First Time Vehicle
Registration
General Information
- In order for a vehicle to be registered in the District of Columbia,
it must pass a safety inspection, except new vehicle
as indicated by
a Manufacturers Certificate of Origin (i.e., a title for new
vehicles), All vehicles used for commercial or for hire purposes must go through inspection.
- To obtain vehicle registration and title at a DMV service
location, please bring proof of DC insurance coverage,
present the required
documents and pay applicable fees.
- Individuals residing in the District of Columbia, who are serving in the military are not required to register their vehicles. Instead they may apply for a DC Reciprocity Permit. For those individuals serving in the military, who want to register their vehicle(s) in the District of Columbia, they will be required to surrender their existing license/identification card and obtain a DC Driver License or Non-Driver identification.
- When registering a vehicle, tags may be transferred from another vehicle provided the tags are not expired.
If a vehicle:
- Has tags from another jurisdiction, vehicle may be taken directly to
the inspection station. Once the vehicle has passed inspection, it may be registered at a DMV service location.
- Has a DC valid inspection sticker, vehicle does not have to go back through inspection; it may be titled and registered. Vehicles with an expired inspection sticker are required to pass inspection prior to being register.
- Has expired tags, the owner may apply for a one time 5 day extension on vehicle registration. This 5 day extension is granted to get the vehicle inspected. To obtain a 5 day extension, please bring the following:
- Vehicle registration
- DC Driver License or Non-driver identification
- Valid proof of Insurance
- Is leased, a request for the title* must be submitted to the leasing company (normally the leasing company will only send the title directly
to DMV) prior to titling/registering the vehicle. Once the DMV receives the title, vehicle may be registered. In addition to the documents required for registering the vehicle, a signed lease agreement is also required.
- Has a lien, a request for the title* must be submitted to the lien holder. Once the title has been received by DMV, the vehicle may be registered. You may access our Out-of-State Title Status online to verify whether we have received the title from the lienholder.
- Was acquired through the death of the vehicle owner, additional
documents are necessary to register the vehicle.
- Owner wishes to register the vehicle in the name of the District based business, a copy
of the basic business license must be submitted along with the registration application and other required documents.
In order to title and register a vehicle, all outstanding tickets, dishonored check(s) fee, delinquent child support payments or any other debt owed to the District of Columbia Government must be satisfied.
Temporary Tags
The purpose of the temporary tags is to allow the owner time to get the vehicle inspected. Temporary tags are non renewable, are only issued once and are valid for 45 days. In order to obtain 45 days temporary tags, the following must be provided:
- A properly endorsed title
- Proof of valid insurance
- DC license or non-driver identification
- Applicable Fee
For More information on Temporary Tags, please click the appropriate link below:
* These documents are presented in Portable Document Format (PDF).
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