What do I need to do?
When we are completing your order, it helps greatly for us to have any existing ownership document(s) for the vehicle in question. This can be one of the following:
Why is this needed?
The DMV needs something to prove ownership. They prefer to have the most recent title, but if that is not available, a Certificate of Origin (MSO/MCO) or Transferable Registration (from a state like Vermont) will work.
If you don’t have any of these, that is okay and you can skip this step.
If you have any of these documents, they will need to be mailed to us.
Certificate of Title
Does your title qualify?
We cannot accept titles branded any of the following: Export, Salvage, Rebuildable, Junk, or similar (“Rebuilt” is acceptable). Even if your title doesn’t mention any of those, if the DMV system reflects one of those brandings, we will not be able to accept it. We will pull a VIN Report on our end to verify that your title is acceptable before proceeding with your order.
We cannot accept foreign titles (not from the United States or a U.S. Territory).
Filling out the title
If you bought the vehicle from someone else and haven’t transferred the title yet, the seller’s signature needs to be present.
If the title is not in your name AND is from one of the following states, it must be notarized by the seller before sending it to us:
Kentucky
Louisiana
Montana
North Carolina
Ohio
Oklahoma
Pennsylvania
If the title is in your personal name, LLC name, entity, Trust, or similar, leave the title as-is and don’t fill it out or sign it. We will handle this for you to prevent mistakes.
If you have not signed as the buyer yet, you don’t have to. We will handle that for you to prevent mistakes. If you want to sign it, use your personal name, not your LLC name. If you already signed as your LLC name, that is okay.
If the title is signed over to someone else besides you, we need the full chain of ownership in the form of a bill of sale connecting each party. This chain must show the entire chain of ownership and can be unlimited in length.
If the title is signed on behalf of the seller by a third party, such as a dealer via Power of Attorney, make sure to include the Power of Attorney for the parties involved in the transaction.
Miscellaneous
Vehicles purchased from dealers: If the vehicle was purchased from a dealer, ensure the odometer section of the title has been filled out.
Military & government surplus vehicles: If you have an SF-97, you will also need an SF-97 Reassignment Form. If this applies to your order, we will cover it in another part of this guide.
Deceased & Probate: If someone has signed on behalf of a deceased individual, we will need an original Death Certificate and probate papers (court-appointed documents) that prove the person who signed is allowed to sign for the deceased. The Death Certificate you provide to us will not be returned (it will be held by the state in case of an audit), so please have a Certified Copy made and send us that copy if you want to retain the original document.
Repossessions: If the vehicle has been repossessed, we need a Repo Letter to complete the chain of title. Example
Transferable Registration
On its own, a vehicle registration is not a legal ownership document — unless it is transferable. If you are in doubt, it will often say “transferable” somewhere on it.
We cannot accept registrations that are not transferable.
Contact us if your registration is not from the United States.
Filling out the registration
If you bought the vehicle from someone else and haven’t transferred the registration yet, the seller’s signature needs to be present.
If the registration is in your personal name, LLC name, entity, Trust, or similar, leave it as-is and don’t fill it out or sign it. We will handle this for you to prevent mistakes.
If you have not signed as the buyer yet, you don’t have to. We will handle that for you to prevent mistakes. If you want to sign it, use your personal name, not your LLC name. If you already signed as your LLC name, that is okay.
Certificate of Origin (COO, MCO, MSO)
Having a Certificate of Origin (COO) is common for vehicles that have never been titled for road use before. We do not need this to be notarized.
In the Reassignment section, the name of the purchaser should be your name or your LLC name. The address does not need to match what we have on file.
The odometer disclosure should be filled out unless the document is signed directly to your LLC name.
If the COO has been signed over to someone else (who is not you or your LLC), we need a notarized Bill of Sale connecting each party, including from the most recent owner to you. If the COO was signed over to you or your LLC, we do not need this, only if it was signed over to someone else.
On the back, make sure there is not a lien listed at the bottom. If there is, we need a separate lien release form from the lienholder.
On the front, if your name is listed as the dealer (mainly found with imported vehicles), that is okay.