Indiana 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 Indiana the title is issued by Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV). Since July 1, 2025 the BMV asks at every title transaction whether you want the title electronic or on paper. Your preference is honored only if the car has no lien: if there is a loan, the lienholder's preference governs. Once the lien is released the title is issued the way you asked, and you can request that it be printed on paper at no extra cost; you pay $25 only if you also want a speed title. The owner of an electronic title is notified by email or by postcard when it is issued.

Where it happens. At any Indiana BMV branch. In a private sale, you pay the sales tax there when you apply for the title. The VIN inspection for an out-of-state car is also free at a BMV branch or at a BMV-authorized service provider. If you are registering the car in Lake County or Porter County, it needs an emissions test and tampering inspection every two years, as long as it was made after 1975 and its GVWR is 9,000 pounds or less; the four latest model years are exempt. 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: $30.00.

Case 1: you bought a car in Indiana (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: 25/50/25 liability: $25,000 for injury to one person, $50,000 for injury to two or more people in one accident and $25,000 for property damage. Every new policy includes uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage unless you reject it in writing.
• 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: Every car coming from another state needs a physical inspection that confirms the VIN, even if you are a new resident. It is free at any BMV branch or BMV service provider. A law enforcement officer can also do it for up to $5.00 using State Form 39530.
• The original out-of-state title (or the bank's letter if it holds it for the loan).
• Tax: 7% of the purchase price. If you buy from an Indiana dealer, the dealer collects it and gives you form ST-108 (State Form 48842). If you buy from a private seller, you pay it at the BMV branch when you apply for the title. The trade-in deduction applies only to a like-kind exchange, vehicle for vehicle, titled in your name and between two people: only the difference is taxed there. A vehicle traded for a trailer does not count. If you bought in another state, what you paid there is credited and you pay the difference if it was less; if you are a new resident simply transferring the title from your prior state, no sales tax is charged. Separately, every year you pay excise tax when you register (based on value and age) and, in some counties, a local wheel or excise tax.

Forms

• State Form 205 — Title application for a vehicle
• State Form 39530 — Physical Inspection of a Vehicle or Watercraft (out-of-state car)
• State Form 43230 — Odometer Disclosure Statement (if not completed on the title)
• State Form 44237 — Bill of Sale (only in limited cases with no title)

Fees — confirm current amounts (BMV)

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

7% of the purchase price. If you buy from an Indiana dealer, the dealer collects it and gives you form ST-108 (State Form 48842). If you buy from a private seller, you pay it at the BMV branch when you apply for the title. The trade-in deduction applies only to a like-kind exchange, vehicle for vehicle, titled in your name and between two people: only the difference is taxed there. A vehicle traded for a trailer does not count. If you bought in another state, what you paid there is credited and you pay the difference if it was less; if you are a new resident simply transferring the title from your prior state, no sales tax is charged. Separately, every year you pay excise tax when you register (based on value and age) and, in some counties, a local wheel or excise tax.

If you sell: protect yourself

Confirm which sale notice, plate return or registration cancellation applies to your situation; keep written proof of the handover. The plate stays with the seller: the seller removes it at the time of sale and can move it to another car they own. It does not have to be returned to the BMV; if discarded, it must be made unusable. The buyer has 45 days from the purchase to apply for the title and 45 days to register the car (if you just moved to Indiana, you get 60 days from becoming a resident for every car you own). With the signed title already in your name in the car, you may drive it for up to 72 hours after the purchase date with no plate, but only by the most direct route to your home or place of storage, to an emissions inspection station, or to a BMV branch to register it. If you do not have the title with you, you can transfer a plate from a car you already own or buy a 96-Hour Temporary Delivery Permit ($18) at a branch, good for those same three destinations. 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.