Register Your Vehicle

To obtain a certificate of title you must, at minimum, have the following:

• Proof of identity: A driver's license or identification card from any state or a passport. Identification must be current and valid
• Proof of ownership: A Manufacturer's Certificate of Origin or out-of-state title
• A completed Application for Certificate of Title With/Without Registration (HSMV Form 82040)
• Payment of fees for sales tax and title
  • If a license plate is purchased, you must have valid Florida insurance and registration fees. For insurance information, visit FLHSMV's insurance page

If you are a military service member or veteran, visit FLHSMV's Military and Veteran information page for title information specific to your military or veteran status.

When applying for a title on a motor vehicle previously registered or titled in another state, the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) on the actual motor vehicle must be checked to ensure the vehicle is the same as the one described on the proof of ownership.

The VIN must be physically inspected by our office or one of the following:

• Military police officer
• Law enforcement officer from any state
• Licensed Florida dealer
• DMS compliance examiner or Tax Collector employees or agents
• A public notary commissioned by the state of Florida

For more information about vehicle titles, visit the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.

A printed title provided to the customer in an expedited manner is referred to as a fast title and must be requested in person. It will be issued and printed the same day. There is an additional fee for fast title service. Fast titles may be obtained by visiting our public service office or an authorized private tag agency.

Open or incomplete titles do not qualify for expedited title service. You may be able to obtain your certificate of title immediately if you have one of the following title transactions:

• Original title applications
• Transfer of Florida titles
• Printing of electronic titles
• Duplicate titles for the owner, dealer or lienholder without modifications
• Lien maintenance transactions (first lien only)
• Lien satisfactions or deletions on clean titles

As a new Florida resident, you must obtain insurance from a Florida insurance agent licensed to sell insurance in Florida to title and register your vehicles, vessels and mobile homes within 10 days of establishing residency. Vehicles must be registered within 30 days of establishing residency in Florida.

When applying for a title on a motor vehicle previously registered or titled in another state, the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) on the actual motor vehicle must be checked to ensure the vehicle is the same as the one described on the proof of ownership. If the out-of-state title is currently in the possession of an out-of-state lienholder, you must contact the lienholder to request that the title be transferred to Florida.

The VIN must be physically inspected by our office or one of the following:

• Military police officer
• Law enforcement officer from any state
• Licensed Florida dealer
• DMS compliance examiner or Tax Collector employees or agents
• A public notary commissioned by the state of Florida

Out of country vehicles, vessels and trailers must be inspected by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles before visiting the Tax Collector.

In Florida, vehicles, mobile homes or vessels owned by two or more owners can have the ownership joined by either an “and” or “or.”

Owners joined by “and” share equal responsibility for the vehicle, mobile home or vessel, and owners must be present, designate a power of attorney or have the title certificate signed by each owner as seller for the title to be transferred out of their names.

Owners joined by “or” allow either owner to take individual responsibility for the vehicle, mobile home or vessel, and either owner may be present or may sign a bill of sale for the title to be transferred out of their names.

Please note: When a title with two owners is joined by “or” and one owner wants to remove their name, that owner becomes the seller, and the second owner becomes the purchaser in the transfer section of the title. A new title is then issued.

For more information, visit the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.

When necessary, you can provide a general or limited power of attorney to a third party to handle your title and registration. The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles provides a limited Power of Attorney for a Motor Vehicle, Mobile Home or Vessel form (HSMV Form 82053) for your use.

Please note: A Power of Attorney will not be accepted for the processing of a fast title. A Power of Attorney will be accepted for electronically filed titles that have never been printed. Customers must submit an Authorization/Release Affidavit.

If your title is currently in paper format and has been lost, stolen or damaged, a duplicate paper title can be obtained. To obtain a duplicate paper title, an owner must submit the following by mail or in person to the Office of the Tax Collector or an authorized private tag agency:

• Completed Application for Duplicate or Lost in Transit Reassignment for a Title Certificate (HSMV Form 82101)
• Proof of identity: A driver’s license, identification card from any state or a passport. Identification must be current and valid
• Payment for duplicate title fee

If the original paper title is located after a duplicate paper title has been issued, the original is no longer valid because it was replaced, and the original should be destroyed or forwarded to Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.