Buying a car comes with its share of responsibilities, including car insurance, registration, and ownership documentation. There is a lot one has to do before they can take the car on the road. The process of registering and acquiring a license plate is mandatory according to the laws of the land in Virginia.
If you are buying a new vehicle in Virginia, Virginia license plate lookup services can help you fetch all the information regarding the vehicle before you close the deal. Let’s know more about it in this article.
What Is Virginia License Plate & How It Works?
According to the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles, a license plate can be a plate, placard, or a decal with information about the vehicle and its owners, providing proof of registration, driving and parking permissions, and other privileges.
The state law mandates the following motor vehicles to have license plates on them:
- Passenger cars
- Motorcycles
- Commercial vehicles
- Trailers and RVs
License plates have been mandatory in Virginia since 1906. Currently, the only authority issuing these plates in Virginia is the Department of Motor Vehicles. The DMV mandates that all the motor vehicles listed above have their license plates in the vehicle's front and back.
Types of Virginia License Plates
According to the DMV website for the state of Virginia, you can get a variety of license plates based on your needs and requirements. We have listed them below:
- Standard license plate
- Special license plate
- The special interest license plate
Requirements in Title and Vehicle Registration in Virginia
The law requires all citizens and new residents to Virginia to register their car with the DMV. For this particular process, there are certain documents required by the DMV.
- The Proof of identification
- Title of the car
- Emissions inspection report
- A filled-out vehicle registration form, known as Form Reg 343. The owner of the car must fill out the form.
For any extra information and clarification on license plate lookup VA, we suggest you check VinPit.
What Can You Find through Virginia License Plate Lookup?
A VA license plate lookup can be very revealing. Each license plate comes equipped with a number that contains all the information regarding the car. When you enter the license plate number into the DMV database, you can quickly get all the information related to the vehicle, including the complete vehicle history report. This can be useful for a variety of scenarios.
- It gives you detailed information about the market value of the car.
- The vehicle report always contains the vehicle specifications- the make and model of the car.
- Safety rating- refers to the safety rating received by the car upon inspection by relevant authorities. It also details all the accidents the car has been involved in.
- Equipment details that includes information on all the parts fit into the car
- Status of warranty- this gives you all the information regarding the warranty provided by the manufacturer.
- Status of auto insurance- the vehicle history report contains a detailed brief on the insurance policy.
- NMVTIS report.
With this information, you can make an informed choice as a buyer and seller of a car. You can determine the car's market value or how the negotiations go when you are buying a second-hand car from a prospective seller.
The license plate lookup Virginia can be extremely helpful in tracking lost and stolen cars. This is the reason that most car thieves throw the legal license plate away when they jack cars. The plate number can be entered into the database to track where all it has been registered.
FAQs
Why Should I Register My Car?
It is mandatory under the federal law to register your car with the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles and receive a license plate number before driving your car in Virginia. It is illegal to drive an unregistered car, and if caught, you can attract steep fines and even some jail time. A registered card with a legal license plate makes it easy for law enforcement to trace your car in case it is lost or stolen.
I Am Facing Problems With The Registration Process. What Should I Do?
The registration and license process can be tedious and confusing sometimes. It requires quite a bit of administrative work. If you find yourself lost in the process, we suggest that you contact the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles' technical support staff. You can do this online or via post. Alternatively, you can contact customer support at VinPit, which can assist you with all license plate and registration issues.
Where Can I Find Out More About The Second-Hand Vehicle?
The best source for finding information for a second-hand vehicle is the vehicle history report. The document contains all the information related to the car. You can access this document by entering the license plate number into the DMV database. You can also use VinPit, which uses its technology to collate information from its massive database to give you a detailed report on the car.
Where Can I Register My Car During The COVID 19 Pandemic?
Under the circumstances presented by the pandemic, the DMV has digitized the entire process of license plate registration. You can visit the Virginia DMV website for further information and guidelines on approaching the registration process.
Conclusion
Having a license plate is essential for any car. It contains the information necessary for tracking the car, in case, it is lost or stolen by unwanted elements of society. You can easily conduct a free license plate search on VinPit. With VinPit, you get access to services like VIN check, VIN decoder license plate lookup, and a full vehicle history report. VinPit can help you cut through all the administrative work and get your car registration done without any hassle.