Licensing Your Newly Acquired Used Vehicle or Vessel Purchased Out of State

Licensing Your Newly Acquired Used Vehicle or Vessel

Purchased Out of State

All vehicles and vessels that will be used within the State of Washington must be licensed. Preowned vehicles that have out-of-state plates and documentation must be registered immediately after purchase. If you purchased your vehicle from an out-of-state dealer, it is likely that the dealer did not license your vehicle with the State of Washington. Check with your dealer to be sure. Follow the steps below. Please be sure to complete step 1 before going to the Auto License agent.

Step 1: Determine if your vehicle will need an emissions test. Please call or link to the Dept. of Ecology at 1-800-453-4951. Or, inquire at any Auto Licensing agent or office. See Listing of Locations for where to ask and/or have the test performed, if required. Generally, newer used vehicles less than five years old will not require an emissions test. The Dept. of Ecology has a list of zip codes (pdf file) that require the tests.

Step 2: Obtain the vehicle license and pay fees and taxes. You can do this by going to the main Auto Licensing office in the Pierce County Auditors office, or better yet, you can license your vehicle at any of the countys 10 vehicle licensing agencies. See the Listing of Locations for the locations and hours of operation. Want to learn more? See the State of Washington Dept. of Licensing website.

Some Items You will need

Some items you will need...

When you go to either the main office or to any of the agencies:

Certificate of Title
Bill of Sale
Name and address if lienholder(s)
Notarized signatures
Weight certificate for all trucks, passenger cars, and trailers unless scale or empty weight is shown on the title
Federal odometer statement on vehicles less than 10 years old
Emission test may be required (see Step 2, above)
Out of country vehicles will require customs documents - phone: 253-593-6338
Unexpired Drivers License
Cash, check or money order (credit cards and debit cards are not accepted)

Location of Auto License Agents

To legally operate your vehicle while waiting for any of the above documents, a 60-day temporary permit is available. A purchase order, picture identification and all tax and license fees are required for the 60-day temporary permit.

Note: Vehicle inspections from the Washington State Patrol are no longer required before registering your vehicle except in some circumstances. The Auto License Agent will notify you if an inspection is required. See the FAQ page for more information.

What about special or personalized license plates?

You can get information about special or personalized license plates from the Washington State Department of Licensing, including the ability to find out whether a certain personalized license plate may be available.