Maine 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 Maine the title is issued by Maine Secretary of State, Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV). Maine issues paper titles. The seller signs the title over to you and you turn it in with the MVT-2 application; the new title arrives by mail (about 2 weeks). The BMV is launching an electronic lien title program only for lenders that hold a loan on the car.

Where it happens. First at your town or city office, where you pay the excise tax. If that office does not do registrations, take the receipt to a BMV branch. The title application (MVT-2) is only available at the town office or a BMV branch. 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: $50.00.

Case 1: you bought a car in Maine (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: 50/100/25 liability (or a $125,000 combined single limit), 50/100 uninsured motorist and $2,000 per person in medical payments. If you buy liability limits above the minimum, your uninsured/underinsured limit must match them unless you reject the higher limit in writing. The Bureau of Insurance's list of required coverages includes no personal injury protection (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: A car coming from another US state does not need a physical VIN inspection. Form MVT-10 is required for cars 25 years old and newer that were registered or titled in another country, or when the VIN is questionable. It is signed by a BMV employee or agent, a police officer, the selling dealer (Maine or New Hampshire) or an official Maine inspection station.
• The original out-of-state title (or the bank's letter if it holds it for the loan).
• Tax: 5.5% state tax on the purchase price. In a private sale you pay it when you register the car, at the same office. On a trade-in only the difference between the price and your trade-in allowance is taxed. Separately, every year you pay your town the excise tax, which drops as the model gets older. If you move to Maine with a car already registered in another state, you fill out a use tax form that shows you are exempt.

Forms

• MVT-2 — Application for Certificate of Title (carbon-copy form, only at the town office or BMV)
• Bill of Sale — Motor Vehicle Bill of Sale with odometer disclosure
• MVT-10 — Inspection of VIN by an Authorized Person
• MVT-8 — Duplicate 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

5.5% state tax on the purchase price. In a private sale you pay it when you register the car, at the same office. On a trade-in only the difference between the price and your trade-in allowance is taxed. Separately, every year you pay your town the excise tax, which drops as the model gets older. If you move to Maine with a car already registered in another state, you fill out a use tax form that shows you are exempt.

If you sell: protect yourself

Confirm which sale notice, plate return or registration cancellation applies to your situation; keep written proof of the handover. When the car is sold, the seller's registration expires. The seller removes the plates: they can be reassigned to another car in the seller's name or, if not used within 6 months, returned with the registration certificate to the Secretary of State. The buyer cannot drive on the seller's plates: register the car at the town office, or buy a transit permit for up to 10 days ($12 one-way, $25 round trip) with insurance and a valid inspection, or tow it. 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.