Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV/RMV) Customer Service

Navigating through the menu while calling Virginia's Department of Motor Vehicles can be a bit clunky, but when you make it through to a live representative, the assistance is worth the wait. First, I was taken through several different menus and the recorded message didn't do a great job of explaining what to use them for. I eventually selected the menu for title and registration, as it seemed closest to being able to get information from my call.

The hold times are fairly lengthy — I waited roughly 20 minutes before I was finally connected with a customer service representative. When she answered and asked how she could assist, I asked what the fees were for titling and registering my vehicle in Virginia. At first, she didn't appear to understand my question, but it seemed like that was because of a bad connection, as she understood perfectly after I repeated myself.

Once we were on the same page, she told me it would cost $13 for the title and $30.75 for the registration, as long as it weighed under 4,000 pounds. The agent then asked how long I had owned the vehicle and I said nine years. She then told me that those would be the only fees, which suggests that Virginia may carry an extra cost for newer vehicles.

The representative asked if I'd like to hear the requirements for documentation for registering a vehicle, and I responded that I would. She said I'd need to bring the title as well as an application for registration and an emissions test inspection if I lived in northern Virginia. She added that I'd also need to get a vehicle safety inspection completed and would need my new Virginia license.

I asked what the cost would be for a new Virginia license, and she said it'd be $32 to transfer my license to Virginia. She added that in order to do it, I'd need my birth certificate or passport, plus my out-of-state driver's license, my Social Security card and two proofs of my new Virginia residence. I asked what qualified as proof and she mentioned things like a utility bill or bank statement. With no questions left, I thanked her for her time and she thanked me for calling and wished me a pleasant day.

Overall, I thought the menu setup could be better, but the warm assistance I received made up for it. I thought the representative knew what she was talking about, spoke clearly and made sure that I had all of the necessary information. At times, she even offered up information on her own, anticipating potential questions before I needed to ask them.

I'd like to see the menu streamlined to make it easier to navigate, but there were far more positives than negatives with this call. If I were a genuine customer of the Virginia DMV, I'd absolutely use this number if I needed assistance.