Before you start

Virginia residency, and 30 days from the date it began for the vehicle
Your original, unexpired foreign or out-of-state licence
Two proofs of Virginia residency
Virginia insurance, or the uninsured motor vehicle fee
An annual safety inspection once registered

Step-by-step

1
Title and register within 30 days
Bring the title, the out-of-state registration, proof of Virginia residency and evidence of insurance. This is the tighter of Virginia's two clocks and the one newcomers overrun. Registration periods and fees are published by the DMV.
In personWho: YouWithin 30 days
2
Book the annual safety inspection
Virginia DMV: before operating a vehicle in Virginia it must pass an annual safety inspection and display a valid sticker. It is done at licensed garages across the city, takes under an hour and is inexpensive, and police here do check the sticker. Note this is a safety inspection only — emissions testing is a Northern Virginia programme and does not apply in Richmond.
In personWho: YouBefore driving, then annually
3
Swap the licence inside 60 days
The DMV gives new residents 60 days. Whether you take a knowledge or road test depends on the licence you hold — confirm your own country or state against the DMV's current position rather than a general article. Bring two proofs of Virginia residency and decide on REAL ID at the same appointment.
In personWho: YouWithin 60 days
4
Register the vehicle with the City of Richmond too
The DMV registers the vehicle with the Commonwealth; the city needs to know about it separately so it can issue the local vehicle licence and assess the personal property tax. The DMV states plainly that it cannot sell you a local decal. Do this within your first month — the penalty for a late or missing local registration is avoidable and irritating.
In personWho: YouWithin 30 days of moving
5
Budget for the car tax bill arriving on 5 June
Richmond bills the vehicle personal property tax annually, due 5 June, at USD 3.70 per USD 100 of assessed value. The Personal Property Tax Relief Act fully exempts qualifying vehicles assessed at USD 1,000 or less and gives partial relief on the first USD 20,000. Two consequences: a newer or larger car costs meaningfully more to keep here, and the bill lands as a lump sum rather than being spread across the year.
OnlineWho: YouAnnually, due 5 June
6
Work out whether you need the car at all
GRTC's whole network, including the Pulse bus rapid transit line along Broad Street, is zero fare. On the Broad Street corridor — the West End, Scott's Addition, VCU, downtown, Church Hill — a car-free or one-car household is genuinely workable, which in a city that taxes each vehicle annually is worth real money. Test the routes for a fortnight before buying a second car.
Mobile appWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Original, unexpired foreign or out-of-state driver licence
Vehicle title and out-of-state registration
Two proofs of Virginia residency
Evidence of Virginia insurance
Passport, visa and I-94 where applicable

Things most newcomers don’t know

Virginia taxes the car you own, every year, and the rate is set locality by locality.

Richmond charges USD 3.70 per USD 100 of assessed value with the bill due 5 June. Nothing about this exists in most of the country, so a newcomer from Texas or Florida has never encountered it and does not price it into the decision to bring two cars. The Personal Property Tax Relief Act softens it — full exemption below USD 1,000 of assessed value, partial relief on the first USD 20,000 — but the annual bill on a recent car is still substantial. Check the rate for the exact locality: Richmond, Henrico and Chesterfield set their own.

Source: City of Richmond Department of Finance — vehicle personal property taxes

Emissions testing is a Northern Virginia programme, and Richmond is not in it.

The DMV lists the emissions area precisely: Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William and Stafford counties, plus Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas and Manassas Park. Everywhere else in Virginia, Richmond included, needs only the annual safety inspection. Someone moving down from NoVA is often relieved; someone moving in from out of state and reading a generic 'Virginia inspection' article is often confused. Both halves matter — the safety inspection genuinely is annual and genuinely is enforced.

Source: Virginia DMV — moving to Virginia

The bus being free is not a token gesture, and it changes the second-car maths.

GRTC operates the entire network zero fare, boarding at any open door, and the Pulse runs bus rapid transit the length of Broad Street. In a city that levies an annual tax on each vehicle you own, the difference between one car and two is a recurring four-figure decision rather than an insurance quote. Ride the actual corridor for two weeks before you commit.

Source: GRTC — how to ride

Two clocks, and the shorter one is the car.

Thirty days for the title and registration, sixty for the licence, and in many localities another 30-day clock for a local decal that the DMV cannot issue. Newcomers sequence these the wrong way round because in most states the licence is the pressing item. Write all three deadlines down in your first week.

Source: Virginia DMV — moving to Virginia

Common mistakes to avoid

Overrunning the 30-day titling and registration deadline while waiting on a licence appointment.
Missing the separate city vehicle registration and local decal.
Being surprised by a four-figure personal property tax bill on 5 June.
Assuming Virginia requires emissions testing everywhere — it is Northern Virginia only.
Buying a second car before testing whether the free bus network covers your commute.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.