                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

OPERATION OF UNINSURED VEHICLE; FALSE EVIDENCE OF INSURANCE; PENALTY (§
46.2-707)

Any person who owns an uninsured motor vehicle (i) licensed in the Commonwealth,
(ii) subject to registration in the Commonwealth, or (iii) displaying temporary
license plates provided for in § 46.2-1558 who operates or permits the
operation of that motor vehicle is guilty of a Class 3 misdemeanor.
		Any person who is the operator of such an uninsured motor vehicle and not the
titled owner and who knows that such motor vehicle is uninsured is guilty of a
Class 3 misdemeanor.
		The Commissioner or his duly authorized agent, having reason to believe that a
motor vehicle is being operated or has been operated on any specified date, may
require the owner of such motor vehicle to verify insurance in a method
prescribed by the Commissioner as provided for by § 46.2-706. The refusal or
neglect of the owner to provide such verification shall be prima facie evidence
that the motor vehicle was an uninsured motor vehicle at the time of such
operation.
		Any person who falsely verifies insurance to the Commissioner or gives false
evidence that a motor vehicle sought to be registered is an insured motor
vehicle, shall be guilty of a Class 3 misdemeanor.
		However, the foregoing portions of this section shall not be applicable if it
is established that the owner had good cause to believe and did believe that
such motor vehicle was an insured motor vehicle, in which event the provisions
of § 46.2-609 shall be applicable.
		Any person who owns an uninsured motor vehicle (i) licensed in the
Commonwealth, (ii) subject to registration in the Commonwealth, or (iii)
displaying temporary license plates provided for in § 46.2-1558 shall
immediately surrender the vehicle&#8217;s license plates to the Department,
unless the vehicle&#8217;s registration has been deactivated as provided by §
46.2-646.1. Any person who fails to immediately surrender his vehicle&#8217;s
license plates as required by this section is guilty of a Class 3 misdemeanor.
		Abstracts of records of conviction, as defined in this title, of any violation
of any of the provisions of this section shall be forwarded to the Commissioner
as prescribed by § 46.2-383.
		The Commissioner shall suspend the driver&#8217;s license and all registration
certificates and license plates of any titled owner of an uninsured motor
vehicle upon receiving a record of his conviction of a violation of any
provisions of this section, and he shall not thereafter reissue the
driver&#8217;s license and the registration certificates and license plates
issued in the name of such person until such person pays a noncompliance fee of
$600 to be disposed of as provided for in § 46.2-710 and furnishes proof of
financial responsibility in the future as prescribed by Article 15 (§ 46.2-435
et seq.) of Chapter 3. However, when three years have elapsed from the date of
the suspension herein required, the Commissioner may relieve such person of the
requirement of furnishing proof of financial responsibility in the future. When
such suspension results from a conviction for presenting or causing to be
presented to the Commissioner false verification as to whether a motor vehicle
is an insured motor vehicle or false evidence that any motor vehicle sought to
be registered is insured, then the Commissioner shall not thereafter reissue the
driver&#8217;s license and the registration certificates and license plates
issued in the name of such person so convicted for a period of 180 days from the
date of such order of suspension, and only then when all other provisions of law
have been complied with by such person.
		The Commissioner shall suspend the driver&#8217;s license of any person who is
the operator but not the titled owner of a motor vehicle upon receiving a record
of his conviction of a violation of any provisions of this section and he shall
not thereafter reissue the driver&#8217;s license until 30 days from the date of
such order of suspension.

HISTORY: 1958, c. 407, § 46.1-167.3; 1960, c. 188; 1966, cc. 181, 568; 1972, c.
552; 1973, c. 25; 1977, c. 196; 1978, c. 605; 1984, cc. 399, 780; 1986, c. 527;
1989, c. 727; 1996, cc. 474, 489; 2013, cc. 673, 789; 2019, cc. 149, 193; 2023,
c. 538; 2025, cc. 163, 177.