dmv

Department of Motor Vehicles

-In recognition of the New Year's Day holiday, all DC DMV locations will be closed on Wednesday, January 1, 2025. Regular business hours will resume on Thursday, January 2, 2025. Many of DC DMV's services will be available online or via the agency's free mobile app.

-We are experiencing a system error that is causing duplicate refund checks to be issued to some DMV customers erroneously. If you have been affected by the glitch, to quickly resolve this matter please deposit or cash one check and destroy the other. If you attempt to cash the second check, it will not be honored by the bank.
We apologize to all DMV customers for the inconvenience as we diligently work to rectify this issue.

-DC DMV will no longer prevent DC residents from applying for a new or renewed driver license because of failing to meet the requirements of the Clean Hands Law.

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After Buying a Vehicle

Congratulations on your vehicle purchase! You must now have the vehicle inspected, titled and registered in the District.

Your next steps are to:

Purchase DC vehicle insurance.
District law requires continuous insurance for all vehicles registered in the District.

Vehicle must pass DC DMV inspection.

Dealership Purchase

If the vehicle was purchased from a dealership and the dealership is submitting the title paperwork to DC DMV, you may still need to visit a DC DMV service center to obtain a temporary residential parking permit (if you qualify).

Private Sale Purchase

If the vehicle was purchased from a private seller that does not issue temporary tags, you need to visit a DC DMV service center to obtain a temporary DC vehicle registration.

Required vehicle fees.

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