If you’re making the Mountain State your new home, you’ll need to transfer the title of your vehicle. Some steps you need to take include:
All the above-listed documents need to be taken to your local WV DMV office. Here’s a more detailed look at how you can transfer your vehicle’s title to West Virginia.
Smog certifications are not required for vehicles in West Virginia. However, this state does require a vehicle safety inspection every year. These inspections do not occur simultaneously with the vehicle registration renewals in West Virginia. If you are moving to WV and have a valid vehicle inspection sticker, you are not required to pass a WV vehicle safety inspection upon establishing residency in this state. In West Virginia, the West Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (WV DMV) works with the West Virginia State Police (WVSP) to perform the state’s vehicle safety inspection program.
Whether you are buying or selling a vehicle in West Virginia, you are required to transfer the vehicle’s title. Here are the steps you need to take and the documents you need.
As a new WV resident, you are required to title your vehicle with the WV DMV within 30 days of moving to the state. In order to obtain a valid WV vehicle title, you need to submit the following:
If you are registering your vehicle at the same time you are titling your vehicle, you are required to show proof of a valid WV auto insurance policy.
Once you purchase a vehicle from a private seller, you are required to apply for a vehicle title transfer by submitting the following to your local WV DMV office:
If you don’t have a bill of a sale for a vehicle that has a purchase price under 50% of the current value, you will pay the full sales tax on the vehicle according to the current value. If you purchased the vehicle in West Virginia, you must have the vehicle inspected within 3 days.
When you purchase a vehicle from a dealership in West Virginia, the dealer must submit all titling paperwork, title fees, and sales tax payments on your behalf.
If you purchase a vehicle from an out-of-state dealership, you need to submit the following to your local WV DMV:
When you’re transferring the vehicle title of a sold vehicle, as the seller, you must complete the vehicle title Application for Certificate of Title (Form DMV-1-TR) and complete an Odometer Certification (Form DMV-TM-1), if applicable.
The buyer must submit payment for the required vehicle title fees and sales tax. All documents and payment must be submitted at a WV DMV office.
When the owner of a vehicle passes away, if you intend on keeping the vehicle, and you are listed as the beneficiary on the will, you will need to transfer the vehicle’s title. You will need to know whether the vehicle is part of a probated estate.
The vehicle title transfer process in the instance of probate depends on whether the vehicle’s title was solely in the individual’s name as a descendant or joint ownership. If the vehicle title was only in the descendant’s name, you need to know if the estate is being probated.
Probate is a legal process that involves administering the estate of the deceased individual. This legal process takes place when there is no beneficiary or living spouse presented on the will. The probate validates the deceased’s assets and property and proves the last will and testament are legitimate. The Probate Court will determine how you need to proceed with the individual’s belongings. During this process, the deceased person’s property will be distributed based on their will.
If the vehicle in the estate is part of probate, you are required to follow these steps to transfer the vehicle title of the owner who is deceased:
A vehicle’s title will not be transferred until the probate process is complete, so the administrator of the deceased or the executor needs to contact the Probate Court or an attorney quickly to receive further instructions regarding the next steps in the probate process. When the probate process is complete, the heir will receive the vehicle, unless the vehicle was left to the executor. If the vehicle was left to the executor, they can choose to sell the vehicle.
While the required documentation to transfer the vehicle title of a deceased person varies from one state to another, in the state of West Virginia, you need to submit all the following documents in order to successfully transfer the vehicle’s title:
If you are listed as the administrator of the deceased individual’s estate or the beneficiary, you can visit your local WV title office with the above-listed documentation to initiate the vehicle title transfer process.
The process you are required to follow to transfer the title of a vehicle without probate will vary depending on the state in which you reside. In West Virginia, the deceased person’s property can’t exceed a certain amount and a specific amount of time needs to have passed since the person passed away before the vehicle title transfer can be initiated and completed.
If you are the administrator, spouse, joint-owner, or beneficiary, you may only be required to present the death certificate and the vehicle’s title to your local WV title office, and they will retitle the vehicle’s title without a court order or an attorney.
If you inherited a vehicle in WV upon the owner’s death, the process you must follow to transfer the title of the vehicle is similar to buying and selling a vehicle in WV.
If you are the surviving owner of a jointly owned vehicle, with the conjunction “or” between your legal name and the name of the deceased, you are able to remove the deceased individual’s name from the vehicle title by completing the title assignment as both the buyer and seller of the vehicle.
If your name and the name of the deceased individual is connected by “and”, the legal heir, executor, or administrator of the estate is required to sign the vehicle title along with the surviving named owner.
When the deceased individual’s name is the only owner listed on the vehicle’s title, the administrator or the executor of the estate can transfer ownership of the vehicle by signing as the vehicle’s seller.
In addition to the required documents listed in the buying and selling a vehicle section listed above, you must submit the following documents in order to transfer owner of an inherited vehicle in West Virginia:
In the state of West Virginia, you can’t transfer ownership of a vehicle without a vehicle title. If you have lost or damaged the title, or the vehicle title has been stolen, you need to apply for a duplicate West Virginia vehicle title.
When you gift a vehicle, you are required to submit the following to the WV DMV to successfully transfer the vehicle’s title:
If the vehicle title application is rejected, the original vehicle owner must apply for a duplicate WV vehicle title to use for reapplying.
In order to finalize the process of transferring an out-of-state vehicle title in West Virginia, you must meet certain requirements, such as submitting specific documentation and paying all applicable fees to the WV DMV.
The information you need to provide the WV DMV is as follows:
In addition to the above-listed documentation, you may be required to provide additional information to complete the WV vehicle title transfer process.
If you need to replace your vehicle’s title because it is lost or has been damaged, you need to complete and submit an Affidavit of Duplicate Title for a Vehicle or Watercraft (Form DMV-4-TR) Be advised, you will also need to submit a copy of your valid driver’s license along with the replacement vehicle title fee.
Congratulations! You paid off your vehicle loan. Now, the lender will send you the vehicle title certificate reflecting the lien release on your WV vehicle title. Once you receive the vehicle title, you can apply for a clean vehicle title that is free from the lien hold.
There are different fees associated with vehicle title transfers in West Virginia. The following are base vehicle title transfer fees in the state of West Virginia.
If you purchased a vehicle for under 50% of the NADA Clean Loan Book value, you are required to submit a notarized bill of sale or a DMV Bill of Sale (Form DMV-7-TR) with your title application. Failure to include a bill of sale form will result in sales tax based on the NADA Clean Loan Book value.
There are multiple DMV locations in West Virginia where you can transfer your vehicle’s title and take care of other vehicle-related tasks.
West Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles – Franklin Office
100 Thorn Creek Rd. Ste 300
Franklin, WV 26807
(800) 642-9066
Monday-Friday (8:30 AM to 5 PM)
Saturday and Sunday (Closed)
West Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles – Beckley Office
107 Pinecrest Dr.
Beckley, WV 25801
(800) 642-9066
Monday-Friday (8:30 AM to 5 PM)
Saturday and Sunday (Closed)
West Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles – Summersville Office
2 Armory Way
Summersville, WV 26651
(800) 642-9066
Monday – Friday (8:30 AM to 5 PM)
Saturday and Sunday (Closed)
In order to successfully complete the West Virginia vehicle title and title transfer forms, you need to ensure the required signatures of the vehicle’s seller and buyer are present in the designated areas on the vehicle title. You also need to create a bill of sale that provides information about the vehicle, such as its make, year, model, and color. Don’t forget to include the VIN of the vehicle!
If you sold a vehicle instead of gifting it, make sure you add the correct sales tax to the vehicle’s total price. In the “transfer of title by seller” section of the vehicle title, provide an odometer reading, and make sure the recipient of the vehicle provides their signature on the vehicle’s title in the designated spaces.
Be advised that you may be required to submit additional documentation, such as a valid West Virginia vehicle insurance policy that meets or exceeds the state’s minimum coverage limits. You may also be required to provide a valid government-issued photo ID or a foreign passport for valid proof of identification.
When a vehicle’s title is signed but not transferred, the vehicle will have an open title. An open vehicle title means the vehicle’s seller didn’t transfer ownership of or register the vehicle in their name, and because of this, the vehicle seller’s name is not provided on the vehicle title, and they do not assume any legal responsibility for anything associated with the vehicle, such as taxes and other fees.
If the vehicle’s seller has lost the title, they can apply for a duplicate WV vehicle title (Form DMV-1-TR) and sign it over to you for you to put in your name. Keep in mind, the individual who is listed on the vehicle’s title must request a duplicate vehicle title.
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