Motor Vehicles
New residents must register their vehicles within thirty days of establishing residency in Georgia. A Georgia Driver’s License must be obtained before registering your vehicle.
Out-of-state titles must be surrendered and transferred to Georgia titles (year models 1985 and older are not required to be titled in Georgia). If there is a lien on the vehicle and you do not have the title, we must have the current registration and name and address of the lien holder. Additionally leased vehicles require a power of attorney from the leasing company.
Georgia liability insurance is required to be transmitted to the state’s data base by your insurance company in order to register your vehicle. The vehicle must be covered by liability insurance at all times or a lapse in coverage penalty will apply. If you cancel the insurance, you must also cancel the registration.
Tags expire on the birthday of the first owner shown. You should receive a bill 30 days prior to renewal. Penalties apply after the birthday deadline. Failure to receive a bill in the mail does not relieve the penalty. If you do not receive a bill, call the Tag Office with your tag number and one will be mailed to you. This must be done in time to insure registration by your birthday.
It is the vehicle owner’s responsibility to insure their vehicle is properly registered.
The penalty for late registration is 10% of the tax ($5.00 minimum) and 25% of the tag fee. These penalties begin immediately following the due date.
New Title Ad Valorem Tax (TAVT)
House Bill 386, passed during the 2012 session of the Georgia General Assembly, created significant changes regarding the taxation of motor vehicles. Vehicles purchased and/or titled on or after March 1, 2013 are no longer subject to sales tax or the annual ad valorem tax but instead are subject to a one-time State and Local Title Ad Valorem Tax Fee (TAVT). Generally, all other vehicles remain subject to annual ad valorem taxes. The title tax law applies to individual (casual) sales as well as to dealer sales.
If you are thinking about buying or trading for another vehicle and you would like to get an estimate of the new Title Ad Valorem tax, you can go to the state’s Title Ad Valorem Tax Calculator.
New and Used Vehicles
- Newly purchased vehicles must be registered within 30 days.
- TAVT is due when at the time that the title is applied for.
- If you sell a vehicle, you keep your tag.
- Tags can be transferred to new vehicles that are registered to the same first owner.
- Proof of title (bill of sale for 1985 and older) is required to purchase a tag or transfer a tag from a vehicle you no longer own.