MoveCheck

Moving from Virginia

About 253,000 people left Virginia for other states in 2023, while about 276,000 arrived.

  • The exit step to get right is the car.
  • Virginia DMV says never to cancel your Virginia insurance before you surrender your Virginia plates.
  • The other step is local.
  • Your city or county can keep assessing personal property tax on the car until you notify it that you have moved.
  • This page covers every Virginia-origin route we track.
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Virginia at a Glance

Taxes

State income tax5.75%
State sales tax5.3%
Property tax (eff.)0.78%

Climate

Avg annual temp55°F
Annual precipitation44″

Humid subtropical with hot, humid summers and cold winters.

Cost of Living

COL index99.1 (US=100)
Avg electric bill$149/mo

Why People Move from Virginia

Florida is the top destination.

  • Census ACS 2023 flows put it at about 28,200, then North Carolina at about 25,600 and Maryland at about 21,700.
  • California (about 15,800), Texas (about 14,100), and New York (about 11,900) follow.
  • Most of these corridors run both ways.
  • Maryland sent about 28,200 people to Virginia in the same year, more than it received.
  • So did California, New York, and Pennsylvania.
  • Florida, North Carolina, and Texas took more Virginians than they sent back.

Virginia sits close to the national average on cost.

  • The MERIC cost of living index for the first quarter of 2026 put it at 99.1, ranked 28th in that series, with housing at 99.1.
  • The Tax Foundation puts the effective property tax rate on owner-occupied housing at 0.78 percent.
  • Income tax is graduated from 2 percent to 5.75 percent, and the top rate applies to taxable income over $17,000.

Popular Routes Moving from Virginia

Virginia → FloridaVirginia → MassachusettsVirginia → MississippiVirginia → NebraskaVirginia → AlaskaVirginia → AlabamaVirginia → ArkansasVirginia → ArizonaVirginia → CaliforniaVirginia → ColoradoVirginia → ConnecticutVirginia → Washington D.C.Virginia → DelawareVirginia → GeorgiaVirginia → HawaiiVirginia → IowaVirginia → IdahoVirginia → IllinoisVirginia → IndianaVirginia → KansasVirginia → KentuckyVirginia → LouisianaVirginia → MarylandVirginia → MaineVirginia → MichiganVirginia → MinnesotaVirginia → MissouriVirginia → MontanaVirginia → North CarolinaVirginia → North DakotaVirginia → New HampshireVirginia → New JerseyVirginia → New MexicoVirginia → NevadaVirginia → New YorkVirginia → OhioVirginia → OklahomaVirginia → OregonVirginia → PennsylvaniaVirginia → Rhode IslandVirginia → South CarolinaVirginia → South DakotaVirginia → TennesseeVirginia → TexasVirginia → UtahVirginia → VermontVirginia → WashingtonVirginia → WisconsinVirginia → West VirginiaVirginia → Wyoming

Before You Leave Virginia

Surrender the plates before you cancel the insurance

Do not cancel your Virginia insurance before you surrender your Virginia plates. If you want to cancel the policy, wait until you have coverage from another insurer. You can surrender the plates to DMV online. DMV also asks you to mail the plates back after you register the car in your new state. Mailing them is not required, but it prevents fraudulent use of the plates.

Source: Virginia DMV, Leaving Virginia

Claim a refund and stop the local car tax

You may be eligible for a refund if six full months or more remain on your registration. Mail the Vehicle Registration Refund Application (FMS 210) with your plates. Also notify the Commissioner of the Revenue or Director of Finance in the locality you are leaving. This stops the locality from assessing personal property tax on your vehicle. If the vehicle is leased, tell the leasing company you moved.

Source: Virginia DMV, Leaving Virginia

File Form 760PY for the year you move

You are a part-year resident if you move out of Virginia during the year to become a resident of another state. Part-year residents usually file Form 760PY. You prorate your personal exemptions and standard deduction, and you subtract your non-Virginia income. If you lived in Virginia for 183 days or less that year, you can file as a nonresident on Form 763 instead. If you move out and return within six months, Virginia generally treats you as not having established residency elsewhere.

Source: Virginia Tax, Residency Status

Rent from a house you kept means a Form 763 return

Income from the rental or sale of Virginia real estate is Virginia source income. So are wages for work done in Virginia. A nonresident with Virginia source income files Form 763. Interest from a Virginia bank account is not Virginia source income. Neither is a pension paid by a Virginia payer.

Source: Virginia Tax, Residency Status

Virginia DMV & Registration

Never cancel your Virginia insurance before you surrender your Virginia plates.

  • You can surrender them to DMV online.
  • DMV also asks you to mail the plates back once the car is registered in your new state.
  • That is not required, but it prevents fraudulent use of the plates.
  • If six full months or more remain on the registration, mail the Vehicle Registration Refund Application (FMS 210) with the plates.
  • You may get a refund.
  • Then notify the Commissioner of the Revenue or Director of Finance where you lived, so the locality stops assessing personal property tax on the car.
  • When you get a license in your new state, that state notifies Virginia DMV that your Virginia license was surrendered.
Official Virginia DMV →
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Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to return my Virginia license plates when I move out of state?

Virginia DMV encourages it but does not require it.

  • You can surrender the plates online.
  • DMV asks you to mail them back after you register the car in your new state, to prevent fraudulent use and so it can recycle them.
  • Mailing them also matters if six full months or more remain on the registration.
  • In that case, send the Vehicle Registration Refund Application (FMS 210) with the plates, and you may be eligible for a refund.

When can I cancel my Virginia car insurance after moving?

After you surrender the Virginia plates, and only once you have coverage from another insurer.

  • If liability coverage ends while the car is still registered in Virginia, you must reinsure it, deactivate the plates, or surrender them.
  • Uninsured owners lose their driving and registration privileges.
  • Getting them back costs a $600 non-compliance fee and an SR-22 filing for three years.

Do I still pay Virginia car tax after I move out?

Notify the locality, or it can keep billing you.

  • Virginia cities and counties tax vehicles as personal property.
  • Virginia DMV tells departing residents to notify the Commissioner of the Revenue or Director of Finance in the locality they are leaving.
  • That prevents the locality from continuing to assess personal property tax on the vehicle.

What Virginia tax return do I file the year I move away?

Usually Form 760PY.

  • You are a part-year resident if you moved out during the year to become a resident of another state.
  • On Form 760PY you prorate your personal exemptions and standard deduction and subtract income from outside Virginia.
  • If you lived in Virginia for 183 days or less that year, you can file as a nonresident on Form 763 instead.
  • If you move out and come back within six months, Virginia Tax generally does not treat you as having become a resident elsewhere.

Do I still file Virginia taxes if I rent out my house after moving?

Yes.

  • Income from renting or selling Virginia real estate is Virginia source income, and a nonresident with Virginia source income files Form 763.
  • Interest from a Virginia bank account does not count.
  • Neither does a pension paid by a Virginia payer.

Where do most people move to from Virginia?

Using Census ACS 2023 state-to-state flows: Florida (about 28,200), North Carolina (about 25,600), Maryland (about 21,700), California (about 15,800), Texas (about 14,100), and New York (about 11,900).

  • Maryland, California, and New York each sent more people to Virginia than they received from it.