Sell your car in Virginia — no notary, no back-of-title puzzle, no waiting
Virginia keeps private car sales refreshingly simple: you sign Section A on the front of the title, hand over the keys, and tell DMV the car is gone — there's no notary anywhere in the process, and if the vehicle already carries a Virginia title the entire transfer can even happen online. Skip the strangers-with-cash part altogether: get an instant offer, and we'll pick the car up anywhere in the Commonwealth.
Offers powered by our buying partner — ★ 4.7 Trustpilot (205,000+ reviews) · ★ 4.5 Google (8,900+)
Pick your metro
Every city page below was researched and written on its own — the Beach's PCS churn is not Roanoke's road salt, and Fairfax's car-tax math is nobody else's problem. Pick your city, or just start the offer; we cover the whole Commonwealth either way.
What Virginia requires when you sell
| Notary | None required. Virginia's official selling instructions never mention a notary: all owners print and sign their names in Section A of the title, add the buyer's name and address, record the actual odometer reading, and enter the date and sale price. That's the whole ceremony. |
|---|---|
| The title form | There is no separate assignment form — the seller's section is Section A on the FRONT of the Virginia title, not the back. DMV specifically warns sellers not to guess or estimate the odometer reading. Gifting the car instead of selling it? The recipient has to qualify for the tax exemption on form SUT-3. |
| Selling fully online | If the car already has a Virginia title, seller and buyer can complete the entire ownership transfer electronically — no dealer involved, no counter visit. The buyer pays the $15 titling fee either way. |
| Lost your title? | Order a replacement online or at a DMV customer service center with form VSA 67 (VSA 66 if a lien is being added) for $15. Two catches worth knowing: every prior title becomes invalid the moment the replacement is issued, and if an old loan was never formally released, the new title goes to the lienholder of record — not to you. |
| Protect yourself after the sale | Virginia has no numbered release-of-liability form, but the notice itself is mandatory: you must tell DMV you sold, traded or donated the vehicle — online, by phone, or at a customer service center. Skip it and you remain the registered owner on paper; if insurance later lapses on the car, DMV can suspend your driver's license and registration over someone else's uninsured vehicle. |
| License plates | Plates stay with you, not the car — remove them before the buyer takes possession. Transfer them to your next vehicle or turn them in, and if six months or more remain on the registration, mail the plates in with form FMS-210 to claim a partial refund. |
| Sales tax | The buyer pays Virginia's Motor Vehicle Sales and Use Tax at titling: 4.15% of the gross sale price or $75, whichever is greater. The price you write on the title doubles as the bill of sale. If the car is under five model-years old and sells for more than $1,500 below trade-in value, the buyer files affidavit SUT-1A; for an older car with no price entered, a SUT-1 price certification or a handwritten bill of sale signed by both parties does the job. |
| Safety inspections | Every Virginia-registered vehicle needs a state safety inspection every 12 months (Va. Code § 46.2-1158), and stations are capped by statute at $20 for a passenger car. |
| Emissions (Northern Virginia only) | Emissions testing applies only to vehicles garaged in Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William and Stafford counties and the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas and Manassas Park (those localities also pay a $2 emissions add-on at registration). A passing certificate is good for two years and, by statute, stays valid even if the car is sold during that time. |
Verified August 2026 against the Virginia DMV's official buying-and-selling guide. Fees and forms do change, so double-check anything load-bearing before a trip to a customer service center.
Asked by Virginia sellers
Do I need a notary to sell my car in Virginia?
No. Virginia's DMV instructions contain no notary step at all — every owner on the title signs Section A on the front, you record the actual odometer reading, the buyer's details, the date and the price, and the assignment is done.
Do I need a bill of sale for a private sale in Virginia?
Usually the sale price written on the title is your bill of sale. The exceptions come from the tax side: a car under five model-years old priced more than $1,500 below trade-in value needs the buyer to file affidavit SUT-1A, and an older car with no price on the title needs a SUT-1 price certification or a handwritten bill of sale signed by both parties.
What happens to my license plates when I sell?
They're yours — take them off before the buyer leaves. You can move them to another vehicle, turn them in, or, with six months or more left on the registration, mail them in with form FMS-210 and claim a partial refund.
Do I have to tell the Virginia DMV that I sold my car?
Yes, and it's the single most important after-sale step. Report the sale online, by phone, or at a customer service center. Until you do, the car is still registered to you — and if it later sits uninsured while it is, DMV can suspend your driver's license and registration.