You must surrender your vehicle tags to DC DMV if:
- You move out of the District
- Your vehicle insurance is cancelled (note that vehicle tags should be surrendered prior to canceling your insurance to avoid insurance lapse fees)
- You sell your car or donate it to charity and do not transfer your vehicle tags to another vehicle
- One of your tags has been stolen and you have obtained replacement tags
- You cancel your registration
- You change to disability, personalized or organizational tags
- You replace worn tags
To surrender your tags use DC DMV’s Online Tag Cancellation system. More information on cancelling your tags online is available at the link below:
You may also return tags by mail to:
DC DMV
Vehicle Registration
P.O. Box 90120
Washington, DC 20090
OR, if you send the tags by certified mail, mail them to:
DC DMV
Processing Center
95 M Street, SW
Washington, DC 20024
We will mail you a receipt from DC DMV for your records when we receive the tags. You should wait to cancel your insurance until you receive your surrender tag receipt to ensure you do not incur insurance lapse fines.
You are responsible for any infractions, violations, or tickets attributed to the tags if you do not surrender them to DC DMV.