How to Title a Private Car Sale in Virginia
Last verified: October 2026 against Virginia DMV sources
When you buy a car from a private seller in Virginia, the seller signs the title over to you and you title and register the car with the DMV.
Here is the order to do it in, what it costs, and what to bring.
Step by step
- 1
Check the title before you pay
Make sure the title is complete and accurate, including the seller’s odometer reading and signature. The DMV suggests checking the vehicle’s history through the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS) first.
- 2
Have the seller complete Section A of the title
The seller enters your name and address, the odometer reading from the vehicle (not an estimate), the date of sale, and the sale price, then prints and signs. All owners listed on the title must sign.
The sale price on the title serves as the bill of sale.
- 3
Let the seller keep the plates
The seller removes the license plates before you take the car. You can buy new plates or transfer plates from another of your vehicles.
- 4
Insure the car
Get liability insurance on the car before you register it. You certify the coverage on the registration section of the title.
- 5
Complete your sections of the title
Sign and print your name as buyer in Section A, then complete the remaining buyer sections on the back, including the lien section if the car is financed and the registration section if you are registering at the same time.
- 6
Title and register within 30 days
Virginia law requires you to send the title to the DMV with your application within 30 days. You can drop it off or make an appointment at a DMV customer service center, go to a DMV Select, or mail it.
If the car already has a Virginia title and no lien, you and the seller can transfer it completely online, as long as both of you have myDMV accounts.
You pay the 4.15% sales and use tax, the $15 title fee, and the registration fee ($30.75 a year for a passenger vehicle of 4,000 lbs or less, $35.75 up to 6,500 lbs). Recording a lien adds $15.
- 7
Check the inspection sticker
A vehicle must pass an annual safety inspection and display a valid inspection sticker to be driven in Virginia. If the car is kept in Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William, or Stafford County, or the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas, or Manassas Park, it also needs an emissions inspection to register.
Some localities also require their own vehicle registration or decal. Check with your city or county.
How the 4.15% sales and use tax is calculated
Virginia charges a 4.15% Sales and Use Tax (SUT) when you title the car:
- The tax is 4.15% of the gross sales price or $75, whichever is greater.
- Trade-in credits do not reduce the taxable price.
- Vehicles under 5 model years old: if the sale price is not within $1,500 of the NADA trade-in value, you must submit an Affidavit for Procurement of Title (Form SUT-1A).
- Vehicles over 5 years old: if the price on the title is blank or incorrect, submit a Vehicle Price Certification (SUT 1) or a handwritten bill of sale signed by both of you with the price, year, make, model, VIN, and date of sale.
What to bring
- The Virginia title, signed over to you, with your buyer sections completed
- Proof of the price if needed (bill of sale or Vehicle Price Certification, Form SUT 1)
- Form SUT-1A, if the car is under 5 model years old and the price is not within $1,500 of NADA trade-in value
- Proof of liability insurance (certified on the title’s registration section)
- Emissions inspection, if the car is kept in a Northern Virginia emissions locality
- Payment for the sales and use tax, title fee, and registration fee