How to Register an Out-of-State Car in West Virginia

West Virginia titles and registers a newcomer's car in a single application, and it gives you 30 days from the day you establish residency to file it. The deadline matters for more than paperwork: filing inside it is one of the conditions for skipping the state's 6 percent titling tax on a car you already own. This guide takes the steps in order for a car titled in your name in New York, and covers the case the new-resident rules do not: buying a car out of state once you already live here.

How Long Do You Have to Title and Register a Car in West Virginia?

Thirty days. The Division of Motor Vehicles' Moving to WV page says new residents must have their vehicles titled and registered within 30 days of establishing residency, and W. Va. Code 17A-3-1a sets the same 30 days after you take up residence. Title and registration are not separate steps: both go on one form, the Application for Certificate of Title (DMV-1-TR).

The clock starts when you become a resident, which is not always moving day. The same section presumes you are a resident if, among other things, you register to vote here, enroll a child in a public school, take a job in the state or stay longer than 30 days apart from brief absences. Commuting from another state, or a seasonal job of 90 days or less, does not count.

Your driver's license runs on its own 30-day clock. W. Va. Code 17B-2-1a gives a new resident 30 days to get a West Virginia license. The DMV transfers a valid New York license without the written or road tests after a vision screening and a brief alcohol awareness course, and you surrender the New York license. The new license also proves residency for the tax exemption, so it makes a sensible first stop.

Do New Residents Pay the 6 Percent Titling Tax?

Not when all four of the DMV's conditions are met. West Virginia normally charges a 6 percent sales tax on a vehicle's value when it is titled, but the Moving to WV page says that tax has been eliminated for new residents who bring in a car already titled in their name in another state. To qualify:

• You did not live in West Virginia when you acquired the car. The New York title in your name, with a New York address, is the proof, and there is no minimum time it must have been titled to you.
• You titled the car in your previous state. The same New York title is the evidence.
• You have moved here and can show bona fide residency. A new West Virginia driver's license works, as does any document the DMV accepts as proof of residency for one.
• You apply and pay all the fees within 30 days of establishing residency.

The car must be in your name when you apply, and West Virginia titles it in the same name as the New York title. Leased vehicles do not qualify, because the DMV taxes them differently. The exemption also extends to vehicles that are only registered because no title exists; the DMV's examples are motorboats, trailers and ATVs.

The exemption depends on filing inside the 30 days. W. Va. Code 11-15-3c lists the title application and fees within 30 days of establishing residency among its conditions, so file early rather than close to the deadline.

What Documents Do You Need to Register an Out-of-State Car?

For a car titled in your name with no lien, the Moving to WV page asks for:

• Your New York certificate of title. The DMV-1-TR instructions say a title from another state must accompany the application.
• A completed DMV-1-TR, the Application for Certificate of Title.
• An odometer disclosure. The DMV's titles page says to use the Odometer Disclosure Statement (DMV-TM-1) when the title has no section for it.
• Insurance information from a company licensed to sell insurance in West Virginia. It can go on the title application.

The application also has you certify that a liability policy is in effect on the car, and the form notes that insurance must be in effect when the DMV receives it. Put the West Virginia policy in place before you file.

What If a Lender Holds Your Title?

You can still title and register the car without paying off the loan. The Moving to WV page lists what to submit when a lienholder holds the title:

• A completed DMV-1-TR.
• Your insurance information, which can go on the application.
• A completed Odometer Disclosure Statement (DMV-TM-1).
• A copy of your New York title, or a printout of the electronic lien.
• A letter from your lender stating that it holds the title, with the vehicle information and the lender's correct mailing address.

The lien fee is $10 for each lien, and the DMV-1-TR asks for the lender's complete address and ZIP code. Ask the lender for the letter as soon as you know your moving date. Under W. Va. Code 17A-4A-6, the new West Virginia title goes to the holder of the first lien and stays with it until the loan is paid in full.

When you pay off the loan, the DMV's titles page says the lender mails the title to you with the lien release completed, and you should apply for a clear title right away. The DMV's records are not updated when a lender signs a paper release, so the lien stays on file until you do.

What Insurance Does West Virginia Require?

A policy from a company licensed to sell insurance in West Virginia. The DMV's insurance page says proof must be kept in the vehicle, and W. Va. Code 17D-4-2 sets the minimum liability limits at 25/50/25: $25,000 for injury to one person, $50,000 for injury to two or more people in one crash and $25,000 for property damage.

Uninsured motorist coverage comes with every policy. W. Va. Code 33-6-31 requires it at limits no lower than those same minimums, and insurers must offer higher uninsured limits and underinsured motorist coverage as options. Start the West Virginia policy before you file, and keep the New York policy until the New York plates are surrendered, as covered below.

How Do You Submit the Application?

For a vehicle without a lien, the DMV's titles page lists three routes: by mail, in person at any DMV regional office, or through an authorized private license service.

To apply by mail, send the application, the documents and payment to the address printed on the DMV-1-TR: Division of Motor Vehicles, 5707 MacCorkle Avenue SE, PO Box 17710, Charleston, WV 25317. Pay by check or money order made out to the Division of Motor Vehicles, never cash. The form's checklist asks you to confirm three things before you seal the envelope: the application is complete and signed, the payment covers the fees, and the required documents are inside, including proof of insurance and the out-of-state title.

What Does It Cost to Register a Car in West Virginia?

For a qualifying new resident, you pay the fees and no titling tax. The Moving to WV page lists a $15 title fee, a $10 lien fee if a lender is involved and a $51.50 regular registration fee.

Hybrids and electric cars cost more to register. The DMV's registration fees brochure says to add $100 a year for a hybrid and $200 a year for an electric or alternative fuel vehicle. The safety inspection is paid separately at the station, as the next section explains.

When Do You Need a West Virginia Inspection?

Within 10 days of titling, unless the car already carries a current New York sticker. The DMV's vehicle inspection page gives new residents 10 days from the date they title a vehicle, and West Virginia honors unexpired inspection stickers from New York and eight other states until they run out. After that, the car needs an inspection every 24 months at a station licensed by the West Virginia State Police, and the sticker fee is capped at $19 for the two years. Keep the registration card and a current insurance certificate in the car when you take it in.

What If You Already Live in West Virginia and Buy a Car Out of State?

Then the new-resident exemption does not apply, because it covers only a car you owned and titled elsewhere before you moved. A resident who titles a car bought in another state pays the 6 percent titling tax, and the DMV's titles page says West Virginia grants no credit for sales tax paid to another state.

From an out-of-state dealer. For a new car, the DMV's titles page says the application needs a complete dealer invoice showing the final purchase price. With a New York dealer, New York decides separately whether to charge its own sales tax through Form DTF-820, and our guide to buying from a New York dealer while living in West Virginia explains that form. Settle it before you sign, because West Virginia will not credit New York tax you pay.

From a private seller. The seller signs the out-of-state title as seller, and your name and address must be clearly filled in on its face before you submit it with the DMV-1-TR. When the price is above half the car's current NADA Clean Loan value, the tax is 6 percent of the declared price. Below half, you need a bill of sale notarized and signed by both of you, with legible copies of both driver's licenses, or the DMV taxes the full NADA Clean Loan value. A privately sold car two years old or newer is taxed on its book value whatever the price, and a notarized bill of sale will not lower it.

A trade-in lowers the taxable price only if it is titled in West Virginia in the same name as the car you are buying. A car bought out of state also needs its West Virginia inspection within 10 days of titling.

Do Students and Military Members Have to Register in West Virginia?

Not always. W. Va. Code 17A-3-1a, the section that sets the 30-day rule, says resident does not include a student at a West Virginia college, university or other school whose domicile is in another state and who holds a valid license and vehicle registration from that state. Nor does it include a member of the Armed Forces stationed in West Virginia whose vehicle is properly registered in their state of residence. A student or service member who does become a West Virginia resident follows the same steps as anyone else.

What Happens at Your First Renewal?

The DMV mails a reminder postcard about 30 days before the registration expires, and its registrations page lists the ways to renew: online, by mail, at a regional office or kiosk, or at the sheriff's office in some counties. Each renewal needs your insurance information and a personal property tax receipt, or an affidavit from the County Assessor; under W. Va. Code 17A-3-3a, the receipt covers vehicles registered in your name on the prior tax day.

The Tax Division's Motor Vehicle Property Tax Adjustment Credit lets you claim that tax as a credit on your West Virginia income tax return. It covers only tax paid on time on eligible vehicles, and you claim it with the MV-1 letter the Tax Division provides; without a return to file, you can claim it through MyTaxes.

What About Your New York Plates and Insurance?

That is New York's side of the move. West Virginia's title application asks for your New York title, not your New York registration. New York wants its plates back once the car is registered in another state, and it treats canceling the New York liability policy before the plates are surrendered as a lapse. Put the West Virginia policy in place, title and register the car here, then surrender the New York plates and cancel the New York policy last. Our guide to handing back New York plates once you move covers the PD-7 form and the FS-6T receipt.

Getting Your Car to West Virginia

If the car still has to make the trip, Rivalane coordinates door to door transport from New York with licensed, insured carriers. We typically assign a carrier within one to three working days after you book, and pickup and delivery dates are estimates, not guarantees, so leave room before your 30 days run out. Our page on shipping a car from New York to West Virginia covers the lane, our page on car shipping in West Virginia covers pickups and deliveries across the state, and the car shipping calculator prices the move.

Frequently Asked Questions