Vehicle Services: Financial Responsibility Requirements

To purchase license plates or decals, you must certify that the vehicle is covered by the minimum insurance requirements or pay the uninsured motor vehicle fee. Your insurance carrier must be authorized to conduct business in Virginia. Virginia requires the following minimum coverage:

• Bodily injury/death of one person $25,000
• Bodily injury/death of two or more persons $50,000
• Property damage $20,000

The $500 Uninsured Motor Vehicle (UMV) fee, which is paid to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), does not provide any insurance; it only allows you to drive an uninsured vehicle at your own risk. It expires with your registration and must be paid at renewal.

Self-insurance or Surety Bonds are special options for owners of business vehicles. Details are available at any DMV office.

Consequences for vehicle owners who are uninsured or have not paid the UMV fee will have their driving and vehicle registration privileges suspended. To be reinstated, they must pay a $500 statutory fee, file a Financial Responsibility Insurance Certificate (SR-22) with DMV for three years, and if the order of suspension goes into effect, pay a $30 reinstatement fee.

Insurance carriers provide DMV with electronic updates of insured information and vehicle description when they cancel, add and write new coverage for motor vehicles registered in Virginia.

DMV verifies that motor vehicles are properly insured by comparing vehicle registration information on file at DMV with liability information on the owner and vehicle transmitted to DMV by the insurance carrier. If no insurance is found, DMV requires the motor vehicle owner to furnish the liability insurance information to DMV for verification.

Registering or driving a vehicle without insurance or without paying the uninsured motor vehicle fee will result in fines and other penalties.

Note: If liability insurance coverage on a vehicle terminates or cancels during the registration period, either reinsure the vehicle, pay the uninsured motor vehicle fee or surrender the license plates to DMV.

DMV monitors insurance coverage through our Insurance Verification Program.

You can view insurance companies licensed to conduct business in Virginia.

The Virginia Auto Insurance Consumer Guide contains additional insurance information.

For additional insurance information, please call:

Customer Contact Center
Monday through Friday -- 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (est)
Saturday -- 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (est)

We will respond to messages received outside of business hours in the order in which they are received.

Toll Free: 1-866-DMVLINE (1-866-368-5463) or 1-800-435-5137
FAX: (804) 367-6631
TDD: 1-800-272-9268

OR

Contact us by mail
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles
P.O. Box 27412
Richmond, VA 23269