Registration Requirments

**MVD Office Hours: 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday thru Friday excluding state holidays **

What is needed to register and obtain a license plate for my vehicle in Georgia?

Boats or Watercrafts

Boats and watercrafts are registered with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Please contact their office for what is needed for registration. Click here to connect to their web site.

Vehicles to Be Registered Under the International Registration Plan (IRP)

Register your commercial vehicles that are based in Georgia & travel in Georgia as well as other states & jurisdictions under the International Registration Plan (IRP) with this Department's IRP Section, of the Motor Vehicle Division. Contact the IRP Section for what is needed for registration. Only limited IRP information is available from our web site at this time. Bookmark our web site & visit it often for updates.

Passenger Motor Vehicles, Motorcycles, Trucks and Trailers

Register your passenger vehicles, motorcycles, trucks & trailers at the Tag Office in the county in Georgia where you reside. Some counties require first-time registrants to apply in person. Click here for information regarding where to register your vehicle(s). Click here to find out when to register your vehicle(s) in Georgia,

Register & title your vehicle(s) at your County Tag Office by submitting the following to their office together. When a Georgia title is required for your vehicle & one has not already been issued in your name, you must apply for a title at the time of registration. Click here to see if your vehicle requires a Georgia title.

Identification - Show your valid Georgia driver's license or Georgia identification card when registering in-person. Some counties require you to include a copy when registering by mail. Some counties require first-time registrants to apply in person. Click here for more information regarding when to register your vehicles in Georgia. Click here to connect to the Department of Driver Services, for information regarding drivers’ license & Georgia identification cards.
Application - A completed MVD tag and/or title application, Form MV-1 - Except for the signature(s), this application must be typed, electronically completed & printed or printed legibly by-hand in blue or black ink in the vehicle owner's full legal name & signed. If jointly owned, each owner's full legal name, Georgia driver's license or Georgia identification card number & signature are required. An individual's full legal name is his/her complete name as it appears on his/her valid Goergia driver's license or Georgia identification card.
If all owners go in person to their County Tag office with their valid Georgia driver's license or Georgia ID card, the required documents, applicable fees & taxes, this application can be completed & printed for your signatures & processing. An application for a Georgia tag must be made concurrently with an application for title when a Georgia title is required & a Georgia title has not already been issued in the applicant(s)’ name(s). The same application, form MV-1, can be used to apply for both a tag & title.
Proof of Ownership - Your vehicle's original valid title, manufacturer's certificate of origin* or registration certificate from a non-title state/country must be submitted. A completed & signed Certificate of Inspection, form T-22B, must accompany a registration certificate from a non-title state/country, completed by a duly constituted city, county or state law enforcement officer, your County Tag Agent or his/her designated employee after making a visual inspection of your vehicle's ID plate, a/k/a serial plate.

Issued in the applicant(s)’ name(s)* or properly assigned to the applicant(s) using his/her full legal name(s).
If your lender or leasing company is holding your out-of-state title, when a Georgia title is required, complete & sign an Affidavit of Title Held by Lien or Security Interest Holder or Leasing Company, form T-17 & submit with your original registration certificate in lieu of your title.
The processing office will then contact your lender or leasing company by mail requesting the submission of your out-of-state title for the issuance of a Georgia title.
When the Georgia title is issued, it will be mailed to your lender or leasing company. If your vehicle is not financed or leased, the title, when issued, will be mailed to you, the vehicle owner.

New requirement: If you are applying for a tag only because a Georgia title is not required & your vehicle is currently registered in a non-title state/country, you must submit the vehicle's original valid registration certificate, issued in your name or properly assigned to you. If the registration was not issued in your name & there are no spaces for transferring ownership, original signed bills of sale must be submitted establishing a complete & correct chain of ownership from the registered owner up through you, the current owner. You must also submit an original Certificate of Inspection, form T-22B, completed & signed by a Georgia law enforcement officer, your Georgia County Tag Agent, or his/her designated employee, after he/she makes a visual inspection of your vehicle's ID plate, a/k/a serial plate. Any officer completing the Certificate of Inspection, form T-22B, must query the G.C.I.C., Georgia Crime Information Center, to determine if the vehicle is stolen & he/she shall indicate that the query was made on the face of the form T-22B. This form will not be accepted if it is incomplete or contains alterations or erasures.
Proof of Insurance - Proof that your vehicle is insured with Georgia mandatory liability insurance. You must have continuous Georgia liability insurance coverage to be able to legally drive your vehicle & to register your vehicle in Georgia. Trailers, non-motorized vehicles & vehicles not requiring registration in Georgia do not require insurance. Click here to read important information regarding insurance & what is acceptable proof of coverage.
Emissions Inspections - You must submit proof that your vehicle has passed an emission's inspection, if required for your vehicle in your county of residence. For a list of requiring counties, exempt vehicles, cost of an inspection, inspection station locations, directions, etc., please call the Georgia Clean Air Force at: 1-800-449-2471 or click here to connect to their web site.
Proof of Residency - Submit proof of Georgia residency, i.e. lease, deed or closing statement for new residence, final utility bill from previous residence, moving bill, shipper's bill or truck rental agreement, or, final paycheck stub or a signed letterhead statement from your former employer.
Fees/Taxes - Cash, check or money order payable to the Office of the Tax Commissioner for the total registration fees, title fee & taxes due. Please do not remit cash through the mail! Most counties require checks to be imprinted with a local bank's address. Out-of-state checks are usually not accepted. Contact your County Tag Office for other acceptable methods of payment.

Tag fee, $20.00 for a regular passenger car or light weight pick-up truck. Click here to determine the annual tag fee for your vehicle.
$18.00 title fee, if your vehicle requires a Georgia title & you are applying for a title at the time of registration. Click here to determine if your vehicle requires a title in Georgia.
$10.00 title penalty, if the vehicle owner has failed to apply for a Georgia title in his/her name within ninety-days (90) of the vehicle's purchase/acquisition date. This fee is not due if the vehicle is currently titled or registered in another state/country in the applicant(s)’ name(s).
Sales Tax � Click here to connect to State Regulation 560-12-1-.07 regarding sales tax. When applying for a Georgia title for a vehicle that was purchased form an out-of-state/country dealer or business or a Georgia business, Georgia sales tax must be paid at the time of application or proof must be submitted that the sales tax has already been paid. Sales tax is also due when the dealer charges the wrong sales tax rate. A Georgia title and license plate will not be issued until any sales tax due is paid. The amount of sales tax due is based on the vehicle's purchase price or the vehicle's fair market value if a sales invoice is not submitted. Click here to determine the sales tax rate in your county. The published sales tax rates for counties include the State of Georgia 's sales tax rate. For additional information regarding sales tax, please contact the DOR Regional Office serving your county.
A manufacturing fee is due if you are requesting a special tag that requires a manufacturing fee. Click here to view a list of available special tags & the requirements & fees for obtaining. Then, click on the type of special tag. Some special tags also require an additional annual special tag fee.
$1.00 mailing fee, if your tag/renewal decal is to be mailed to you. Note: Some counties require first time registrants to apply in person.
Vehicle ad valorem tax may be due depending upon when you, the applicant, became a Georgia resident & the birthday of the vehicle's primary owner, i.e. name shown first on your title &/or registration. Ad valorem tax is based on the vehicle's value & the financial needs of the various levying authorities in the county where you reside. To calculate your vehicle's ad valorem tax click here or contact your County Tag office for the total fees due.

Definitions:

*A manufacturer's certificate of origin is a legal document issued by the vehicle's manufacturer certifying the vehicle's origin.

This document, properly assigned to the applicant showing a complete & correct chain of ownership, must accompany the first retail customer’s title application. This document is commonly referred to as the vehicle’s birth certificate, or manufacturer's statement of origin (MSO).
For certificates of origin to be acceptable in this state, they must be printed on security paper and contain security features that deter illegal reproduction and make alterations visible to the naked eye.