a Virginia title, you can transfer ownership entirely online through the DMV website. This is the fastest private-sale option and lets you obtain new registration and plates in the same transaction.¹²
In-person appointment. Schedule through the DMV website and receive your title and plates over the counter.¹⁵
DMV Select. Privately operated offices authorized to handle title and registration work, often with shorter waits than full-service DMV branches.
Drop-off. Leave your completed package at a DMV office without waiting. Pick up your title and plates in three to five days.¹²
Mail. Send your entire packet to Virginia DMV, Attn: Titles and Registration Work Center, P.O. Box 27412, Richmond, VA 23269. Delivery times vary with postal service speed and DMV processing volume.¹²

For in-person visits, having a clerk review your paperwork on the spot catches errors that would otherwise bounce back by mail weeks later. If you’re titling an out-of-state vehicle or dealing with a lienholder, an appointment is worth the scheduling effort.

Titling a Vehicle From Out of State

When you move to Virginia or buy a vehicle titled elsewhere, the same VSA 17A applies, with a few extra steps. Bring the out-of-state title properly assigned, and if it doesn’t include an odometer disclosure section, submit a separate VSA 5.

Virginia also requires a safety inspection for any vehicle being registered in the state for the first time. There is no grace period. The vehicle must be inspected immediately upon registration, so getting the inspection done before you visit the DMV is the practical move.¹⁶ Any licensed Virginia inspection station can perform it and will issue a sticker if the vehicle passes.

After You Submit

If you applied in person with an appointment or at a DMV Select location, you walk out with your new title and plates. Drop-off submissions come back in three to five days. Mailed applications take longer and depend on postal delivery in both directions.

If the DMV finds an error, such as a missing signature, a VIN mismatch, or an incomplete fee payment, you’ll receive a notice explaining what needs to be corrected. Once the new title arrives, store it somewhere secure and separate from the vehicle. A safe or a filing cabinet works; the glovebox does not. If the car is stolen or totaled, having the title at home saves you from needing a replacement at exactly the worst time.

1
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Application for Certificate of Title and Registration
2
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code Title 46.2 – Article 2 Titling Vehicles
3
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. VSA 5 – Odometer Disclosure Statement
4
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Download Vehicle Forms
5
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Acceptable Documents for Titling a Vehicle in Virginia
6
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 46.2-623 – Statements in Application
7
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Insurance Requirements
8
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Titling as Joint Ownership With Right of Survivorship
9
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Odometer Reading Disclosure, Discrepancies and Corrections
10
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. DMV Fees
11
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 58.1-2402 – Levy
12
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Title Your Vehicle or Trailer
13
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 58.1-2403 – Exemptions
14
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Purchasers Statement of Tax Exemption
15
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Plan Your Visit
16
Virginia State Police. Vehicle Inspection FAQs