I Just Moved to Maryland. How Do I Get My Driver's License and Vehicle Registration?

When you’re ready to call the Old Line State home, there are different steps you need to take to ensure you’re correctly transferring your out-of-state driver’s license and out-of-state vehicle registration to the state of Maryland. Here’s what you need to know about transferring your out-of-state documentation.

What Documents Are Required to Transfer Your Out-of-State Driver’s License to Maryland?

In order to correctly transfer your out-of-state driver’s license to the state of Maryland, you must present:

• Your current out-of-state driver’s license

• Two forms of identification

• Proof of your social security number

• Proof of your new MD residence with your new address

• Pass a vision test

• Pay all applicable driver’s license state fees (new Maryland residents will pay $42 to put their name in the state’s system, and $72 for all first-time Maryland residents to receive their driver’s license as a resident.)

Make sure you have all required documents and payment(s) to ensure the transfer process goes as smoothly as possible.

Maryland Driver’s License Vision Screening Exam

In order to quality for an unrestricted MD driver’s license, the State of Maryland requires you to have:

• Binocular vision

• Visual acuity of at least 20/40 in each eye

• A continuous field of vision of at least 140 degrees

You may be issued a restricted MD driver’s license if you have:

• Visual acuity of at least 20/70 in one or both eyes

• A continuous field of vision of at least 110 degrees, with at least 35 degrees lateral to the midline of each side

Be advised that these two requirements must be simultaneous. If you have visual acuity levels less than 20/70, but no worse than 20/100, you will have to contact the MVA’s Modified Vision Unit at (410) 768-7513 for special handling requirements.

Maryland Driver’s License Written Exam

The Maryland written test includes 25 true or false questions. These questions are based on the information found in the Maryland’s driver’s manual and covers topics such as, traffic signs, traffic laws, and driver safety.

Transferring Your Out-of-State Vehicle Registration to Maryland

In the state of Maryland, the Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) is responsible for most of the vehicle and licensing services in the state. As a new resident of Maryland, you will visit your local MVA office to transfer your out-of-state vehicle registration and take care of other vehicle matters.

Registering Your Vehicle in Maryland

If you brought your vehicle with you to Maryland, you have 60 days to register the vehicle with the MD MVA. Failure to register your vehicle with the state of Maryland could result in different penalties. Contact the DMV in your previous state to determine if you are required to surrender the license plates or notify them of your address change.

Required Car Insurance

Before you will be allowed to operate a motor vehicle in Maryland, you must obtain a valid MD auto insurance policy. In the state of Maryland, you must obtain certain auto insurance coverage, such as

• $30,000 for bodily injury

• $60,000 for two or more persons

• $15,000 for property damage

Failure to obtain the required auto coverage in Maryland could result in a $150 fine for the first 30 days and $7 for each additional day you operate your motor vehicle without proper insurance. These fees could go up to an annual maximum of $2,500 per vehicle that is uninsured.

In addition to the fees for operating a motor vehicle without proper auto coverage, your vehicle’s registration will be suspended. If you drive your vehicle with a suspended registration, your vehicle could be impounded, and you could be fined and/or ticketed.

Neglecting to respond to the MD MVA insurance notifications will result in your case being transferred to the Central Collections Unit (CCU). Once your case is sent to the CCU, the fines you are subject to pay will be a 17% collection fee, and your income tax return will be intercepted.

Emissions Inspections

The Maryland MVA currently enforces a Vehicle Emissions Inspection Program (VEIP). This emissions inspection program requires you to have your vehicle pass an emissions inspection every two years. If you drive a vehicle that is eco-friendly, you may be exempt from the emissions rule.

Required Documentation to Register a Vehicle In Maryland

When you’re registering your vehicle in Maryland, you need specific paperwork. In the state of Maryland, you can register your vehicle by mail or in person. The required documentation is the same whether you choose to register your vehicle in person or by mail.

The documents that are required to register your vehicle in Maryland are:

• The vehicle’s title from the previous state

• A completed Application for Certificate of Title (Form VR-005) This form is used to title and register your vehicle.

• If you are leasing your vehicle, your lease agreement and proof of monthly payments are required.

• A completed Security Interest Filing Statement (Form VR-217) is only required if there are multiple leans on your vehicle.

• A Power of Attorney, if anyone other than yourself is registering your vehicle and singing the Maryland vehicle titling forms

• The Maryland Safety Inspection Certificate from a licensed Maryland inspection station (this certificate is only valid for 90 days once it is issued)

• Payment for all applicable MD vehicle registration and titling fees and taxes

If you are registering your vehicle in person, take the above documents to your local MD MVA title and tag service office. If you are registering your vehicle by mail, send the above documentation to the MVA’s out-of-state unit at:

6601 Ritchie Highway, N.E.

Glen Burnie, MD 21062

Whether you apply in person or by mail, your vehicle title will be mailed to you. If you applied by mail, your vehicle’s registration card, license plates, and stickers will also be mailed to you. If you applied for your vehicle registration in person, your registration card, license plates, and stickers will be issued immediately.

Registering Vehicles with Loans in Maryland

If there is still a loan on your vehicle when you move to Maryland, you must contact the lien holder to have the vehicle title sent to the Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA). To do so, call the MD MVA customer service center at (410) 768-7000. The MVA will send the Out-of-State Lien Holder Letter (Form VR-056) to send to your lien holder.

The out-of-state lien holder letter must contain all the following information:

• Name of the vehicle owner

• New Maryland address

• Phone number

• Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)

• Year and make of the vehicle

• Lien holder’s name

• Lien holder’s address

• Current state where the vehicle is registered

• Lien account number

When the lien holder sends the vehicle title information to the MD MVA, the MVA will contact you and inform you about the excise tax that is due with your vehicle registration fee.

Once you know about the excise tax, you are required to:

• Complete an Application for Certificate of Title (Form VR-005)

• Provide an MD Safety Inspection Certificate from your vehicle inspection

• Write a check or money order made payable to the MVA for your MD excise tax, title fee, tag fees, and additional fees to record the lien

Send the above documents to the MVA at:

6601 Ritchie Highway, N.E.
Glen Burnie, MD 21062

You can also take your paperwork to any full-service MD MVA branch in lieu of mailing it. You will receive your Maryland vehicle registration, license plates, and expiration stickers as soon as you complete the vehicle titling and registration process.

Registering a Vehicle In Maryland That Was Purchased From a Dealer or In a Private Sale

The steps you must follow to register your vehicle in Maryland depend on whether you purchased the vehicle from a dealership or from a private sale.

Registering a Vehicle Purchased From a Dealership

If you purchased a vehicle from a dealership, the dealership usually submits the vehicle titling and registration paperwork on your behalf. You will receive a bill of sale, and temporary or permanent tags and license plates.

If the dealership doesn’t handle the paperwork on your behalf, you are required to visit your local MD MVA office and submit:

• A completed Application for Certificate of Title (Form VR-005) This form is sued for your vehicle registration and vehicle titling.

• Auto insurance information (must have a valid MD auto insurance policy)

• Ownership documentation (vehicle title, Certificate of Origin, etc.)

• Bill of Sale (Form VR-181)

• Odometer disclosure statement

• Maryland Safety Inspection Certificate (if the vehicle is used) Thai certification is only valid for 90 days once it is issued.

• Lien holder information, if applicable

• Power of attorney, if someone other than you is registering and titling the vehicle for you

• Payment for all applicable MD vehicle fees and taxes

Your vehicle title will be mailed to you. You will likely receive your vehicle registration, tags, and license plates immediately.

Purchasing a Vehicle From a Private Party

If you purchased your vehicle from a private party (purchased from an individual), you are required to title and register your vehicle on your own. Visit your local MD MVA office and submit:

• The current vehicle title signed over to you (if the vehicle title is from Maryland, you should use it as the vehicle application form)

• The Maryland Safety Inspection Certificate from a licensed MD inspection station (this certificate is valid for 90 days once it is issued)

• A completed Application for Certificate of Title (Form VR-005) This form is used for titling and registering your vehicle

• A valid MD auto insurance policy

• A notarized Bill of Sale (Form VR-181) if:

  • Your vehicle is less than 7 years old

  • The price of the vehicle is less than the book value of the vehicle by $500 or more

  • You want to pay the excise tax based on the sale price and not on the book value

  • Odometer disclosure statement (you can complete this statement on the back of the vehicle title form or use the Odometer Disclosure Statement (Form VR-197)

You will receive your vehicle’s license plates and the registration certificate once you have submitted the required documentation and fees. Your vehicle title will be mailed to the address you provide on the application.

Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration Locations

There are multiple MVA locations throughout the state of Maryland where you can transfer your out-of-state driver’s license and out-of-state vehicle registration simultaneously.

Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration - Baltimore Office

5425 Reisterstown Rd

Baltimore, MD 21215

• 768-7000*

Monday - Friday (8:30 AM to 4:30 PM)

Saturday (8 AM to 3 PM)

Sunday (Closed)

Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration - Annapolis Office

160 Harry S Truman Pkwy

Annapolis, MD 21401

• 768-7000*

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday (8:30 AM to 4:30 PM)

Thursday (8:30 AM to 6:30 PM)

Saturday (8 AM to 12 PM)

Sunday (Closed)

Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration - Beltsville Office

11760 Baltimore Ave

Beltsville, MD 20705

• 768-7000*

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday (8:30 AM to 4:30 PM)

Thursday (8:30 AM to 6:30 PM)

Saturday (8 AM to 12 PM)

Sunday (Closed)

Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration - Silver Spring Office

2131 Industrial Pkwy

Silver Spring, MD 20904

• 768-7000*

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday (8:30 AM to 4:30 PM)

Thursday (8:30 AM to 6:30 PM)

Saturday (8 AM to 12 PM)

Sunday (Closed)

Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration - Glen Burnie Office

6601 Ritchie Highway NE

Glen Burnie, MD 21062

768-7000

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday (8:30 AM to 4:30 PM)

Thursday (8:30 AM to 6:30 PM)

Saturday (8 AM to 12 PM)

Sunday (Closed)