Car dealerships operating in the District of Columbia must be registered in the District. A DC DMV dealership registration is separate from a DC Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DC DLCP) basic business license.

Please follow the four steps shown below to become a new DC DMV registered car dealer.

Step 1: Obtain the following documents

• A Clean Hands Certificate issued by the DC Office of Tax and Revenue (DC OTR). You must have the original certificate; DC DMV will not accept a copy.
• A Basic Business License issued by the DC DLCP. You must have the original license; DC DMV will not accept a copy.
• A copy of your occupancy permit issued by the DC Department of Buildings (DC DOB) .
• A copy of a federal tax identification form listing your company’s federal tax ID number.
• A copy of the business owner’s driver license or non-driver identification.
• Each salesperson’s valid DC DLCP salesperson license.
• A copy of each salesperson’s valid driver license or non-driver identification.
• Proof of insurance coverage (showing number of approved dealer tags).

Step 2: After obtaining the required documents in Step 1, please complete the online application and upload all required documents.

Step 3: After submitting the application online, please print it, have it notarized and retain it with your original documents.

Step 4: Once you have completed Steps 1–3, DC DMV will notify you via email of further instructions for next steps.

For questions, please contact DC DMV at [email protected].