Moving to Washington with a car you already own means two visits to the Department of Licensing (DOL), in a set order. First you get a Washington driver license, then you register the car and get Washington plates. This guide covers the deadline, what to bring, what happens when a lender holds the title, when use tax is due, how the Sound Transit RTA tax works and what the fees look like.
How Long Do You Have to Register an Out-of-State Car in Washington?
Thirty days. DOL gives new residents 30 days after moving to Washington to get a Washington driver license and register their vehicles.
The order matters. DOL will not register your car until you hold a Washington driver license, and the two jobs happen in different places: driver licensing offices issue licenses, while vehicle licensing offices handle titles, registration and plates. Plan the license visit for your first days in the state so the registration fits inside the 30 days.
How Do You Get Your Washington Driver License First?
Book an appointment at a driver licensing office. DOL's new resident license page asks you to bring proof of identity, including your out-of-state license, and payment for the fee. You will give your Social Security number at the office and take any driver tests that apply, since DOL says you may need one depending on where you are moving from.
DOL does not keep your old license. It punches a hole in it and hands it back. You leave with a temporary license valid for 45 days, and the permanent one is mailed within 7 to 10 days. At the same visit you choose between a standard license and an enhanced driver license (EDL), which has extra requirements.
What Do You Bring to the Vehicle Licensing Office?
With the license in hand, take your current title to any vehicle licensing office. DOL asks you to write down the odometer reading before you go in. If your old state does not issue titles, bring a copy of the registration instead.
Every registered owner signs the title application in front of a licensing agent, and each owner needs an unexpired Washington license unless exempt, according to DOL's title application instructions. Not every office takes debit or credit cards, so check payment types before you go.
You can also apply by mail. Call a vehicle licensing office for the forms, fees and mailing address. On a mailed application, all registered owners sign in front of a notary public.
Plates come with you from the counter when you apply in person. By mail, DOL says they can take up to 3 weeks from the day it receives your application.
What If Your Lender Holds the Title?
If a bank or finance company still holds the title, call a vehicle licensing office and ask for its fax number. Your lender faxes a copy of the title to that number, and the office continues the registration from it. Contact the lender early, since its processing time sits inside your 30 days.
Do You Owe Washington Use Tax on a Car You Bring With You?
Usually not, if you owned and drove the car in your old state well before the move. The Department of Revenue (DOR) exempts new residents from use tax on a vehicle brought into Washington when:
- It is a private motor vehicle, owned by you for personal use.
- You acquired and used it in another state more than 90 days before moving to Washington.
- It is licensed in Washington within 30 days of the move.
Your registration from the other state is commonly used to document the exemption. Motor homes, trailers and off-road vehicles do not qualify.
A car you bought in another state within 90 days of moving is not exempt. In that case use tax is due when you register, at the rate for your home address, on the car's fair market value, which DOR says cannot be less than what you paid. Since January 1, 2026, DOR also adds its motor vehicle sales and use tax of 0.5 percent at registration on vehicles bought outside Washington. If you paid sales or use tax to another state, you can credit that amount against the Washington use tax. Licensing fees paid elsewhere do not count toward the credit.
What Is the RTA Tax, and Will You Pay It?
The Regional Transit Authority (RTA) excise tax funds Sound Transit. DOL says residents of King, Pierce and Snohomish counties who live within the Sound Transit district pay it when they buy a vehicle and each time they renew their tabs. Sound Transit's address tool, linked from that DOL page, shows whether your address is inside the district. Outside it, you do not pay RTA.
The rate is 1.1 percent of a depreciated value, not of what the car is worth today. DOL starts from the manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) and applies a schedule by age: 100 percent in the car's first year, 57 percent in year seven and 10 percent from year 13 on. DOL's own example, a car with a $24,000 MSRP in its seventh year, comes to about $150. A newer or more expensive car costs much more, so check the estimate before you budget for your first tabs. Ask the vehicle licensing office how RTA applies to your first Washington registration.
How Much Does It Cost to Register a Car in Washington?
It depends on the vehicle, its weight, where you live and whether you pay RTA, so DOL points you to its tab fee calculator. These are the common parts of a first registration for a passenger car, from that DOL page:
- Basic fee. $43.25
- Title application. $15
- Filing fee, title with registration. $12.50
- Service fee, title with registration. $29
- Plate reflectorization. $2 per plate
- Original plate issue. $50 per plate
- Out-of-state vehicle check (stolen-vehicle screening). $50
- Vehicle weight fee. Varies by weight
- Electric car fee (battery electric). $100 and $50 electric car fees, plus $75 transportation electrification fee
- Transportation benefit district fee. Varies by location
- RTA excise tax. Varies, district addresses only
Use tax, if it applies, is on top of these fees. Fees change, so confirm them with the calculator or a vehicle licensing office before you pay.
Does Washington Require an Emissions Test or VIN Inspection?
No emissions test. The Department of Ecology ended Washington's emission check program on January 1, 2020, so a car arriving from another state does not need one to register.
No routine VIN inspection either. Since July 1, 2001, vehicles coming from another state go through a stolen-vehicle screening inside DOL instead of a physical inspection by the Washington State Patrol (WSP), according to WSP. WSP still inspects rebuilt vehicles, homemade vehicles, vehicles reported stolen, vehicles with no proper VIN or a VIN that does not match the paperwork, and vehicles with ownership disputes. If yours needs one, the licensing office gives you a WSP inspection request form, and you book the appointment with WSP. DOL lists the WSP VIN inspection fee at $65.
What Insurance Does Washington Require?
Washington's mandatory insurance law requires liability coverage of at least:
- $25,000 for injuries or death to another person.
- $50,000 for injuries or death to all other people.
- $10,000 for damage to another person's property.
Instead of a policy, you can apply to DOL for a certificate of deposit or file a liability bond of at least $60,000 through an authorized surety. Carry your proof of insurance card in the car, because an officer who stops you will ask for it.
What Happens to the Plates From Your Old State?
Washington issues its own plates when you register, and DOL's new resident pages say nothing about your old ones. That rule belongs to the state you are leaving, and several want the plates back before you cancel the insurance there. Our guides cover the steps for New York, Virginia, North Carolina and Florida. From any other state, check its rule before you end the old policy.
What Should You Do After You Register?
Add the car to a License Express account, where you can see when tabs are due, keep your address current and get email renewal notices. If you will drive the SR 520 Bridge, the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, the SR 167 HOT lanes or the I-405 express toll lanes, DOL also suggests a Good To Go! account with WSDOT.
Shipping Your Car to Washington
If the car travels by truck, you can start the paperwork before it arrives. Book the license appointment, find your title or call your lender, and line up Washington insurance while the car is on the road. Rivalane coordinates door to door transport to Washington with licensed carriers. Pickup and delivery dates are estimates, not guarantees, so leave room before the 30-day deadline. See our New York to Washington car shipping route, the full list of car shipping routes, our page on car shipping in Washington or the car shipping calculator.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do I have to register my car after moving to Washington?
Do I need a Washington driver license before I register my car?
Do I pay use tax when I bring my car to Washington?
Does Washington require an emissions test or VIN inspection for out-of-state cars?
What is the RTA tax in Washington?
