When you’re done with a vehicle in Virginia, you have two legitimate paths for what to do with the old Virginia license plates: surrender them to the DMV (online, in person, or by mail) or destroy them yourself at home. Virginia law requires you to act immediately once you sell, trade, stop driving the vehicle, or move out of state, and the order you do things in matters, because canceling your insurance before the plates are off your record can trigger a misdemeanor and a $600 reinstatement fee.
When You Have to Act
Virginia doesn’t give you a grace period. The obligation to surrender kicks in the moment you sell or trade the vehicle, stop operating it, move to another state, or receive replacement plates from the DMV.1Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. What to Do with Your License Plates Once replacements arrive, the old set is no longer valid for road use.
The requirement is tied to insurance. If the vehicle becomes uninsured and the plates are still active in the DMV’s system, you’re committing a Class 3 misdemeanor under Virginia Code § 46.2-707.2Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 46.2-707 – Operation of Uninsured Vehicle; False Evidence of Insurance That’s why the sequence matters, and it’s covered further down.
Three Ways to Surrender Plates to the DMV
The DMV accepts surrenders three ways. Which one you choose affects whether you can get any of your registration money back.
Online
The DMV’s online plate surrender tool is the fastest option and updates your record immediately, which is what ends your liability on the vehicle. The tradeoff: using it makes you ineligible for any registration fee refund.1Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. What to Do with Your License Plates If months of registration remain and you’d like that money back, use one of the other routes.
In Person
Any Virginia DMV customer service center will accept the plates over the counter. No appointment is required, and surrendering in person preserves your refund eligibility.1Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. What to Do with Your License Plates
By Mail
You can mail the plates to:
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles
2300 West Broad St
Richmond, VA 232691Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. What to Do with Your License Plates
If you want a refund, include a completed Vehicle Registration Refund Application (form FMS 210) with the plates. If you don’t care about a refund, you can mail the plates without the form.
Getting a Partial Registration Refund
You qualify for a partial refund of registration fees only if your registration doesn’t expire for at least six more months and you surrender the plates directly to the DMV in person or by mail with the FMS 210.1Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. What to Do with Your License Plates
Two things disqualify you. If your registration has fewer than six months left, there’s no refund. And if you used the online surrender tool, you’ve waived refund eligibility no matter how much time was left on the registration. People make that mistake routinely by choosing the quick online option without realizing they’re giving up the refund.
Destroying the Plates at Home
If a refund isn’t in play and you’d rather skip the DMV altogether, Virginia lets you destroy the plates yourself. The point is to make them unusable so no one can mount them on another vehicle. The DMV recommends bending the plates, removing and destroying any stickers or decals, or cutting through the plate numbers.1Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. What to Do with Your License Plates
Peeling off the stickers isn’t enough. A plate with readable numbers can still be cloned. Cut through the numbers or bend the plate so it can’t lie flat against a bumper. If you’re keeping old plates as collectibles or garage decoration, they still need to be defaced before they’re off the road legally.
Keeping Personalized Plates
Personalized plates don’t have to be surrendered when the vehicle goes. Virginia lets you transfer them to a new vehicle you’re registering. Complete a License Plate Application (form VSA 10) and bring it to any DMV customer service center.1Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. What to Do with Your License Plates The transfer can’t be done online or by mail.
If you want to hold onto a combination without a vehicle to put it on, contact the DMV about applicable deadlines so the combination doesn’t lapse and get reissued to someone else.
Cancel Insurance Last
The most common way Virginia drivers get burned on this is by canceling car insurance before surrendering the plates. The insurance company reports the cancellation to the DMV, the plates are still active in the system, and Virginia flags you as an uninsured motorist. Surrender the plates first. Cancel the insurance after.
Getting the order wrong is a Class 3 misdemeanor under § 46.2-707, and a conviction triggers automatic suspension of your driver’s license along with every registration certificate and plate in your name. Reinstatement requires a $600 noncompliance fee and proof of future financial responsibility, typically an SR-22 filing, which can stay on you for up to three years.2Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 46.2-707 – Operation of Uninsured Vehicle; False Evidence of Insurance Displaying plates you know have been canceled or revoked, or refusing to hand over plates when the DMV revokes your registration, carries heavier penalties as a Class 2 misdemeanor.3Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 46.2-612 – Failure to Surrender Revoked Certificate of Title, Registration Card, License Plates or Decals; Other Offenses Relating to Registration, Licensing, and Certificates of Title; Penalties
If the Plates Are Lost or Stolen
You can’t surrender plates you don’t have, so this one works differently. File a police report so there’s an official record the plates are out of your possession; that report is your defense if someone uses the plate to run a toll or commit a traffic violation. For standard plates, visit a DMV customer service center to apply for replacements with a new number, and the DMV will cancel the old number in its system. For personalized plates, form VSA 160 lets you request reissuance of the same combination.