Dealerships authorized to operate in the District of Columbia must ensure that their customers understand the DC DMV inspection, registration, and tag requirements for vehicles they sell. Information provided here will help dealerships provide their customers appropriate registration advice and services.

New Cars

District dealerships that sell new cars are authorized to issue DC DMV NC series (pink) temporary vehicle tags to customers who buy new cars. Temporary tags give customers 45 calendar days to get new vehicles titled and permanently registered.

Dealers will issue 1 temporary tag per new vehicle, which must be displayed on the rear of the vehicle. The expiration date on the temporary tag must be clearly written or stamped in black ink. All information on the temporary tag must be legible.

Dealers must issue special use certificates, which are issued with temporary tags as the temporary registration sticker, available at the link below, to customers and provide a copy to DC DMV.

• Special Use Certificates

If the customer qualifies for a residential parking permit, he or she must submit a copy of the special use certificate to the DC DMV Dealer Office. The dealer can issue the customer a temporary parking permit.

Special use certificates are issued to dealers by DC DMV in multiples of 50. To request more, email DC DMV at [email protected]

Dealers may not issue tags for rental vehicles, and they may only issue temporary tags for vehicles that they are authorized to sell. Dealers must issue those tags at cost—they may not profit from issuing vehicle tags.

To obtain additional temporary tags, a dealership must show proof that it has used 50% of its existing temporary tag inventory.

Dealers must report lost or stolen tags to the Metropolitan Police Department. DC DMV will not issue replacement temporary tags to dealerships without a copy of the police report.

Notes

• Only the DC DMV Director or Designee may approve a new car dealer’s issuance of a second temporary tag to a customer.
• Temporary tags marked “damaged” must be returned to DC DMV for accounting purposes.
• Temporary tags must be issued to customers in numerical order.
• Dealers must retain copies of all temporary tag paperwork on the dealership site for a minimum of 2 years.

Used Cars

If you sell a used car to a District resident, you must alert that customer to DC DMV’s vehicle inspection, title, and registration requirements. If the used car has a valid inspection sticker, the customer can proceed to register the vehicle. Information on DC DMV vehicle registrations is available at: Vehicle Registrations

If the used car does not have a valid inspection sticker, the District resident customer will have to get a DC DMV temporary registration, valid for 45 calendar days, during which he or she can get the vehicle inspected.

To get a temporary registration, the District resident customer will have to visit a DC DMV service center with the following documents:

• The Certificate of Title/ Temporary Tag Application form
• A properly endorsed title
• Proof of valid DC insurance
• DC DMV driver license or DC DMV non-driver identification
• Applicable temporary DC registration, title, and lienholder fees.

The dealer should be sure the District resident customer understands that he or she will pay all fees associated with the title transaction: excise tax, title fee, and lien recordation fee, as well as any residential parking permit fee that might be applicable.

The temporary registration window sticker will have the words “Temporary Registration.” District law enforcement and parking officers will recognize the temporary DC DMV registration as valid even when the vehicle does not have a valid inspection sticker.

Once the customer has a temporary registration, he or she can take the vehicle through DC DMV inspection.

Once the vehicle has passed inspection, the customer can renew his or her temporary DC DMV vehicle registration online or by mail for a regular-term registration.

If you sell a used car to a non-District resident, you must provide DC DMV temporary vehicle tags, valid for up to 15 calendar days, for that vehicle. To obtain a temporary tag for a used car for a non-District resident, the dealer must visit a DC DMV service center with:

• The Certificate of Title/ Temporary Tag Application form
• A properly endorsed title
• Proof of valid insurance
• A copy of the customer’s driver license or non-driver identification card
• Vehicle Power of Attorney form that allows the dealer to secure the temp tag on behalf of the customer.

The dealer will be responsible for paying the temporary tag fee at the time it is requested. Dealers may process up to 3 temporary tag requests per visit to the DC DMV service center.