To remove a name from a car title in Virginia, you complete a title transfer at the Virginia DMV using Form VSA 17A, surrender the current Certificate of Title with the required signatures, and pay a $15 titling fee.1Virginia DMV. Title Your Vehicle or Trailer Who has to sign, and what supporting documents you need, depends on one thing above all: the word between the two names on your current title.
Check Whether Your Title Says “And” or “Or”
Pull out your current Virginia Certificate of Title and look at the owner section. If the names are joined by “or” (or you see “or survivor”), either owner can sign off on a change alone. If they are joined by “and,” both owners must sign. Virginia treats these as legally distinct forms of ownership.2Virginia DMV. Transfer Vehicle Ownership
This matters most when the other person is uncooperative, unreachable, or deceased. An “or” title gives you room to act alone. An “and” title generally requires the other person’s signature, a court order, or (after a death) specific probate paperwork. Check this before you gather anything else, because it determines which of the paths below applies to you.
The Core Paperwork
Every removal, regardless of reason, starts with the same items:
- The original Virginia Certificate of Title (not a photocopy). If yours is lost, apply for a replacement with Form VSA 67 first.
- Form VSA 17A, Application for Certificate of Title and Registration, available on the DMV website or at any customer service center.3Virginia DMV. Form VSA 17A – Application for Certificate of Title and Registration
- Valid government-issued ID for everyone involved.
- The $15 titling fee.
- Supporting documents specific to the reason for removal (see below).
On the current title, the “Assignment of Title by Owner” section needs signatures from both the person being removed and the person staying on, unless the title uses “or,” in which case one signature is enough.4Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 46.2-628 – How Certificate of Title Transferred If no money is changing hands, write “gift” as the sale price and include Form SUT-3 to claim the tax exemption.5Virginia DMV. Buying/Selling a Vehicle
If the person coming off the title cannot appear or sign in person, Form VSA 70 lets them authorize someone else to sign for them on the vehicle transaction.6Virginia DMV. Power of Attorney to Sign for Owner (VSA 70) This is useful when an ex-spouse lives out of state or a co-owner is deployed.
Removing a Name After Divorce
If both parties are willing to sign, the process is the same as any voluntary transfer: both sign the assignment section, and the remaining owner submits the application with Form VSA 17A, the title, and the fee.
If the other party refuses to cooperate, a certified copy of a divorce decree that awards you the vehicle can substitute for their signature. Bring that decree to the DMV along with your usual paperwork. If no money changed hands, mark the sale price as “gift” and complete Form SUT-3 to avoid the 4.15% sales and use tax.5Virginia DMV. Buying/Selling a Vehicle
Removing a Deceased Owner’s Name
Your path depends on the “and”/”or” question again.
With a Right of Survivorship (“Or” Title)
If the title lists both names with “or” between them, or includes “or survivor,” you inherit the vehicle automatically as the surviving owner. Bring:2Virginia DMV. Transfer Vehicle Ownership
- A certified or notarized death certificate
- The current vehicle title
- The $15 titling fee
No probate involvement is needed.
Without a Right of Survivorship (“And” Title or Sole Deceased Owner)
When the title uses “and,” or when the deceased was the sole owner, you need the death certificate, the title, proof of address, the fees, and one of the following:2Virginia DMV. Transfer Vehicle Ownership
- A copy of the will along with a completed Authority to Transfer Virginia Title Certification (Form VSA 24)
- A completed Form VSA 24 alone, if there is no will
- An affidavit that the estate qualifies as a small estate under Virginia law (valued under $50,000)
An executor or administrator already appointed by a probate court can use their letters testamentary or letters of administration to handle the transfer instead.
If There Is Still a Loan on the Vehicle
An active lien changes the picture. The lienholder appears on the title, and the DMV will not swap owners without the lender’s involvement.1Virginia DMV. Title Your Vehicle or Trailer In practice, the remaining owner has to either refinance the loan into their own name or pay it off and get a lien release before the DMV will issue a new title.
This trips up many divorcing couples. A court decree can award you the car, but the lender is not bound by that decree. If both names are on the loan, the lender can still hold the departing spouse responsible until the loan is refinanced or paid. Call your lender early so you know what they will accept.
Tax on the Transfer
Virginia charges 4.15% sales and use tax on ownership changes.7Virginia DMV. Motor Vehicle Sales and Use Tax If the transfer is a genuine gift with no money exchanged, write “gift” as the sale price on the title and file the Purchaser’s Statement of Tax Exemption (Form SUT-3) to claim the exemption. Not every co-owner transfer qualifies, so read the requirements on the back of Form SUT-3 before you submit.
Submitting the Application
In Person
Take the completed package to any Virginia DMV customer service center: the title, Form VSA 17A, supporting documents, ID, and payment. The $15 fee is due at submission. The DMV accepts Apple Pay, Google Pay, cash, checks, and money orders.8Virginia DMV. DMV Fees
There is also a title application drop-off service. You leave the paperwork, and the DMV processes it within five business days starting the day after they receive it.9Virginia DMV. Title Application Drop-off Service
By Mail
Send the original application package (no photocopies) with a check or money order for $15 payable to the Virginia DMV to:10Virginia DMV. Submit Titling and Registration Applications by Mail
Virginia DMV Titling Department
P.O. Box 27412
Richmond, VA 23269
Make sure every signature and any required notarization is done before you mail it.
After the New Title Arrives
The DMV mails the new title to the address on file. Check the remaining owner’s name, the VIN, and the vehicle description as soon as it arrives. If anything is wrong, or the title does not show up in a reasonable time, call the DMV.
Then update your auto insurance. The insurer needs to know the ownership has changed so the policy reflects only the current owner, and they may ask for a copy of the divorce decree, death certificate, or other supporting document. An out-of-date policy can leave you with a coverage gap if you have to file a claim.