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Obtaining a Title and Registration for a Vehicle Bought from a Car Dealership
When you buy a vehicle from a car dealership in Georgia, the Department of Driver Services (DDS) can work with the dealership to make the process fast and painless. The car dealership can submit all of the paperwork needed to transfer the title and obtain the initial registration so that you can drive home in your new vehicle. Some car dealerships can provide a valid licenses plate and temporary registration that you display.
Obtaining a Title and Registration for a Vehicle Bought from a Private Party
When you buy a vehicle from a private party, you need to handle all of the title and registration paperwork yourself. That means you have to make a trip down to your local DDS services location and pay the tax and fee to obtain the vehicle title. If it has not passed a recent smog check and is older than a 2019 model year and less than 25 model years old, then you need to obtain a successful emissions check. You can obtain a tag from your local county DDS tag office.
Filling Out the Title
You can obtain a title and a license plate for your new vehicle in Georgia by completing and signing an MV-1 title and tag application. You can download the application and submit it online or visit a local DDS services office and submit the MV-1 form for a title and tag application. You will have to pay the fee with either a personal check, money order or a credit or debit card.
You also can submit the application and fee online and save time. The Georgia DDS will mail the title and tag to you and provide a temporary that you can use and display while driving legally in the meantime.
Registering the Purchased Vehicle
You can register your new vehicle at a DDS services office and obtain the license plate and tag to drive it legally on public roads. The same Georgia DDS services locator that enables you to obtain licensing services in person also will allow you to register your vehicle. You will need to provide proof of successful emissions testing and proof of state-mandated liability insurance minimums to obtain your initial vehicle registration. You can register vehicles online, but it will take longer to obtain the actual registration and tags, which the state will mail to you.
Submitting Payment
The Georgia DDS does not accept cash payments, even if you are visiting a DDS services center for live service. Instead, you must pay with a personal check, money order, cashiers check or a credit or debit card. The DDS does not accept cash so that it does not have to initiate the kinds of timely and costly procedures needed to protect high-volume cash businesses.