New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire the title is issued by New Hampshire Department of Safety, Division of Motor Vehicles (NH DMV). The NH title is handed to you on paper. Since September 13, 2025 the law also recognizes a title in electronic format when a lender holds the lien: once the loan is paid, the lender tells the DMV within 10 days and the DMV mails you the title free of the lien (RSA 261:27, III). The DMV mails it to the owner or the lender 30 to 50 days after it receives the application. NH does not title cars of model year 1999 or older: those are sold with a bill of sale and the prior registration.

Where it happens. At the Town Clerk or City Clerk office of the town or city where you live. Only there can the title application (TDMV 23A) be filled out. You pay the town part of the registration first; then the clerk (if it is a state agent) or a DMV office does the state part. If you buy from a dealer, the dealer sends the application to the DMV within 10 days of the sale, or within 40 days if a lender holds the title (RSA 261:4, II). 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: $35 · penalidad igual a la tarifa del título / penalty equal to the title fee (RSA 261:20, II).

Case 1: you bought a car in New Hampshire (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: New Hampshire does not require car insurance, but if you cause a crash and cannot pay for the damage, your license can be suspended. If you buy insurance, the minimum is 25/50/25, plus $1,000 medical payments and uninsured motorist coverage equal to your liability limits. The amounts come from RSA 259:61, I; the $1,000 of medical payments from RSA 264:16, I (reasonable medical costs for the 3 years after the crash), and the uninsured motorist coverage from RSA 264:15, I, which rises automatically if you buy higher liability limits. New Hampshire requires no PIP coverage. If you finance the car, the lender will require insurance.
• 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: Not always. Form TDMV 19A is required if the car comes from another country (for example, Canada), from a state that only titles cars 10 years old or newer, if it is an NH car without the prior registration, if the VIN does not match, and in other special cases. An NH law enforcement officer or authorized NH dealer can complete it. The rule also names authorized inspection stations; confirm with DMV that the chosen station currently has VIN-verification authority before relying on that route. The DMV charges nothing for the form; whoever does it may charge.
• The original out-of-state title (or the bank's letter if it holds it for the loan).
• Tax: New Hampshire has no general sales tax: you pay no sales tax when you buy a car, from a dealer or from a private party. What you do pay every year at registration is the municipal permit fee, based on the maker's list price and the car's age (18 mills per dollar the first year, going down to 3), plus the state fee by weight.

Forms

• TDMV 23A — Title Application (only at the Town/City Clerk office)
• TDMV 19A — Verification of Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
• TDMV 18 — Application for Duplicate Title
• TDMV 20 — Release of Lien or other Encumbrances

Fees — confirm current amounts (NH 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

New Hampshire has no general sales tax: you pay no sales tax when you buy a car, from a dealer or from a private party. What you do pay every year at registration is the municipal permit fee, based on the maker's list price and the car's age (18 mills per dollar the first year, going down to 3), plus the state fee by weight.

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, its registration expires (RSA 261:66). The seller keeps the plates and can move them to the next car at the Town/City Clerk, with credit if the primary owner is the same. The buyer can get a 20-day registration in person at a DMV office for $20.00; you sign under penalty of perjury that the car is safe to drive and you must keep a valid bill of sale in the car. No more than one 20-day registration is issued for the same car in 12 months, and never more than 3 for that car in 12 months. It is only for New Hampshire residents (RSA 261:57). You have 20 days from the date of sale to deliver or mail the title application to the DMV (RSA 261:4, V); if it arrives more than 20 days after the day it was due, the law charges a penalty equal to the fee for the transaction (RSA 261:20, II). A private seller does not have to send any notice of sale: that duty falls only on dealers (RSA 261:110). If the car is model year 2000 or newer, the seller signs the title over to the buyer at the time of sale. 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.