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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>61253</law_id><section_number>46.2-622</section_number><catch_line>Issuance of certificate of title in names of joint owners</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="46.2">Motor Vehicles</unit><unit label="subtitle" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="II">Titling, Registration and Licensure</unit><unit label="chapter" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="6">Titling and Registration of Motor Vehicles</unit><unit label="article" level="4" order_by="1" identifier="2">Titling Vehicles</unit></structure><text>
						<section><p>When the <span class="dictionary">Department</span> receives an application for a certificate of title for a <span class="dictionary">motor vehicle</span>, <span class="dictionary">trailer</span>, or <span class="dictionary">semitrailer</span>, to be issued in the names of two natural persons, jointly with right of survivorship, the <span class="dictionary">Department</span> shall <span class="dictionary">issue</span> to its <span class="dictionary">owners</span> a certificate of title accordingly. Any certificate issued in the name of two persons may contain an expression such as &#x201C;or the survivor of them,&#x201D; which shall be deemed sufficient to create joint ownership during the lives of the two <span class="dictionary">owners</span>, and individual ownership in the survivor. A certificate issued in the names of two persons, with their names separated only by &#x201C;or,&#x201D; shall create joint ownership during the lives of the <span class="dictionary">owners</span>, and individual ownership in the survivor of them.
		Nothing herein shall (i) prohibit the issuance of a certificate of title in the names of two or more persons as <span class="dictionary">owners</span> in common which shall be sufficient <span class="dictionary">evidence</span> of ownership of undivided interests in the vehicle; (ii) grant immunity from enforcement of any liability of any person owning the vehicle, as one of two joint <span class="dictionary">owners</span>, to the extent of his interest in the vehicle, during the lives of its <span class="dictionary">owners</span>; (iii) permit the issuance of a certificate of title in the names of two persons as tenants by the entireties; or (iv) be used by one of the joint <span class="dictionary">owners</span> as a defense to the secured <span class="dictionary">party</span>&#x2019;s enforcement of a security interest in the vehicle that was granted by one or both of the joint <span class="dictionary">owners</span> of the vehicle on the same date or prior to the issuance of the certificate of title.</p></section></text><history>1968, c. 188, &#xA7; 46.1-68.1; 1983, c. 586; 1989, c. 727; 2002, c. 432.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
