Virginia household goods carrier bonds.
$500 flat.
Every intrastate household goods carrier — a mover operating within Virginia — must keep a $50,000 bond on file with DMV Motor Carrier Services (form OA 436). Ours is $500 flat, the price our carrier rate book sets for this bond, with one soft credit check — never a hard inquiry — and issuance when you pay.
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How much does a Virginia household goods carrier bond cost?
$500 at the $50,000 amount, the same for every applicant.
Three steps to licensed.
Your operating authority is waiting on this bond. Here's the entire process — no broker phone tag:
Apply once, online
Business details, owner information, effective date. That is the application — the only extra step is a one-time consent to a soft credit pull.
Approved
Most are approved as soon as you apply. One soft credit pull, never a hard inquiry, and it never affects your score. If it needs a second look, one to two business days at most.
E-sign & file with DMV Motor Carrier Services
Pay online and receive the executed bond (form OA 436) ready to file with your household goods carrier application. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the DMV insists.
What it is and who needs it.
What the bond actually guarantees
Virginia licenses intrastate movers as household goods carriers through the DMV under Title 46.2, Chapter 21. As a condition of operating authority, a carrier must keep a $50,000 bond or letter of credit on file with Motor Carrier Services — and it must stay on file for five years from the date the operating authority certificate is issued.
It's a three-party arrangement: you (the principal), the surety carrier, and the Commonwealth of Virginia (the obligee), with your customers as the protected parties. If a mover fails to conduct business in accordance with Chapter 21 and a customer suffers a loss, the customer can recover against the bond up to $50,000.
It is not insurance for you — if the surety pays a claim, you repay the surety. The bond is filed on form OA 436 (or an irrevocable letter of credit on form OA 456). Movers who handle shipments carefully treat the bond as a license formality, not a risk.
You need this bond if you're
Claims, renewal, filing, and what sets the price.
If a claim is made
A claim comes from the party the bond protects, the obligee named on the form, when the duty the bond guarantees is not met.
The surety investigates and pays a valid claim, up to the $50,000 bond amount. You then repay the surety: a surety bond is a guarantee of your performance, not insurance for you.
Renewal and term
The premium covers a one-year term from the effective date you choose; a longer term is the same price per year, chosen at checkout.
Renew before the expiry date to keep the bond in force: the license, permit or contract it backs expects continuous coverage.
How to file it
E-sign & file with DMV Motor Carrier Services. Pay online and receive the executed bond (form OA 436) ready to file with your household goods carrier application. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the DMV insists.
What sets the price
The premium is fixed at $500 at the $50,000 amount for every applicant: the carrier’s rate book prices this bond by the form, not by your credit or your business profile.
One soft credit pull, never a hard inquiry, and it never affects your score.
Where a check runs, it decides approval; the rate is the same for everyone approved.
One application, issued instantly.
These are the actual underwriting fields, including a one-time consent to a soft credit pull. Submit once and your bond is issued when you pay.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other Virginia bonds.
Been told you need a different amount?
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
DMV operating authority is waiting on one document.
$500 flat, short application, bond issued when you pay. Free until issued.