W.Va. To Offer Digital Vehicle Titles

This fall, the West Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) will be able to provide out-of-state businesses with a fully-digital clearinghouse for vehicle titles. 

Gov. Jim Justice signed House Bill 2506 which allows West Virginia licensed non-resident businesses to transfer existing out-of-state titles into a West Virginia title in their name, even when the vehicle is located in another jurisdiction.

“I am excited about this initiative, which will bring millions of dollars to the state of West Virginia and position us as a leader in innovation, as we have been so many times before,” Justice said. “I’m proud that West Virginia is the first state that’s setting the template for others to follow. My thanks go out to the legislature and to all those involved at the DMV for making this a reality.”

The legislation’s passage takes advantage of the advanced title and registration system that the DMV enabled in 2022.

“These advancements through our team at DMV have enabled West Virginia to be the first state in the country to offer fully digital vehicle services to businesses and consumers and will culminate in the introduction of the first fully digital vehicle title,” DMV Commissioner Everett Frazier said.

Tentatively, the DMV will begin offering digital title clearinghouse services by fall 2023. To prepare, the department made advancements to their processing systems including vehicle titling, registration and lien processing systems.

West Virginia’s Digital Title and Registration System expedites the title turnaround process from 45 days to less than one day.

Qualifying businesses will now be able to submit title transfer requests in a fully digital and secure way without the need for notarization or wet signatures on any title transfer documents.