VIN verification
A physical check that a vehicle's VIN matches its paperwork, often required before titling or retitling.
A VIN verification is a physical inspection in which an authorized person confirms that the VIN on a vehicle matches its title or other documents. Depending on the state, it may be done by DMV staff, police or licensed verifiers.
It matters when a car is coming back from salvage, arriving from another state, or being titled without normal paperwork. It is how states catch stolen vehicles with switched VINs.
California always requires a vehicle verification for re-registering a former “junk” or “salvage” vehicle (unless a CHP inspection certificate is provided), for vehicles last registered out of state (with some exceptions), and when the VIN on the documents differs from the VIN on record, including vehicles being junked.1
References
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California DMV, Vehicle Industry Registration Procedures Manual 1.165, “Vehicle Verifications”, https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/handbook/vehicle-industry-registration-procedures-manual-2/general-registration-information/vehicle-verifications/ ↩