How To Transfer a Car Title to a Family Member in Virginia in 2026

Family car title transfers in Virginia are handled by the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). A transfer between relatives is processed through the same state title system used for other private transactions, but the tax result depends on the facts of the transfer (gift or sale) and, in some cases, on the parties' relationship. Virginia law also sets a filing deadline for the new owner: under Va. Code § 46.2-630, the transferee must forward the assigned title and apply for registration and a new certificate of title within 30 days.

What Does Transferring a Car Title to a Family Member in Virginia Mean?

Car transactions among family members, whether as a gift or a sale, require a title transfer to change the vehicle's legal owner of record. According to the Virginia DMV, a title proves ownership, while registration authorizes lawful operation on public roads. Ownership remains with the current titled owner until the DMV processes the reassignment and issues the replacement ownership record.

Virginia also permits either a paper title or an electronic title record. When a Virginia vehicle is transferred from one family member to another, Va. Code § 46.2-628 requires the current owner to fully and correctly endorse the assignment and warranty of title and deliver the certificate to the purchaser or transferee when the vehicle is delivered.

Eligible Family Members for Title Transfers in Virginia

Virginia does not create a broad family-member exemption for every private transfer. Instead, the routine family gift exemption recognized by DMV is narrower. The Purchaser’s Statement of Tax Exemption (SUT 3) limits the standard family gift category to a gift from the transferor to the transferor’s spouse, son, daughter, or parent, and the form states that “son,” “daughter,” and “parent” include only biological and adopted relationships.

Transfers involving other relatives, such as siblings, grandparents, grandchildren, in-laws, aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews, may still be completed through the ordinary title-transfer process, but the standard family gift exemption does not apply to that relationship alone. Under the Virginia DMV motor vehicle sales and use tax rules, a taxable private-party transfer is subject to tax at 4.15% of the sales price, with a minimum charge of $75.

How To Transfer a Car Title as a Gift to a Family Member in Virginia

Step 1 — Confirm That the Transfer Qualifies for Virginia’s Tax Exemption The ordinary family gift exemption is limited to a spouse, a son, a daughter, or a parent. The exemption claim is documented on SUT 3, which also explains that, except for a gift to a spouse, the exemption does not apply to an unpaid obligation assumed by the transferee incidental to the transfer.

Step 2 — Complete the Title Assignment According to the Virginia DMV's buying and selling guidance, the seller or donor must sign the vehicle over and give the title to the buyer or recipient. For a gift transaction, the DMV directs the parties to write “gift” as the sales price on the title.

Step 3 — Record the Odometer Disclosure The DMV requires the seller to record the mileage in the assignment section of the title, and the buyer records the mileage on the application for title and registration. If an out-of-state title lacks an assignment section, Virginia uses a separate Odometer Disclosure Statement (VSA 5).

Step 4 — Remove or Transfer the License Plates Virginia law requires plates and/or registration to be surrendered immediately when the vehicle has been sold, traded, or is no longer operated. If the former owner intends to move the plates to another vehicle, the DMV provides a separate transfer process rather than allowing the plates to remain on the vehicle being transferred.

Step 5 — Notify the DMV That the Vehicle Has Been Transferred Through the Virginia DMV report-vehicle transaction, the transferor can report that the vehicle was sold, traded, donated, or otherwise disposed of.

Step 6 — Submit the New Title and Registration Application Within 30 Days The recipient should file promptly within the deadline set by Va. Code § 46.2-630. In a standard paper filing, the recipient submits the assigned title, the exemption form, and the title-and-registration application to the DMV through an approved submission method.

How To Transfer a Car Title as a Sale to a Family Member in Virginia

Step 1 — Assign the Title to the Buyer For a private Virginia-titled transfer, the seller must sign over the title to the buyer. The title assignment must identify the buyer correctly and include the transaction details required on the certificate.

Step 2 — Enter the Purchase Price and Prepare Sale Documentation Under the Virginia DMV sales and use tax guidance, the sales price entered by the seller on the title certificate functions as a bill of sale in a private transfer. If the vehicle is more than five years old and the sales price is missing or incorrect, the DMV allows either a handwritten bill of sale or the Vehicle Price Certification (SUT 1). If the vehicle is five years old or less and the price falls outside the DMV's allowed variance, a notarized Affidavit of Vehicle Purchase Price (SUT 1A) is required.

Step 3 — Complete the Mileage Disclosure. The seller must record the odometer reading in the assignment section of the title, and the buyer records the mileage on the application for title and registration. A separate odometer statement is used only in limited situations, such as when the title is out of state and lacks an assignment section.

Step 4 — Handle Any Lien Issue Before Filing The Application for Certificate of Title and Registration (VSA 17A) includes a lien section, and the buyer’s application must match the title record and any lien information being carried forward. A vehicle with an unresolved lien cannot be transferred with a clean ownership record until the lien status is properly addressed.

Step 5 — Remove Plates and File the Required Transfer Notice The seller should remove the Virginia plates from the vehicle and complete the DMV sold-traded-donated notice through the online reporting service. If the seller intends to keep the plates for another vehicle, the DMV uses a separate plate-transfer process.

Step 6 — Submit the Title and Registration Application Within 30 Days and Pay Tax The buyer must file for title and registration within the 30-day period required by Va. Code § 46.2-630. Virginia collects motor vehicle sales and use tax on a taxable family sale at 4.15% of the sale price, with a minimum charge of $75, in addition to the title and registration fees listed in the DMV fee schedule.

What Documents Are Needed To Transfer a Car Title to a Family Member in Virginia

Required for All Transfers

• Assigned certificate of title — The existing title must show the completed reassignment by the current owner and the buyer’s certification information. For a routine Virginia-titled private transfer, the signed title is the primary ownership document.
• Application for Certificate of Title and Registration (VSA 17A) — This is Virginia’s standard application for title and registration, available as VSA 17A. It includes owner details, vehicle details, lien information, insurance certification, registration choices, and the buyer’s odometer statement.
• Odometer disclosure — Virginia records mileage on both the title assignment and the application. A separate VSA 5 is used when an out-of-state title does not have an assignment section or when DMV requires a separate mileage document.

Additional Documents for Sale Transfers

• Bill of sale, Vehicle Price Certification, or title price entry — For many private transfers, the price written on the title serves as the bill of sale. If the price is missing or incorrect on an older vehicle, DMV accepts a handwritten bill of sale or SUT 1.
• Affidavit of Vehicle Purchase Price (SUT 1A) — For a vehicle five years old or less, DMV requires SUT 1A when the sale price is outside the permitted variance.

Documents Required in Specific Circumstances

• Purchaser’s Statement of Tax Exemption (SUT 3) — Required when the transfer is claimed as an exempt gift or another exempt transaction under Virginia’s tax rules, and available as SUT 3.
• License Plate Application (VSA 10) — Used when the former owner is transferring existing Virginia plates to another vehicle.
• Notarization — Virginia’s routine private title assignment does not generally require notarization. The specific notarized document is SUT 1A when an affidavit is required for purchase price certification.

How To Transfer a Car Title to a Family Member Online in Virginia

Electronic Titling for Eligible Private Transfers

Virginia is one of the states that permits a qualifying private title transfer to be completed fully online through its electronic titling program. The DMV states that the service is available only when both parties are current Virginia residents, are private individuals rather than businesses, have active myDMV accounts, and the vehicle is a qualifying Virginia-titled passenger vehicle with no liens or title holds.

Transactions that Cannot Use the Online Transfer

The Virginia DMV electronic titling page excludes several categories from online processing. The service cannot be used for vehicles with liens, vehicles with title or account holds, trailers or other non-qualifying vehicle types, transfers by power of attorney, divorce-decree transfers, survivorship transfers, out-of-state titling, or transactions seeking a sales and use tax exemption. As a result, an exempt family gift ordinarily cannot be completed through electronic titling, while a qualifying taxable family sale may be eligible if the other conditions are met.

Basic Online Process

For an eligible online transfer, the seller begins the transaction through myDMV, the buyer completes the title-and-registration portion, and the DMV keeps the title as an electronic record. A paper title may be requested later. If the transfer does not meet the online eligibility rules, DMV directs the parties to complete the transaction in person, through DMV Select, or by mail.

What's the Cost To Transfer a Car Title to a Family Member in Virginia?

Virginia’s total cost can vary because registration charges depend on vehicle weight, some localities impose local registration fees, certain emissions-area vehicles are charged an additional emissions fee, and a highway use fee may apply in some cases.

Contact Information

Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles
2300 West Broad Street, Richmond, VA 23269
Phone: (804) 497-7100
Official Website: Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles