Idaho title and registration, step by step

Which forms, which fees and which deadlines. For a car bought in the state and for one you bring from another.

In Idaho the title is issued by Idaho Transportation Department, Division of Motor Vehicles (ITD DMV). The title is paper. It is electronic only while a lender in the ELT program holds the loan; once paid, ITD prints the title and mails it. In a private sale, the seller signs the paper title and you take it to the county assessor.

Where it happens. In a private sale with no loan, you go to your county assessor's motor vehicle office, within 30 days. If you buy from an Idaho dealer, the dealer files the paperwork for you. If you bought the car in another state, the 30 days start when the car first enters Idaho (Idaho Code § 49-504A). Confirm the deadline and the event that starts it for your transaction: a purchase, receipt of the signed title or a move into the state can have different rules. Late-fee information in the state sources: $20.00.

Case 1: you bought a car in Idaho (private seller)

What the seller hands you

• The title with the transfer section completed: your name and address, sale price, date, odometer reading and the seller's signature (both owners if two names are joined by "and").
• If there was a loan: a lien release from the bank, or the lien already removed from the title.
• A bill of sale with VIN, price and signatures. You need it for the sales tax.

What you bring to the office

• The state forms (below), completed.
• The signed title and the bill of sale.
• Applicable insurance or financial-responsibility documents: 25/50/15 liability: $25,000 per person, $50,000 per accident and $15,000 property damage, with an insurer licensed in Idaho. The official minimums list does not include PIP.
• Valid photo ID.
• Payment: title, registration, plate and sales tax if not paid yet.

Case 2: you bring a car from another state

• Everything above, plus: If the title was not issued in Idaho, the VIN is inspected in person (forms ITD 3403 or ITD 3404). It is done by a law officer, a DMV employee, a military police officer or an Idaho-licensed dealer.
• The original out-of-state title (or the bank's letter if it holds it for the loan).
• Tax: 6% state rate (Idaho Code § 63-3619). In a private sale it is paid at the county assessor when you title, on the price in the Bill of Sale signed by both parties. If that price looks low against the published value, the county still registers the car but flags the transaction, and the Idaho State Tax Commission reviews it against the average trade-in price in the NADA guide; with no receipt or Bill of Sale, the tax is charged on that value instead. Private sales get no trade-in allowance; only with a dealer can a trade-in lower the taxable price. Tax properly paid to another state is credited with a receipt. Between parents, children, grandparents, grandchildren and siblings there is no tax if the relative already paid it (form ST-133).

Forms

• ITD 3337 — Idaho title application (optional)
• ITD 3403 — VIN inspection (car with an out-of-state title)
• ITD 3858 — Release of Liability (seller)
• ITD 3738 — Bill of Sale
• ITD 3367 — Duplicate title

Fees — confirm current amounts (ITD DMV)

Amounts come from the linked state sources and can change. This guide distinguishes source checkpoints from narrow claim reviews; confirm the total for your transaction before you go. A dash means an amount has not been confirmed here.

Sales tax

6% state rate (Idaho Code § 63-3619). In a private sale it is paid at the county assessor when you title, on the price in the Bill of Sale signed by both parties. If that price looks low against the published value, the county still registers the car but flags the transaction, and the Idaho State Tax Commission reviews it against the average trade-in price in the NADA guide; with no receipt or Bill of Sale, the tax is charged on that value instead. Private sales get no trade-in allowance; only with a dealer can a trade-in lower the taxable price. Tax properly paid to another state is credited with a receipt. Between parents, children, grandparents, grandchildren and siblings there is no tax if the relative already paid it (form ST-133).

If you sell: protect yourself

Listed seller-notice or transfer document: ITD 3858 (Release of Liability), $3.50, también en línea / also online. Check its conditions and the state process below. The plate and registration card stay with the seller, who can move them to another car after registering it. You can drive the car for up to 72 hours with the Bill of Sale, or with the title signed and dated by the seller showing the sale price, while you get your title and plate. Keep copies of the title, filed notices and handover date to answer later registration, toll or ownership questions.

Mistakes that cost

• Missing the deadline. Check the deadline and consequence for your transaction; filing periods and penalties do not all start from the same event.
• Title with cross-outs or correction fluid. Ask the issuing agency which correction or replacement document it accepts before using it.
• Buying with an "open" title (signed by a previous owner, not the person selling to you). Confirm the ownership chain and the documents the agency requires before paying.
• Showing up without in-state insurance. Confirm the insurance or financial-responsibility documents required for your situation.