Virginia Boat Bill of Sale: Contents, 20-Day Filing, and Fees

A Virginia boat bill of sale is the document that records a watercraft changing hands, and the buyer needs it to title and register the boat with the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) within 20 days of the sale.¹ It also serves as your legal authority to operate the boat during the first weeks of ownership, before the state paperwork comes back. Getting the details right the first time saves you a rejected application and a second trip to the mailbox.

What the Bill of Sale Must Contain

The information on the bill of sale should match what the DWR asks for on the title and registration application, so the two documents line up on filing. Include the following:

The 12-character Hull Identification Number (HIN), usually stamped into the transom on the starboard side.²
The vessel description: manufacturer, model year, overall length, hull material, vessel type, and propulsion type.²
For motors rated above 25 horsepower, the motor’s make, horsepower, and serial number.²
The exact sale price in dollars. The DWR uses this to calculate the watercraft sales and use tax.
The date of sale. This starts the 20-day clock.
Full legal names and current physical addresses for both buyer and seller.
Signatures from every owner listed on the existing title. If two names are on the title, both must sign.

A boat with a motor at or below 25 horsepower still needs a bill of sale, but the motor serial number can be omitted from the application. People often assume every motor needs documented serials, and that assumption slows the filing.

The 20-Day Filing Deadline

Virginia law gives the new owner no more than 20 days from the date of transfer to file a title application with the DWR. The same window applies if you bring a boat in from another state and Virginia becomes its principal state of use. In a private sale, the responsibility to meet the deadline falls entirely on the buyer. When a dealer sells the boat, the dealer handles the title assignment and forwards fees and applications to the DWR within those 20 days.¹

Virginia requires both a certificate of title and a certificate of number for any watercraft propelled by machinery, whether gasoline, diesel, or electric.³ A non-motorized canoe or sailboat generally does not need state title or registration, though adding a trolling motor changes that.

How and Where to File

Assemble the filing package: the signed title from the previous owner (or the bill of sale if no title exists), the DWR’s title and registration application, and payment for all fees and taxes. Submit it to the DWR headquarters by mail at P.O. Box 90778, Henrico, VA 23228-0778. Boat titling and registration cannot be processed at DWR regional offices.⁴ The Go Outdoors Virginia portal handles renewals and some updates online, but initial title transfers from private sales typically still require mailing original signed documents.⁵

Once processing is complete, the DWR issues the certificate of title and certificate of number. Keep the certificate of number aboard whenever you are on Virginia waterways, and have it ready for any law enforcement officer who asks.³

Tax and Fees Due at Filing

Virginia charges a 2% watercraft sales and use tax on the purchase price of every vessel sold in the state or required to be titled here.⁶ This is separate from any local personal property taxes, and you pay it with your title and registration application. The tax is capped at $2,000.⁷ At a $100,000 purchase price the 2% rate hits that cap, and anything above still owes $2,000. The cap does not apply to leases or charters. If you bring a vessel into Virginia more than six months after buying it elsewhere, the tax is calculated on the boat’s current market value rather than the original sale price. Exemptions exist under Virginia Code § 58.1-1404, including categories like government-owned vessels; raise any claimed exemption with the DWR at filing.

Registration fees cover a three-year cycle and are based on length:⁵

Under 16 feet: $32
16 to under 20 feet: $36
20 to under 40 feet: $42
40 feet or longer: $50

Operating the Boat Before the Title Arrives

You do not have to wait for DWR processing to use the boat. Under Virginia Code § 29.1-705, the buyer can operate the vessel for up to 30 days from the purchase date as long as the previous owner’s registration was still valid and the buyer carries both the dated bill of sale and the seller’s registration card aboard.⁸ That is the practical reason to walk away from the sale with a complete, dated bill of sale in hand.

If the previous owner’s registration has lapsed, or you want a cleaner document to carry, the DWR issues a Temporary Registration Authorization Number (TAN) that lets you operate for 30 days while permanent paperwork is processed. You can request a TAN through the online watercraft registration system, and you are not required to display Virginia registration numbers on the boat during the TAN period. Keep a copy aboard for law enforcement.⁹

When the Title or HIN Is Missing

Deals go sideways when the seller cannot find the title or never had one. Treat a missing title as a reason to pause: a bill of sale documents the transaction, but the title is what proves clear ownership and reveals liens. Ask the seller to request a duplicate from the DWR before money changes hands. The DWR also publishes a “Transfer when Title or Bill of Sale Not Available” form and an affidavit process for situations where standard documents cannot be produced.¹⁰

Homemade boats, kit builds, and vessels manufactured before 1972 often have no HIN. The title application requires one, so Virginia assigns HINs through the DWR for vessels that have never had one.² Confirm the HIN status before finalizing a sale on this kind of boat, and expect to show proof of how it was built or acquired, such as material receipts or photographs. Defacing or removing an existing HIN is a federal offense, and a missing or altered HIN on an otherwise factory-built boat is a serious warning sign that the vessel may be stolen.

Federally Documented Vessels Use a Different Form

Boats measuring five net tons or more are eligible for federal documentation through the U.S. Coast Guard’s National Vessel Documentation Center.¹¹ Documented vessels are exempt from Virginia’s state titling requirement but must still comply with state operating laws.¹ The transfer uses Coast Guard Form CG-1340 instead of a standard Virginia bill of sale. The CG-1340 requires the vessel’s name, official number or HIN, both parties’ names and addresses, the consideration paid, and a notarized acknowledgment. Every CG-1340 must be notarized, which a standard Virginia bill of sale need not be.¹²

1
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 29.1-733.6 – Certificate of Title Required
2
Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources. Registering and Titling Your Watercraft
3
Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources. Watercraft Registration, Titling, and Sales Tax Requirements
4
Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources. Office Locations and Hours
5
Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources. Boat Registration and Titling
6
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 58.1-1402 – Tax Levied
7
Legal Information Institute. 23 Virginia Administrative Code 10-230-40 – Tax Levied
8
Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 29.1-705 – Change of Ownership of Motorboat; Lost Certificates
9
Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources. Temporary Registration Certificate
10
Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources. Forms
11
U.S. Coast Guard. Documentation and Tonnage of Smaller Commercial Vessels
12
U.S. Coast Guard. Bill of Sale (CG-1340)