Existing Ownership Document(s)
What do I need to do?
To complete your order, we need your existing ownership document(s) for the vehicle in question. This can be one of the following:
NOTE:
If you are financing, your lienholder may have your Title or MCO/MSO. We will assist with having them transfer the document to the South Dakota DMV. If you have already notified us that you are financing when you purchased, you can skip this page.
In unique cases, your lienholder may inform us they have not received your title or MCO from the dealer. If this happens, we will contact you to clarify what we still need from you or the dealer.
Why is this needed?
The DMV needs something to prove ownership. They need to have the most recent title. If the vehicle has never been titled, a Certificate of Origin (MSO/MCO) or Transferable Registration (from a state like Vermont) will also work.
This document will need to be mailed to us.
Certificate of Title
Does your title qualify?
We cannot accept titles branded with “EXPORT”. If the DMV system reflects this branding, we will not be able to register your vehicle. 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).
We will need the most recent title (If there has been a newer title issued, It will VOID any previously issued titles)
If there is a lien listed AND the vehicle is already paid off, you must include a lien release.
Odometer Disclosure
If ALL of the following are true:
You purchased from a dealer
The dealer did not complete the odometer section of your Title.
If your vehicle year is 2012 or newer
Make sure the dealer provides a separate odometer disclosure form displaying the vehicle mileage.
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 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 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.
Unique Situations
Vehicles purchased from dealers: If the vehicle was purchased from a dealer, ensure the odometer section of the title has been filled out.
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
Certificate of Origin (COO, MCO, MSO)
A Certificate of origin is like a birth certificate for a vehicle. It’s issued by the manufacturer and provided to the dealer. This normally gets transferred into a title by the dealer, but occasionally the dealer will provide this to you, or send it to your lienholder if you are financing. This is more common for off-road vehicles.
This document does not need to be notarized.
If there has ever been a title issued for your vehicle, this document will be invalid, and we will need the current title.
If the back of the MCO is blank, do not fill it out as doing so could delay your order. We will handle this for you.
If there is a lien listed and the vehicle has been paid off, you will want to include a lien release. Otherwise, the DMV will record the lien information listed on your new South Dakota title.
Filling out the Certificate of Origin
IMPORTANT: Do not modify the MCO. Only the dealer should be completing it.
In the Reassignment section, the name of the purchaser should be your name. The address does not need to match what we have on file.
If it has been signed over to someone else, we need a notarized Bill of Sale connecting each party, including from the most recent owner to you.
On the back of this document, make sure there is not a lien listed at the bottom. If there is, we need a lien release form from the bank/lienholder.
If you bought an OHV in AL, AK, CT, GA, HI, MA, ME, MN, NJ, NY, or WI, you should have the MCO since the vehicle cannot be titled in your home state. If you do not, please contact your dealership to see if they have the MCO (Certificate of origin) or if they sent it to the lienholder.
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.
NOTE: