Va. Code » Title 46.2. Motor Vehicles » Subtitle II. Titling, Registration and Licensure » Chapter 6. Titling and Registration of Motor Vehicles » Article 8. Verification of Motor Vehicle Insurance
Virginia Code

Va. Code Ann. § 46.2-706 (2026)

Proof of insurance required of applicants for registration of motor vehicles; verification of insurance; suspension of driver's license, registration certificates, and license plates for certain violations

✓ current as of May 2026
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A. Every person applying for registration of a motor vehicle shall, under the penalties set forth in § 46.2-707, execute and furnish to the Commissioner his certificate that the motor vehicle is an insured motor vehicle as defined in § 46.2-705, or that the Commissioner has issued to its owner, in accordance with § 46.2-368, a certificate of self-insurance applicable to the vehicle sought to be registered. The Commissioner, or his duly authorized agent, may verify that the motor vehicle is properly insured by comparing owner and vehicle identification information on file at the Department of Motor Vehicles with liability information on the owner and vehicle transmitted to the Department by any insurance company licensed to do business in the Commonwealth as provided in § 46.2-706.1. If no record of liability insurance is found, the Department may require the motor vehicle owner to verify insurance in a method prescribed by the Commissioner.

B. The refusal or neglect of any owner within 30 days to submit the liability insurance information when required by the Commissioner or his duly authorized agent, or the electronic notification by the insurance company or surety company that the policy or bond named in the certificate of insurance is not in effect, shall require the Commissioner to suspend any driver's license and all registration certificates and license plates issued to the owner of the motor vehicle until the person (i) has paid to the Commissioner a noncompliance fee of $600 to be disposed of as provided for in § 46.2-710 and (ii) furnishes proof of financial responsibility in the future in the manner prescribed in Article 15 (§ 46.2-435 et seq.) of Chapter 3. No order of suspension required by this section shall become effective until the Commissioner has offered the person an opportunity for an administrative hearing to show cause why the order should not be enforced. Notice of the opportunity for an administrative hearing may be included in the order of suspension. Any request for an administrative hearing made by such person must be received by the Department within 180 days of the issuance date of the order of suspension unless the person presents to the Department evidence of military service as defined by the federal Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (50 U.S.C. § 3901 et seq.), incarceration, commitment, hospitalization, or physical presence outside the United States at the time the order of suspension was issued. When three years have elapsed from the effective date of the suspension required in this section, the Commissioner may relieve the person of the requirement of furnishing proof of financial responsibility in the future.

C. The Commissioner shall suspend the driver's license and all registration certificates and license plates of any person on receiving a record of his conviction of a violation of any provisions of § 46.2-707, but the Commissioner shall dispense with the suspension when the person is convicted for a violation of § 46.2-707 and the Department's records show conclusively that the motor vehicle was insured prior to the date and time of the alleged offense.

D. The Commissioner may dispense with a suspension for a violation of this section or § 46.2-708 if the person determined to have committed the violation provides to the Commissioner proof that conclusively shows that the motor vehicle in question was insured at the time the Department initiated insurance monitoring under this section or § 46.2-706.1 or at the time of a violation of § 46.2-708.

1958, c. 407, § 46.1-167.1; 1960, c. 188; 1966, c. 181; 1972, cc. 552, 609, 638; 1973, c. 25; 1974, c. 170; 1975, c. 16; 1976, c. 27; 1978, c. 563; 1981, c. 193; 1984, c. 399; 1986, c. 527; 1988, c. 470; 1989, c. 727; 1993, c. 127; 1996, cc. 474, 489; 1998, c. 404; 2012, cc. 151, 471; 2019, cc. 149, 193; 2023, c. 538; 2025, cc. 163, 177.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 10 cases, 1997–2015 · leading case: Vasaio v. Dep't of Motor Vehs., 590 S.E.2d 596 (Va. Ct. App. 2004).
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Vasaio v. Dep't of Motor Vehs., 590 S.E.2d 596 (Va. Ct. App. 2004). · cites it 21× “*194 On appeal, appellant contends the evidence failed to support a finding that he violated Code §§ 46.2-706 and -707 because it did not establish (1) that the motorcycle he erroneously certified was insured was a motor vehicle within the meaning of those statutes and (2) that…”
Commonwealth v. Brown, 508 S.E.2d 916 (Va. Ct. App. 1999). · cites it 13× “2-707 for operating an uninsured motor vehicle without first having paid the uninsured motor vehicle fee and (2) his December 9, 1993 license suspension under Code § 46.2-706 for failure to respond to an insurance monitoring request by furnishing proof of liability insurance.”
Commonwealth of Virginia v. Wayne Bernard Boone, 517 S.E.2d 275 (Va. Ct. App. 1999). · cites it 4× “2-395, and one conviction of driving while his license was suspended for failure to submit an insurance certificate or pay the uninsured motorist’s fee, in violation of Code § 46.2-706. In February, 1998, Boone petitioned the trial court for reinstatement of his driving…”
Greene v. Commonwealth, 46 Va. Cir. 568 (Spotsylvania Cir. Ct. 1997). · cites it 6× “Greene’s license was suspended under § 46.2-706 for failure to furnish evidence of insurance, which is not one of the suspensions listed in § 46.”
Edward A. Vasaio v. Dept. Motor Vehs.,Commonweal (Va. Ct. App. 2004). · cites it 21× “On appeal, appellant contends the evidence failed to support a finding that he violated Code §§ 46.2-706 and -707 because it did not establish (1) that the motorcycle he erroneously certified was insured was a motor vehicle within the meaning of those statutes and (2) that he…”
Commonwealth of VA, DMV v. David L. Tice (Va. Ct. App. 2001). · cites it 6× “At the time of all three convictions, Tice's license had been suspended since July 27, 1990 for "insurance monitoring," pursuant to Code § 46.2-706. On June 6, 2000, Tice filed a Petition for Restoration of Driving Privilege with the circuit court.”
Charles Davis Burrell v. Virginia Dep't of Motor Vehs. (Va. Ct. App. 2004). · cites it 2× “We have reviewed the record and the circuit court’s order and find no reversible error. Accordingly, we affirm the circuit court’s decision for the reasons stated in its final order, Burrell v.”
Commonwealth of Virginia v. Hunter Franklin Hocutt (Va. Ct. App. 2015). · cites it 2× “This is in keeping with the Fourth Amendment impoundment principles already outlined.”
Hayes v. Commonwealth, 48 Va. Cir. 148 (Spotsylvania Cir. Ct. 1999). · cites it 2× “The Commonwealth also offered evidence that although her *149 license was suspended for failure to pay fines and costs, it also was suspended under § 46.2-706 (which requires proof of insurance or payment of an uninsured motorist fee and requires DMV to suspend the license of…”
Morris v. Commonwealth, 46 Va. Cir. 406 (Spotsylvania Cir. Ct. 1998). “Morris was driving a vehicle that led to the predicate convictions, her license stood suspended for failure to pay the uninsured motorist fee required under § 46.2-706. That suspension arose out of a conviction in Stafford County General *407 District Court on August 18, 1988,…”
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