Virginia Dealer Manual - Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles

Virginia Dealer’s Manual
October 1, 2009
CHAPTER 2: TRANSACTING BUSINESS WITH DMV
2.1 DLR 200-USE OF TEMPORARY LICENSE PLATES
• Code of Virginia: §§ 46.2-1542; 46.2-1500, Article 6; 46.2-1900, Article 6; 46.2-
1943; 46.2-1992.35; 46.2-1992, Article 6; 46.2-1993.35, Article 6
2.1.1 What is a Temporary License Plate
a. A temporary license plate is either a cardboard license plate or a paper tag
inserted into a plastic sleeve which may be issued by a dealer to a customer for
use on a newly purchased vehicle when, for various reasons, the customer is
unable to obtain proper registration, and permanent license plates. You may
choose to issue temporary plates as a convenience for your customers, although
you are not required by DMV to do so. (Specific conditions and procedures for
issue of temporary tags are covered in Chapter 7, procedure DLR 705.)
b. The cardboard plate has a license number consisting of a letter prefix of X, W or
Z followed by a six digit number. Color of the plates is maroon on white (as
distinguished from the blue on white of permanent plate and multi-use plates).
The paper tag is printed at the dealership using the Print on Demand(PoD)
process. It is available in both regular and motorcycle sizes. It will be black print
on a white background and may have a color or black & white logo on the left
side of the plate, and will be inserted into a clear plastic sleeve. The tag will
begin with a logo (can be DMV logo or a dealer’s logo) followed by 6 alphanumeric
characters for full-sized tags.
c. A small temporary plate has been designed for motorcycles and must be issued to
any vehicle defined as a motorcycle. A prefix of V has been designated to the
motorcycle temporary plates. The Pod tag will be black print on a white
background and may have a color or black & white logo on the left side of the
plate, and will be inserted into a clear plastic sleeve. The tag will begin with a
logo (can be DMV logo or a dealer’s logo) followed by 5 alpha-numeric
characters.
d. A temporary plate is valid for 30 calendar days from the date of issue. This
allows time for the customer to obtain valid permanent license plates from DMV,
or from the jurisdiction where the vehicle is to be registered. However, if the
dealer is still unable to furnish the evidence of ownership a second temporary
plate may be issued by submission of a “Motor Vehicle Dealer Application to
Issue a Subsequent Set of 30-Day Temporary Plates”, DSD-40, to any DMV
office. For the PoD tags, only vehicles being titled and registered out-of-state will
be permitted to have a second issuance. Permission is not required as long as the
application for the PoD plate indicates an out-of-state titling and registration. For
Virginia titled and registered vehicles, the requirement of titling within 30 days of
purchase will allow the issuance of metal plates and the expiration of the
temporary tags.
e. A third set can only be issued upon approval of your submission of form DSD-
40, “Motor Vehicle Dealer Application to Issue a Subsequent Set of 30-Day
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