Georgia Driving Guide (DDS & MVD)
Georgia is one of the cleanest "split-agency" states in the country. The Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS) handles every driver-licensing transaction, while the Georgia Department of Revenue Motor Vehicle Division (MVD) handles every vehicle title, registration, and tag matter. The two agencies share data but operate from different offices, with different forms and different fee schedules.
For most drivers, this means two separate visits when you move into Georgia or buy a new vehicle: one to a DDS Customer Service Center for the license, one to a county tag office for the title and tag. Routine renewals on either side can be done online, by mail, or by kiosk, but first-time issuance and any transaction tied to a DUI or suspended license still require an in-person trip.
Georgia has a few features no other state quite duplicates: a Title Ad Valorem Tax (TAVT) that replaced sales tax on vehicles in 2013, Joshua's Law that mandates driver-education before any teen Class D license, and an 8-year license cycle (the longest among large states). Each of these reshapes how an out-of-state arrival has to plan their first month in Georgia.
Most-used Georgia transactions
Georgia Driver's License
The Class C license: minimum age, document checklist, the DDS knowledge test, the road skills test, and the REAL ID upgrade.
Read more →Learner's Permit
Georgia instruction permit at age 15: parental consent, ADAP completion, and 30 hours of driver education theory.
Read more →Teen License (Class D)
Georgia's TADRA provisional Class D: passenger limits, nighttime curfew, Joshua's Law, and the path to an unrestricted Class C.
Read more →License Renewal
How to renew a Georgia license online, at a DDS kiosk, or in person — including the 8-year cycle and 5-year cycle for 60+.
Read more →Suspended License
Reinstating a Georgia license: limited driving permits, Risk Reduction (DUI) Program, SR-22, and reinstatement fees.
Read more →Vehicle Registration
Registering a car in Georgia: MV-1 title, county tag office, the 7% TAVT, and the 30-day deadline.
Read more →Registration Renewal
Renewing Georgia tags by birthday cycle: online DRIVES, kiosks, county tag offices, and emissions requirements in 13 counties.
Read more →Title Transfer
Transferring a Georgia title with the MV-1 form, $18 title fee, TAVT calculation, and the 7-day post-sale notice (MV-3).
Read more →Title Replacement
Applying for a duplicate Georgia title: MV-1 with the duplicate box, $8 fee, lien release, and processing time.
Read more →Other Vehicle Registrations
Trailers, motorcycles, RVs, antique vehicles, and the Georgia farm-use registration option.
Read more →Driving Records
Pulling your Georgia Motor Vehicle Report from DDS: 3-year, 7-year, and lifetime records, and disputing errors.
Read more →Georgia DUI Laws
The 0.08% threshold under O.C.G.A. § 40-6-391, 30-day ALS suspension, 120-day waiting period, and Risk Reduction Course.
Read more →Georgia Point System
The 15-points-in-24-months suspension threshold, the 4-points rule for under-21 drivers, and how to reduce points with class.
Read more →Traffic Tickets
Paying or contesting a Georgia citation, the nolo contendere plea, and how the 7-year retention rule affects insurance.
Read more →Car Insurance
Georgia minimum liability (25/50/25), uninsured-motorist offer requirement, and the SR-22 timeline after a major offense.
Read more →Address & Name Change
Updating your address with DDS and MVD, and changing your legal name on a Georgia license and registration.
Read more →
What's different about Georgia
Title Ad Valorem Tax (TAVT)
Georgia abolished sales tax on vehicles in March 2013 and replaced it with a one-time Title Ad Valorem Tax currently set at 7% of the vehicle's fair market value. TAVT is paid once at title — not annually — and applies to vehicles purchased through dealers, private parties, or transferred from out of state. Older vehicles use a state-published valuation table; newer vehicles use the higher of the purchase price or fair market value. There's no annual ad valorem tax on vehicles paying TAVT, only the standard $20 registration renewal.
Joshua's Law
Joshua's Law is named after Joshua Brown, a Georgia teen killed in a 2003 crash. The law requires every driver under 18 to complete an approved 30-hour driver-education course plus 40 hours of supervised practice (6 at night) before getting a Class D provisional license. There's no exception even for teens with prior out-of-state experience — Georgia treats every under-18 first-time license as a Joshua's Law applicant.
Birthday-month renewal cycle
Georgia ties vehicle registration renewal to the primary registered owner's birthday month, not to the original purchase date. A Georgia driver born in June has every vehicle registered to their name due in June, regardless of when each car was purchased. This is administratively cleaner than other states' purchase-date cycles, but it means a household with two drivers may have two separate renewal months.
The DDS / MVD split
Driver licensing and vehicle registration sit in two completely different agencies in Georgia. The DDS operates roughly 65 Customer Service Centers across the state for driver-license matters; the MVD doesn't operate any customer-facing offices itself — instead, registration and title transactions happen at county Tag and Title Offices run by the elected county Tax Commissioner. Service quality varies somewhat by county.
Georgia forms you'll see
- DL-1 — Application for Driver's License or Identification Card.
- DDS-18 — Commercial Driver License Application.
- MV-1 — Title and Registration Application (used for new title, transfer, and duplicate).
- MV-9D — Disabled Person's Parking Permit Application.
- T-22B — Affidavit of Inspection for Salvage Vehicle Title.
- MV-3 — Notice of Vehicle Sold (filed by seller within 7 days).
Georgia office network
The DDS operates Customer Service Centers in nearly every county, plus mobile units that visit rural areas on a rotating schedule. Most CSCs are open Tuesday through Friday with rotating Saturday hours. The MVD's county Tag and Title Offices are typically open Monday through Friday during regular county business hours; they share a state-level system called DRIVES (Driver Record and Integrated Vehicle Enterprise System) for title and registration data.
Most Georgia transactions can also be completed online — driver-license renewals through the DDS Online Services portal, vehicle registration renewals through DRIVES e-Services. For comparison with other states, see our national DMV services hub and vehicle registration overview.