Before you start

Virginia residency
Virginia minimum liability insurance in place before you register
Proof of identity, legal presence, Social Security number and two Virginia residency documents for REAL ID
A valid safety inspection sticker before you drive the vehicle

Step-by-step

1
Insure the vehicle before registering it
Virginia requires minimum liability cover to be maintained from the moment you register until the registration expires, even if the car is not being driven. Registering without insurance means a $600 non-compliance fee, suspension of licence and registration, and a $145 reinstatement fee.
OnlineWho: YouDays 1–3
2
Get the annual safety inspection sticker
Every vehicle operated in Virginia must pass an annual safety inspection and display the sticker. These are done at ordinary repair shops across the state rather than at the DMV, and driving without one is ticketable and goes on your record.
In personWho: YouBefore you drive
3
Title the vehicle within 30 days, then register it
Titling comes first and must happen within 30 days of moving to Virginia; registration and plates follow at any DMV customer service centre, also within 30 days. Two- and three-year registrations carry a small discount, larger if you do it online.
In personWho: YouWithin 30 days
4
Skip the emissions test
Virginia's emissions programme covers Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William and Stafford counties and the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas and Manassas Park. Norfolk is outside it, so there is no test and no fee — but if you later move to Northern Virginia the requirement attaches to the new address.
OnlineWho: You
5
Transfer the driver licence within 60 days
Bring identity, legal presence, Social Security number and Virginia residency documents. Two residency proofs are needed for the REAL ID version. A commercial licence has a tighter 30-day deadline.
In personWho: YouWithin 60 days
6
Budget for the annual personal property tax, and consider the ferry
Norfolk assesses vehicles at $4.33 per $100 of value each year, due 5 June. Separately, the Downtown and Midtown tunnels to Portsmouth are tolled, so a Portsmouth commute has a daily cost — the Elizabeth River ferry costs a $2.00 HRT fare and no toll at all.
In personWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Foreign or out-of-state driver licence
Vehicle title and out-of-state registration
Virginia liability insurance certificate
Valid Virginia safety inspection sticker
Two proofs of Virginia residency for a REAL ID credential

Things most newcomers don’t know

The annual safety inspection is the requirement newcomers do not know exists.

Virginia inspects every vehicle every year, statewide, at ordinary repair shops. Most US states do not, so people arrive from a state with no inspection regime, register the car, and get ticketed for a missing sticker they did not know they needed. It is cheap and quick — it is simply invisible until it is not.

Source: Virginia DMV — new to Virginia

Emissions testing is Northern Virginia only.

The programme names five counties and five cities, all in the Washington suburbs. Norfolk and the rest of Hampton Roads are outside it entirely, which removes a test, a fee and a queue that a Northern Virginia resident cannot avoid. Guides that describe 'Virginia emissions requirements' without naming the localities mislead everyone outside them.

Source: Virginia DMV — new to Virginia

Norfolk's vehicle tax is $4.33 per $100 — and its boat tax is a rounding error.

The city assesses cars annually from J.D. Power values at $4.33 per $100, higher than Richmond's rate, with bills due 5 June and a high-mileage adjustment available on production of your state inspection certificate. Personal boats, meanwhile, are taxed at $0.000001 per $100 — effectively zero, and a deliberate policy in a harbour city.

Source: City of Norfolk — personal property tax

The ferry is a toll-free crossing to Portsmouth.

The Downtown and Midtown tunnels between Norfolk and Portsmouth are tolled, and for a daily commuter that is a real annual number. The Elizabeth River ferry costs the standard $2.00 HRT fare, takes about ten minutes, and has no toll. If you are choosing between the two cities, price the crossing before the rent.

Source: Hampton Roads Transit — fares

Common mistakes to avoid

Sorting the licence first and missing the 30-day titling deadline.
Not knowing about the annual safety inspection until you are ticketed.
Registering a vehicle before the insurance is active, and triggering the $600 non-compliance fee.
Budgeting for a flat registration fee and meeting a $4.33-per-$100 annual vehicle tax on 5 June.
Taking a Portsmouth job without pricing the tunnel tolls, or discovering the ferry too late.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.