Vermont 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 Vermont the title is issued by Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles (Agency of Transportation) (VT DMV). Vermont uses paper titles: the seller signs the back over to the buyer. If there is a loan, the DMV mails the title to the lender within three weeks of the registration being processed. Watch the title exemption: the DMV says that if you hold a Vermont registration in your name and the car is model year 2009 or older, you need no title and your registration certificate is the ownership document. The exemption is frozen by statute: it covers only vehicles that were more than 15 years old on January 1, 2024, were registered in Vermont, and have had no change of ownership since that date (23 V.S.A. § 2012(10)). It does not roll forward year by year: a 2010 car never qualifies, however old it gets. On a sale the new owner gets the registration and a signed bill of sale, and obtains the title when registering the car. If there is no registration and no NMVTIS record, the car is titled with the bill of sale, the VT-025 (signed before a notary) and the VT-010.

Where it happens. At a Vermont DMV office (by appointment) or by mail to the DMV at 120 State Street, Montpelier, with form VD-119. If you buy from a Vermont dealer, the dealer usually handles registration and title for you. If you have just moved to Vermont from another state, you have 60 days from the move to register your car here (23 V.S.A. § 301(d)). 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: Sin multa por retraso: Vermont no fija plazo para solicitar el título (23 V.S.A. §§ 2021 y 2023, revisados el 1 de noviembre de 2026; tampoco lo fijan el boletín VT-018 ni las instrucciones VD-119i). Los plazos que sí corren son otros: no puedes manejar el auto hasta registrarlo (23 V.S.A. § 301(e)) y, si no trae inspección válida de Vermont, debes inspeccionarlo dentro de los 15 días siguientes al registro (23 V.S.A. § 1222(a)). / No late fee: Vermont sets no deadline to apply for a title (23 V.S.A. §§ 2021 and 2023, reviewed November 1, 2026; neither does bulletin VT-018 nor the VD-119i instructions). The clocks that do run are different ones: you may not drive the car until it is registered (23 V.S.A. § 301(e)) and, if it carries no valid Vermont inspection, it must be inspected within 15 days after registration (23 V.S.A. § 1222(a))..

Case 1: you bought a car in Vermont (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: Liability 25/50/10 ($25,000 per person, $50,000 per crash, $10,000 property damage), plus uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage of at least $50,000/$100,000 and property damage up to $10,000 ($150 deductible).
• 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 titled in another U.S. state does not need a VIN inspection. It does need one (form VT-010) if it has salvage paperwork from any state, is titled under bond, comes registered from another country (Canada included) or was never titled. It is done in Vermont by Vermont law enforcement or designated DMV staff.
• The original out-of-state title (or the bank's letter if it holds it for the loan).
• Tax: 6% Purchase and Use Tax, paid to the DMV when you register or title the car, private sales included (32 V.S.A. § 8903). The DMV computes it on the purchase price or the J.D. Power trade-in value, whichever is greater, minus your trade-in or other allowable credits; by statute the Commissioner may use the J.D. Power value when the car was not bought in Vermont or the reported price does not represent actual value (32 V.S.A. § 8907). Two credits almost nobody claims: a car you sell yourself counts if the sale happens within three months after the taxable purchase, up to its J.D. Power trade-in value; and an insurance payment on your own car within the three months before the purchase can also be deducted (32 V.S.A. § 8902(5)(B)). If the car is worth less than J.D. Power says, hand in a written dealer valuation on the DMV's form VD-012 (Dealer Appraisal Form); sent in after you register, it must reach the DMV within 30 days of the registered date for the difference to come back. If you paid less tax in another state, you pay the difference (§ 8911(9)). A gifted car is exempt only between spouse, mother, father, child, sibling, grandparent or grandchild of the donor, and only if the car was registered or titled in Vermont in the donor's name (§ 8911(8), form VT-014): a gift from a friend or an in-law is taxed. Cars, motorcycles and motor homes have no maximum tax; trucks and off-highway tractors with a curb weight of 10,100 lb or more, and trailers, are capped at $2,486. Registering by mail, include a printed J.D. Power valuation dated within the last seven days.

Forms

• VD-119 — Registration, Tax & Title Application
• VD-119i — VD-119 instructions
• VT-005 — Bill of Sale and Odometer Disclosure Statement
• VT-010 — Verification of VIN or HIN
• VT-025 — Affidavit of Non-Titled Vehicle
• VT-017 — Rebuilt/Salvage Title Application
• VT-004 — Replacement Title Application

Fees — confirm current amounts (VT 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% Purchase and Use Tax, paid to the DMV when you register or title the car, private sales included (32 V.S.A. § 8903). The DMV computes it on the purchase price or the J.D. Power trade-in value, whichever is greater, minus your trade-in or other allowable credits; by statute the Commissioner may use the J.D. Power value when the car was not bought in Vermont or the reported price does not represent actual value (32 V.S.A. § 8907). Two credits almost nobody claims: a car you sell yourself counts if the sale happens within three months after the taxable purchase, up to its J.D. Power trade-in value; and an insurance payment on your own car within the three months before the purchase can also be deducted (32 V.S.A. § 8902(5)(B)). If the car is worth less than J.D. Power says, hand in a written dealer valuation on the DMV's form VD-012 (Dealer Appraisal Form); sent in after you register, it must reach the DMV within 30 days of the registered date for the difference to come back. If you paid less tax in another state, you pay the difference (§ 8911(9)). A gifted car is exempt only between spouse, mother, father, child, sibling, grandparent or grandchild of the donor, and only if the car was registered or titled in Vermont in the donor's name (§ 8911(8), form VT-014): a gift from a friend or an in-law is taxed. Cars, motorcycles and motor homes have no maximum tax; trucks and off-highway tractors with a curb weight of 10,100 lb or more, and trailers, are capped at $2,486. Registering by mail, include a printed J.D. Power valuation dated within the last seven days.

If you sell: protect yourself

Listed seller-notice or transfer document: Devolver la tarjeta de registro al DMV con la fecha de venta y el nombre y dirección del comprador (no hay formulario aparte) / Return the registration to the DMV with sale date and buyer's name and address (no separate form). Check its conditions and the state process below. On sale, the registration expires and the seller removes the plates right away. The seller can move them to another of their cars by applying for a transfer within 24 hours; if not, the plates go back to the DMV within 5 days. The buyer cannot use the seller's plates: register the car in your name at the DMV before driving it. The DMV issues a 60-day temporary plate only in certain cases and in person; a Vermont dealer can issue a 60-day temporary 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.