Does Virginia require a front license plate?

Yes. Passenger vehicles registered in Virginia must display plates on the front and the rear.

What does a Virginia plate number look like?

Three letters and four numbers, like ABC-1234.

How long is a Virginia temporary plate good for?

Thirty days, or until the permanent plates arrive.

What do I do with my Virginia plates when I sell my car?

Remove them. Move them to your replacement vehicle, or turn them in or inactivate them online or at a DMV office.

Can I get a VIN from a Virginia license plate?

Yes. Enter the license plate number with Virginia selected and the lookup returns the VIN of the vehicle it is registered to, with the year, make, model and trim.

Can I find the owner of a Virginia license plate?

Not through a public lookup. Owner details in Virginia vehicle records are protected by the federal Driver’s Privacy Protection Act and released only for purposes the law allows, such as by court order or to an insurer handling a claim.

Virginia License Plate Lookup

Enter a Virginia plate number to get the vehicle’s VIN, year, make, model and trim.

Virginia plates are three letters and four numbers, and both plates go on the car. Besides state-run DMV customer service centers, there are DMV Select offices run by counties, towns and other partners, which handle titles, registrations and plates.

Virginia plate to VIN

A Virginia platenumber points to one current registration, and the registration records the vehicle’s 17-character VIN. Enter the plate above to get the VIN with the year, make, model, trim, body and engine. It is the quickest way to get the VIN of a car you are not standing next to: one in a listing, one you are quoting a repair for, or your own when the title is in a drawer somewhere.

Virginia license plate formats

Standard passenger plates use these formats. Personalized, specialty, commercial and motorcycle plates follow their own rules, and every format works in the lookup.

Format	What it is
ABC-1234	Three letters and four numbers. The current Virginia is for Lovers design dates from 2014.
ABC-123	Plates from 1979 to 1992, still renewed and still on the road.

Virginia requires plates on the front and the rear.

Who issues plates in Virginia

Plates and registrations in Virginia come from the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles, and people go in person to DMV customer service centers and DMV Select offices, which are run by local governments and other partners. Plate Decoder is an independent service and is not affiliated with the DMV or any other government agency.

Temporary tags in Virginia

Virginia dealers issue temporary plates that expire after 30 days, or sooner if the permanent plates arrive first.

Personalized and specialty plates

Personalized plates can have up to seven characters, depending on the design, and cost $10 a year on top of registration. The DMV website has a tool to check if a combination is available.

More than 200 special plate designs

Virginia offers more than 200 special plate designs, for colleges, causes, clubs and more, and personalizing any of them costs just $10 a year.

What a Virginia plate lookup can and can’t show

You get the vehicle: VIN, year, make, model, trim, body and engine. You do not get the person. See what a plate lookup shows for the full list.

What we don’t show, and why

No owner names, addresses, phone numbers or photos. Owner details in DMV records are protected by the federal Driver’s Privacy Protection Act, and looking someone up out of curiosity is not a purpose it allows. Any site that promises the owner of a plate for a few dollars is either breaking that law or not going to deliver.

Who can get owner records, and what to do instead

FAQ

Virginia plate lookup questions

Does Virginia require a front license plate?: Yes. Passenger vehicles registered in Virginia must display plates on the front and the rear.
What does a Virginia plate number look like?: Three letters and four numbers, like ABC-1234.
How long is a Virginia temporary plate good for?: Thirty days, or until the permanent plates arrive.
What do I do with my Virginia plates when I sell my car?: Remove them. Move them to your replacement vehicle, or turn them in or inactivate them online or at a DMV office.
Can I get a VIN from a Virginia license plate?: Yes. Enter the license plate number with Virginia selected and the lookup returns the VIN of the vehicle it is registered to, with the year, make, model and trim.
Can I find the owner of a Virginia license plate?: Not through a public lookup. Owner details in Virginia vehicle records are protected by the federal Driver’s Privacy Protection Act and released only for purposes the law allows, such as by court order or to an insurer handling a claim.