Virginia DMV continues to migrate services online; new online payment plan option

The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) continues to expand its offering of online transactions by adding the ability for credentialed customers to establish a payment plan contract online. This new online option will enable more than 150 customers per week to skip a trip to DMV and creates additional appointment opportunities for customers who require in-person service.

If customers owe fees as a result of not insuring their vehicles, they may be able to enter into a payment plan to pay the fees over time and continue driving. Since payment plans were established by the General Assembly in 2017, more than 53,000 customers have successfully completed their contracts with DMV.

In Virginia, in order to purchase license plates or register a vehicle (to receive decals), customers must certify that their vehicle is covered by the minimum insurance requirements or pay the Uninsured Motor Vehicle Fee.

When a customer is cited for driving without vehicle insurance, their license is suspended until they comply with the following three requirements:

1) file a Financial Responsibility Insurance Certificate (SR-22),

2) pay the reinstatement fee, and

3) pay the noncompliance fee upfront or enter into a payment plan to pay the fee over time in monthly installments, which may also be paid online. The suspension action and requirements are the same whether an insurance company reports to DMV that a customer’s liability insurance coverage on a vehicle has terminated or been canceled during the registration period and the customer has not obtained another policy, or the customer has not temporarily deactivated the license plates or permanently surrendered the license plates.

In order to avoid a suspension of driving privileges, the requirement to pay the non-compliance fee, and the related requirements, customers must ensure that there are no lapses in insurance coverage for vehicles during their registration period and that they either deactivate or surrender license plates to DMV prior to canceling their insurance.

For more information on DMV’s payment plan program, visit https://www.dmv.virginia.gov/vehicles/#statpay.asp.