Maryland 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 Maryland the title is issued by Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration (MDOT MVA). Maryland mails a paper title. If there is a loan, the MVA does not give you a paper title: the lien is recorded electronically until it is paid off. In a sale, the seller signs the assignment on the title itself and hands it to you at delivery.

Where it happens. At an MVA branch office by appointment (you fill out the online pre-application first), by mail, or through a licensed title service agent. If you buy from a dealer, the dealer handles it. 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.

Case 1: you bought a car in Maryland (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: 30/60/15 liability: $30,000 per person, $60,000 per accident and $15,000 property damage (Transp. § 17-103(b)). The $2,500 PIP is included unless the first named insured signs a written waiver, and that waiver drops PIP for the whole policy, not just part of it (Ins. §§ 19-505 and 19-506). Uninsured motorist coverage equals your liability limits unless you lower it in writing, and can never be less than 30/60/15 (Ins. § 19-509(e)). The insurer must be licensed in Maryland.
• 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: Maryland has no separate VIN form. Every used car except a Class L historic vehicle must pass the Maryland Safety Inspection at a station licensed by the Maryland State Police before it can be titled, including one coming from another state (Transp. § 23-107(a)). The result goes to the MVA electronically and is valid for 90 days. The buyer pays; the station sets the price. If the car fails, you have 30 days and 1,000 miles to have only the failed items rechecked; past that limit you pay for a full new inspection.
• The original out-of-state title (or the bank's letter if it holds it for the loan).
• Tax: Maryland charges a 6.5% titling (excise) tax, paid to the MVA when you title (6% on contracts dated before July 2025). At a dealer it is figured on the full price, including the processing fee, minus your trade-in. In a private sale of a car 6 model years old or newer, you pay on the higher of the price or the mileage-adjusted NADA guide value; if the price is $500 or more below it, the MVA may ask for a notarized bill of sale explaining why. For 7 model years or older, you pay 6.5% of the price, with a $41.60 minimum. If you move to Maryland, credit for tax you already paid in your old state applies only if you title within 60 days: on a car 6 model years old or newer you pay $100 if that state's rate was 6.5% or higher, or the difference if it was lower; title after 60 days and you pay the full 6.5% with no credit.

Forms

• VR-005 — Application for Certificate of Title
• VR-005A — Documents Required for Obtaining a Maryland Certificate of Title
• VR-181 — Bill of Sale, with odometer statement and reason if the price is low
• VR-018 — Application for Duplicate Certificate of Title (also online or at a kiosk)

Fees — confirm current amounts (MDOT MVA)

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

Maryland charges a 6.5% titling (excise) tax, paid to the MVA when you title (6% on contracts dated before July 2025). At a dealer it is figured on the full price, including the processing fee, minus your trade-in. In a private sale of a car 6 model years old or newer, you pay on the higher of the price or the mileage-adjusted NADA guide value; if the price is $500 or more below it, the MVA may ask for a notarized bill of sale explaining why. For 7 model years or older, you pay 6.5% of the price, with a $41.60 minimum. If you move to Maryland, credit for tax you already paid in your old state applies only if you title within 60 days: on a car 6 model years old or newer you pay $100 if that state's rate was 6.5% or higher, or the difference if it was lower; title after 60 days and you pay the full 6.5% with no credit.

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 plates belong to the seller, not the car. The seller removes them before handing over the car and returns them to the MVA (keeping the receipt) or moves them to the next car. If the seller keeps them and cancels the insurance, the MVA charges an uninsured penalty: $200 for the first 30 days and $7 per day after that, up to $3,500 a year. You, the buyer, cannot use the seller's plates: get a 30-day temporary registration ($50) to drive to the inspection, or move the car on a tow truck. 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.