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Registration and Licence Fees Waived — but the Two Sources Do Not Agree

Vermont's DMV pages for 23 V.S.A. §378 (registration fees) and §609 (driver licence fees) both open with the words "No fees shall be charged to an honorably discharged veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces" — which reads as a broad waiver for any honorably discharged veteran. But the Office of Veterans Affairs tax-exemptions page states that ONLY DISABLED VETERANS QUALIFY, tied to receipt of VA financial assistance for the vehicle. WE COULD NOT ESTABLISH WHICH READING IS CORRECT. Ask the DMV directly and get the answer before you budget on it.

Verified August 27, 2026

What this benefit is

Vermont's DMV pages for 23 V.S.A. §378 (registration fees) and §609 (driver licence fees) both open with the words "No fees shall be charged to an honorably discharged veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces" — which reads as a broad waiver for any honorably discharged veteran. But the Office of Veterans Affairs tax-exemptions page states that ONLY DISABLED VETERANS QUALIFY, tied to receipt of VA financial assistance for the vehicle. WE COULD NOT ESTABLISH WHICH READING IS CORRECT. Ask the DMV directly and get the answer before you budget on it.

What it's worth: Registration and driver licence fees waived — scope disputed between two state sources

  • 23 V.S.A. §378 concerns MOTOR VEHICLE REGISTRATION FEES; 23 V.S.A. §609 concerns DRIVER LICENCE FEES.
  • THE DMV PAGE TEXT for both begins: 'No fees shall be charged to an honorably discharged veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces...' — the text we saw was truncated at that point.
  • THE OFFICE OF VETERANS AFFAIRS tax-exemptions page states that ONLY DISABLED VETERANS QUALIFY, tied to receipt of VA financial assistance for the vehicle.
  • WE COULD NOT ESTABLISH WHICH READING IS CORRECT from the sources reviewed.
  • The difference is large: every honorably discharged veteran, or a small disabled subset.
  • ASK THE DMV DIRECTLY before relying on either reading.

Who is entitled to it

  • You served in the U.S. armed forces.
  • Your discharge was honorable.
  • Vermont registration and licensing.

Not sure whether that describes you?

Answer a few questions about this benefit specifically — we only ask what this one actually depends on, and we stop as soon as we know.

How to claim it

  1. 1Ask the DMV directly whether the §378 and §609 waivers require a disability, and get the answer in writing if you can.
  2. 2Take your DD-214, and the VA documentation if you have any vehicle-related assistance.
  3. 3Do not budget on the fee being waived until you have that answer.
  4. 4If you were told no at a counter, ask which of the two provisions was being applied — they are separate sections.
  5. 5If the VA assisted with your vehicle, look at the purchase and use tax exemption as well; that one is not in doubt.
Form
Enquiry to the Vermont DMV
File with
Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles
Documents you will need
dd214
No renewal
Once granted it does not need renewing.
Known gapTwo Vermont state sources describe these sections differently and we have not resolved which is right. We publish the conflict rather than picking a side, because guessing wrong in either direction misleads someone — either a veteran who does not claim what they are owed, or one who budgets on a waiver that does not exist.

Sources

This finder provides an informational match, not a government eligibility determination. The responsible agency decides your application.