How to Get a Title for a Car Without a Title in Virginia

If you have a car in Virginia but no title, you have several ways to get one: ask the previous owner to request a replacement, file an affidavit with the DMV, buy a surety bond and apply for a bonded title, go through the Abandoned Vehicle Program, follow the inheritance rules if the owner died, or petition a circuit court for an order. Which route fits depends on how you got the car, whether the previous owner is reachable, and whether a lien still sits on the record. The standard title fee is $15; bonded titles, abandoned vehicle claims, and court filings add costs on top of that.

Start With the Previous Owner

The fastest fix is the one people skip past. If the seller still shows as the titled owner in Virginia’s records, ask them to request a replacement. They can apply online or visit a DMV customer service center with their registration card and driver’s license, complete an Application for Replacement and Substitute Titles (VSA 67) or an Application for Transfer and Supplemental Liens (VSA 66), and pay the $15 replacement fee.¹ Once the replacement arrives, they sign it over to you the normal way.

One wrinkle: if a lien sits on the record, the replacement title gets mailed to the lienholder, not the owner. The lien has to be satisfied before the transfer can happen. Issuing a replacement also invalidates all prior titles, which protects you from anyone surfacing later with the old document.¹

This only works if the seller is cooperative and reachable. If they’ve vanished, refuse to help, or you bought the car with nothing but a bill of sale, you’ll need one of the routes below.

Affidavit in Lieu of Title (VSA 12)

When you can’t produce a certificate of title for any legitimate reason, the core DMV form is the Affidavit in Lieu of Title Certificate (VSA 12). You explain in detail how you acquired the vehicle and what you’ve done to locate the original title.² You’ll pair that with the Application for Certificate of Title and Registration (VSA 17A), which captures the make, model, year, VIN, and other identifying details.³

Virginia law gives the DMV wide latitude here. Under § 46.2-632, when an applicant can’t present a certificate because it was lost, unlawfully withheld, or otherwise unavailable, the DMV can accept the application, investigate the circumstances, and require whatever affidavits and supporting information it deems necessary. If satisfied you’re the rightful owner, the DMV can register the vehicle and issue a new title.⁴

Bring every scrap of documentation: the bill of sale, canceled checks, previous registration cards, correspondence with the seller, photos of the sale. The more evidence you stack up, the smoother this goes. The DMV may also run the vehicle through the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System, which tracks title status, brand history, and total-loss records reported by all 50 states, insurers, and salvage yards.⁵ If the vehicle comes back flagged as stolen or branded, things get more complicated.

The Bonded Title Route

If your documentation isn’t strong enough for the DMV to issue a standard title through the affidavit process, a bonded title is the fallback. You purchase a surety bond that protects anyone who might later come forward with a legitimate ownership claim. The bond amount is typically set at one and a half times the vehicle’s current value, based on an appraisal from a licensed Virginia dealer or a standard valuation guide like NADA or Kelley Blue Book.

You buy the bond from a licensed surety company. The premium you actually pay is a fraction of the bond’s face value, usually somewhere between 1% and 15% depending on your credit and the bond amount. For a vehicle appraised at $8,000, the bond face amount would be $12,000, and the premium might run anywhere from $120 to $1,800.

Once you submit the bond with your VSA 17A, VSA 12, and supporting ownership evidence, the DMV can issue a title with a “bonded” notation. That notation stays on the title for the bond’s duration. If nobody challenges your ownership during that period, the bonded title converts to a clean standard title. While the bond is active, the notation can affect resale value and may draw questions from buyers or insurers.

Vehicles Abandoned on Your Property

If someone left a vehicle on your property without permission and it’s been sitting more than 48 hours, Virginia law classifies it as an abandoned motor vehicle.⁶ You can’t just keep it and walk into the DMV. Virginia requires you to work through the Abandoned Vehicle Program, which involves a structured notice process before you can claim ownership.

The process starts with a $40 AVP fee paid to the DMV to enter the vehicle’s information into the system. The DMV then searches its records for the registered owner and any lienholders. If it finds them, the DMV sends a certified letter giving the owner 15 days to reclaim the vehicle. If the owner doesn’t respond or can’t be found, you must post a notice of your intent to auction the vehicle for at least 21 days using the DMV’s electronic posting system.⁷

After the posting period, you can auction the vehicle, title it yourself, or have it demolished. To title it in your name, bring the following to any DMV customer service center within 30 days of becoming eligible:

VSA 17A, Application for Certificate of Title and Registration
VSA 40, Vehicle Removal Certificate
Your AVP receipt showing you completed the abandoned vehicle process
Proof of address, such as a utility bill or lease
The $15 titling fee, plus registration fees if you want plates

You must post your intent to auction within 30 days of first becoming eligible or the vehicle gets inactivated and you have to restart the entire AVP process.⁷

Inheriting a Vehicle Without a Title

When the owner has died and the title can’t be located, the transfer depends on whether there’s a will, how the estate is being handled, and whether the deceased set up a beneficiary during their lifetime.

Through a Will or Probate

If the deceased left a will naming an executor, the executor handles the transfer. They bring the will, a certified death certificate, and a completed VSA 17A to a DMV customer service center, along with either court-issued letters appointing them as executor or a completed Authority to Transfer Virginia Title Certification (VSA 24) paired with the will.⁸

Without a will, Virginia’s intestacy laws control who inherits. A court-appointed administrator handles the estate and obtains court approval before transferring the vehicle. If no executor or administrator has been appointed, an heir can submit a completed VSA 24 as proof of their legal heir status along with the death certificate.⁸

A small estate qualifies for a simplified process. The heir submits an affidavit stating that the deceased’s total estate value falls under the threshold, along with a death certificate showing at least 60 days have passed since the death. Virginia’s Small Estate Act statute sets this threshold at $75,000.⁹ The DMV’s own website currently lists the threshold as $50,000.⁸ If your estate’s value falls between those figures, confirm the current threshold with a DMV customer service center before filing.

Transfer on Death Designations

Virginia allows a vehicle owner to name a Transfer on Death beneficiary directly on the title under § 46.2-633.2. If the deceased did this, the beneficiary can skip probate entirely by applying for a new title with proof of the owner’s death. The catch: the beneficiary must apply within 120 days of the owner’s death, or they lose the right to claim the vehicle through the TOD designation.¹⁰

A TOD designation can’t be placed on a vehicle with an active lien, and all owners must be natural persons rather than businesses or trusts. When multiple people co-own a vehicle with a TOD beneficiary, the transfer doesn’t happen until the last surviving owner dies.¹⁰

Right of Survivorship

If the deceased co-owned the vehicle with a right of survivorship, the surviving owner automatically assumes full ownership without probate. They apply for a substitute title to remove the deceased’s name. When multiple heirs have an interest and can’t agree on what to do with the vehicle, any heir can petition the circuit court to order a sale.

Clearing an Old Lien

A lienholder holds legal interest in the vehicle until the loan is paid off. If you’re trying to title a car that still has a lien on record, the lien has to be cleared first.

If the loan is paid off but the lien still shows in DMV records, the process depends on whether the lender participates in Virginia’s Electronic Lien program. Participating lenders release the lien electronically, and the DMV mails a clean title to the owner’s address on file. If the lender doesn’t participate, they mark the lien as satisfied on the physical title and mail it to the owner. Either way, bring the title to a DMV customer service center and apply for a substitute title for $15 to formally remove the lien from DMV records.¹¹

Things get harder when the lender has gone out of business, merged, or simply can’t be reached. If the lender was a bank that failed and went into FDIC receivership, the FDIC may be able to help; if another bank acquired the failed bank within the last two years, contact the acquiring bank first. The FDIC can’t help with credit unions (contact the NCUA), mortgage and finance companies (contact the Virginia State Corporation Commission), or banks that closed voluntarily without government assistance.¹²

For disputed liens where a lender refuses to release a title after full repayment, you may need a petition for declaratory judgment in circuit court. If the court finds the lien unenforceable, it can order the DMV to issue a clear title.

Court-Ordered Title

When none of the administrative routes work, a circuit court can issue an order declaring you the rightful owner and directing the DMV to issue a title. This is the most expensive and time-consuming option, and sometimes the only one left, particularly when ownership claims are disputed or the chain of title is hopelessly muddled.

You file a complaint in the circuit court where the vehicle is located and include every piece of evidence you have: proof of purchase, prior registration records, correspondence with the previous owner, payment records. The court may require you to publish notice in a local newspaper so anyone with a potential claim has a chance to come forward.

If nobody objects within the notice period, the court can issue an order declaring you the owner, and the DMV then issues a title based on that order. If someone contests your claim, the court holds a hearing to weigh the competing evidence. An appeal of the court’s decision must be filed within 30 days of the final judgment.¹³

Filing fees, attorney’s fees, publication costs, and preparation time add up quickly. For a low-value car, the cost of a court proceeding can exceed the vehicle’s worth. Consider this route mainly for vehicles with enough value to justify the expense, or when you have no other option.

What It Costs

Budget for more than just the $15 title fee. Virginia charges:

$15 for an original, replacement, or substitute title¹⁴
$40 to enter a vehicle into the Abandoned Vehicle Program⁷
$125 examination fee plus a $5 VIN application fee when a VIN inspection is required¹⁵
4.15% motor vehicle sales and use tax on the purchase price for most vehicles¹⁶
A surety bond premium for bonded titles, typically 1% to 15% of the bond face value

Sales and use tax applies when you title a vehicle you purchased. If you inherited it or received it as a gift, the tax calculation may differ. Registration fees are separate and depend on the vehicle type and weight.

Before You Buy, Protect Yourself

Most of the trouble described above starts at the sale. Before buying any vehicle in a private transaction, run the VIN through the NMVTIS system to check for title brands, total-loss history, and theft records.⁵ Insist on a signed bill of sale with the seller’s full legal name, address, and driver’s license number. And never pay for a vehicle without receiving a properly signed title at the same time. That last step is the one most people skip.

If fraud in a sale by a licensed dealer is part of your situation, Virginia’s Motor Vehicle Transaction Recovery Fund can reimburse losses after you obtain a final court judgment against the dealer and file a verified claim with the Motor Vehicle Dealer Board.¹⁷¹⁸ For private-party fraud, law enforcement and a civil suit are the usual routes.

1
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Replacement Titles
2
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. VSA 12 – Affidavit in Lieu of Title Certificate
3
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Application for Certificate of Title and Registration
4
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code Title 46.2 Chapter 6 – Article 2. Titling Vehicles
5
Office of Justice Programs. Understanding an NMVTIS Vehicle History Report
6
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 46.2-1200 – Definitions
7
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Abandoned Vehicle Frequently Asked Questions
8
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Transfer Vehicle Ownership
9
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 64.2-601 – Payment or Delivery of Small Asset by Affidavit
10
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 46.2-633.2 – Transfer of Title on Death
11
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. Releasing a Lien
12
FDIC. Obtaining a Lien Release
13
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 8.01-675.3 – Time Within Which Appeal Must Be Taken
14
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. DMV Fees
15
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. VSA 22 – Application for Assigned Vehicle Identification Number
16
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Motor Vehicle Sales and Use Tax
17
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 46.2-1527.3 – Recovery From Fund, Generally
18
Motor Vehicle Dealer Board. Transaction Recovery Fund