From Virginia DMV:
Sold, traded, or no longer operate your vehicle? Virginia law requires you to return your license plates and/or vehicle registration to the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). Now, DMV makes that process easier than ever before – allowing online license plate surrender.
Prior to July 1, 2019, customers were required to visit a DMV customer service center to surrender license plates. Since going live with surrender notifications on the web, more than 1,000 people have already taken advantage of the service. “DMV is always looking for ways to better serve our customers,” said DMV Commissioner Richard D. Holcomb. “Allowing online license plate surrenders saves customers a trip to busy DMV offices, and allows our customer service representatives to serve more people who have to visit one of our brick and mortar locations, such as those applying for a REAL ID. It’s a win-win.”
The online surrender process is easy. All that’s needed is your current or prior Virginia driver’s license number, license plate number, and the last four digits of the vehicle identification number (VIN), which is printed on the vehicle’s registration card. Those who choose to surrender their license plates online are not eligible for a partial refund on the cost of registration fees for that vehicle. Online surrender is also not available for leased vehicles. Once a license plate has been surrendered, it cannot be used again or transferred to another vehicle.
For more information about online license plate surrender and to begin the process, visit www.dmvNOW.com.
