The seven ways to get a title that will be most helpful for 99% of people who have a vehicle but do not have a title in their hands to go along with that vehicle
- The first one is what’s called a bonded title. When you don’t have the right paperwork to bring to the DMV to get a title for your name, a bonding company might have to give you a guarantee. So you can bring that to the DMV, and they’ll issue you a title.
- The second common way to get a title is what’s called the Vermont title. Vermont is the only state that will issue any kind of ownership document with very limited documentation. All you need to do is build a sale, and they will issue the ownership document. What’s the catch? Well, the catch is that the car has to be 15 years old or older. And. The vehicle has to have a bill of sale. If you have those two things, you can get a registration and ownership document. It’s not a title; they don’t call it a title, but since it’s their version in Vermont of their ownership, you can exchange it for a title in your state.
- The third best way to get a title is what’s called the prior owner process. There is some person or company who, technically, is the owner of a vehicle right now. They don’t own it; you paid for it. I get it; it’s in your possession. However, as far as the state DMV is concerned, their name is listed in the title records for that person, and that person can only apply for a replacement title in their name. If you can get a hold of that person and convince them to just sign a piece of paper, you can get a duplicate title sent to them, and then they can sign it over to you. So a prior owner process is another option. You could read more about that on our website or in our videos.
- The fourth method of getting a title is a court-ordered process. Almost every state and county has a process to go through the courts to have you declared the legal owner of that vehicle by affidavit. To complicate the process, they may have to do some research, and you might have to put some notices in the newspaper. But if you appear in court two or three times at the end of that process, the judge will give you a court order to have the DMV issue you a title. Once you have that, you’re good to go to the DMV.
- The fifth method is a true duplicate. If you are the owner of the vehicle, you were issued a title and just lost it. You can get a duplicate from the state now to avoid potential obstacles. You have to go back to the state. Where that title was issued So if you moved, you have to apply. This is where that title came from. You can do it by mail. So you don’t physically have to go there, but make sure you’re applying to the correct state. The other potential holdup could be if there was a lien holder listed on the title; even if that loan is paid off, the title still has to have proof that that loan was paid. You might have to get a letter from the bank.
- Second to last is a letter of non-interest. If you don’t have one, contact a lender; they don’t have the records. If you get a letter of non-interest from the holder that’s listed on the title or responsible for that entity, then the DMV will clear the title to be issued in your name.
- The last and sometimes common reason why a title is not issued is because the current owners have become deceased. or a prior owner, or wherever there is a title in their name. You can go through a process to get an airship title, where the court will issue an airship document to show that this title is supposed to pass from that deceased person to somebody else. Obviously, a deceased person can’t sign papers to transfer you the title. But if the court approves it, you can get that title.
So there are seven reasons why you can’t get a title and seven solutions to correspond to those reasons. I can guarantee you that one of those will be applicable in your scenario to get a title in your hands.
