How to Fill Out the Virginia VSA 17A: Documents, Fees, and Filing

Virginia’s VSA 17A form is the application you complete to title and register a passenger vehicle, motorcycle, truck, motor home, or trailer with the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles.¹ You can download it from the DMV’s vehicle forms page or pick one up at any customer service center.² Filling it out correctly the first time, with the right supporting documents in hand, is the difference between walking out with plates and making a second trip.

What the Form Asks For

The VSA 17A gathers four categories of information: owner details, vehicle description, lien status, and odometer reading. The printed instructions warn that DMV may request proof of anything you enter, so accuracy matters more than speed.¹

Owner Information

Enter the full legal name of every person who will appear on the title. Each owner supplies a Social Security number; if the vehicle is titled in a business name, use the employer identification number instead.³ List a physical residence, home, or business address. P.O. Boxes are not accepted in the owner address field. If you also need to update your address on record, complete a separate form (ISD-01).¹

Vehicle Description

Record the vehicle identification number, model year, make, model, and body type. Virginia Code § 46.2-623 requires a description that includes the maker’s name and the VIN.³ Copy the VIN character by character from the dashboard plate or door jamb sticker. A single transposed digit will stall the application.

Lien Information

If you financed the vehicle, complete the lien section with the lienholder’s name and mailing address. The statute requires disclosure of every lien or encumbrance and the names and addresses of everyone with an interest in the vehicle.³ If more than one lien exists, attach a completed VSA 66 supplemental lien form.¹

Odometer Disclosure

Virginia Code § 46.2-629 requires you to record the odometer reading at the time of transfer on the title application, and the DMV will not issue a new title unless this section is completed.⁴ The form itself warns that a false mileage statement can result in fines or imprisonment under both federal and state law.¹ Vehicles 20 or more model years old are generally exempt from the federal odometer disclosure requirement, which means 2006 and earlier models in 2026.

Insurance Certification and Tax Relief Question

Near the bottom, you certify that the vehicle carries a liability policy issued by a company licensed in Virginia, and that it will stay insured as long as it is registered. The form notes that penalties for violating this requirement are severe.¹ The form also asks questions to determine whether the vehicle qualifies for Virginia’s Personal Property Tax Relief. If the vehicle is used for business purposes in any capacity, it does not qualify, and you check “Business Use.”

Documents to Bring With It

The completed form alone is not enough. What goes with it depends on where the vehicle came from.

New vehicle from a dealer: the manufacturer’s certificate of origin (MCO) or manufacturer’s statement of origin (MSO).
Used vehicle from another state: the previous state’s title signed over to you, or a registration card from your prior state. Military members may instead present an ownership document issued by the U.S. Armed Forces showing them as the owner.
Used vehicle purchased in Virginia: the seller’s Virginia title with the assignment section completed and signed over to you.

These requirements come from the DMV’s titling checklist.⁵

Proof of Address

You do not need to be a Virginia resident to title a vehicle in the state, but you do need to show proof of your residential address.⁶ If you already hold a Virginia driver’s license, learner’s permit, DMV-issued ID card, or an existing Virginia title, no separate address proof is required.⁷

Otherwise, bring one document from the accepted list. Common options include a utility bill (gas, electric, water, cable, or phone) no more than two months old, a current automobile or life insurance bill, a deed or mortgage statement, a lease agreement, or a voter registration card.⁶ A payroll check stub from the last two months or the prior year’s tax return also works.

Proving the Purchase Price

Virginia needs to verify what you paid so it can calculate the sales and use tax. The form you use depends on the vehicle’s age.

Vehicles five model years old or newer: Form SUT-1A, an affidavit of vehicle purchase price. The DMV compares your stated price against the NADA Official Used Car Guide trade-in value. If the price you report is more than $1,500 below the NADA value, DMV may base the tax on the NADA figure instead.⁸
Vehicles older than five years: Form SUT 1 (Vehicle Price Certification) or a handwritten bill of sale. Either the buyer or the seller can sign the SUT 1.⁹

Grab the correct form before you get in line. Showing up with an SUT 1 for a three-year-old car will send you back to the waiting area.

What You’ll Pay

Three charges hit at the titling window: the title fee, the sales and use tax, and registration fees if you register at the same time.

The title fee is $15, whether the transaction is an original, substitute, or replacement title.¹⁰

Sales and use tax is 4.15% of the gross sales price, with a minimum of $75.⁸ That rate has been in effect since July 1, 2016.¹¹ One thing that catches buyers off guard: Virginia does not allow a trade-in credit. If you buy a $40,000 car and trade in your old one for $5,000, tax is still calculated on $40,000. The gross sales price includes the dealer processing fee but excludes trade-in credit, unpaid liens, and other price reductions. Rebates and manufacturer incentives, however, do reduce the taxable price.

If you register at the same time, the annual registration fee for a standard passenger vehicle is $30.75 for vehicles 4,000 pounds or less, or $35.75 for vehicles between 4,001 and 6,500 pounds.¹⁰ Motorcycles, trucks, and trailers have separate fee schedules based on weight and vehicle type.

Transactions That Skip the Tax

Several transfers are exempt from the 4.15% tax entirely, so you pay only the $15 title fee and any registration costs. The commonly used exemptions include:

Gifts to a spouse, child, or parent. For gifts to anyone other than a spouse, the exemption does not apply if the recipient assumes an unpaid loan on the vehicle.
Out-of-state vehicles you have owned more than 12 months and are registering in Virginia for the first time. If you have owned it less than 12 months, you get credit for sales tax already paid to the other state; if you paid no tax there, Virginia charges SUT based on fair market value at registration.
Transfers between a sole owner or partnership and their corporation or LLC when the transfer is part of forming, organizing, or dissolving that entity.

The full list is at Virginia Code § 58.1-2403.¹²

Where to Submit It

You have three routes: walk in, go online, or mail everything.

In Person

Visit any DMV customer service center or a DMV Select location. DMV Select offices are run by local governments and private businesses under contract with DMV, and they handle original titles, substitute titles, and registrations while you wait. Going in lets you catch errors on the spot instead of learning about them in a rejection letter two weeks later.¹³

Online (Electronic Titling)

Virginia’s electronic titling program lets two Virginia residents transfer ownership and register a vehicle entirely online, with no office visit or mailed documents. Both parties need active myDMV accounts, and neither can be a business. The vehicle must be a passenger car, SUV, or truck with no liens and no holds on the title. Trailers, mopeds, and ATVs do not qualify. If the seller reported the vehicle as sold more than 15 days before the electronic title transfer, the online option is also unavailable.¹⁴ When any of these conditions is not met, use the in-person or mail routes.

By Mail

Send the completed VSA 17A, all supporting documents, and payment to the DMV’s titling department. The mailing address depends on the shipper.

USPS: Virginia DMV, Titling Department, P.O. Box 27412, Richmond, VA 23269¹⁵
UPS, FedEx, or other courier: Virginia DMV, Titling Department, 2300 West Broad St, Richmond, VA 23269

Use a trackable shipping method for original titles or certificates of origin, since those documents are difficult to replace if lost. Include a check or money order for the combined title fee, sales and use tax, and registration fees.

What Happens After You Apply

Apply in person at a customer service center and you can usually leave the same day with your registration card and license plates. Some centers also offer a drop-off option where you leave your documents and pick up the completed paperwork in three to five days.⁵ If you bought from a dealer that is processing the title work for you, DMV notes that the dealer may take up to 30 days to submit the transaction.

Mail-in applications take longer because of transit times in both directions, and DMV does not publish a specific processing window for mailed title applications. You can monitor status through your myDMV account online.

Mistakes That Delay the Process

Certain errors show up over and over at the titling window. Avoiding them saves a return trip or a rejection in the mail.

Wrong price certification form. Bringing an SUT 1 for a vehicle five model years old or newer, or an SUT-1A for an older one, restarts the paperwork.¹⁶
P.O. Box as owner address. The form rejects them; use a physical residence or business address.¹
Missing odometer reading. DMV cannot issue a title without it, and the seller (not just the buyer) must attest to the mileage at transfer.⁴
Unsigned title assignment. If the seller did not sign the title over to you in the assignment section, DMV will not process the transfer. Handle this before you leave the seller’s driveway.
No insurance certification. The form requires you to certify active Virginia liability coverage; without a policy in place, you cannot complete it.
Expecting a trade-in tax credit. Virginia taxes the full purchase price even when a trade-in is involved. Budget accordingly.

1
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. VSA 17A – Application for Certificate of Title and Registration
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Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Download Vehicle Forms
3
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 46.2-623 – Statements in Application
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Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 46.2-629 – Odometer Reading to Be Reported on Certificate of Title, Application, or Power of Attorney
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Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Title Your Vehicle or Trailer
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Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Acceptable Documents for Titling a Vehicle
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Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Acceptable Documents for Titling a Vehicle
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Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Motor Vehicle Sales and Use Tax
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Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. SUT 1 – Vehicle Price Certification
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Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. DMV Fees
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Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 58.1-2402 – Levy
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Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 58.1-2403 – Exemptions
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Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. DMV Select
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Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Electronic Titling
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Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Submit Titling and Registration Applications by Mail
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Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. SUT 1A – Affidavit of Vehicle Purchase Price