Montana Registration with VIN Inspection

The DMV needs a legal document proving ownership. Any one of these works:

• Certificate of Title
• Transferable Registration
• Certificate of Origin (COO, MCO, MSO)
• SF-97 with Reassignment Form, usually for military and government surplus vehicles

Does your title qualify?

We cannot accept titles branded any of the following: Export, Salvage, Rebuildable, Junk, or similar. "Rebuilt" is acceptable. Even if your title doesn't mention any of those, if the DMV system reflects one of those brandings we won't be able to accept it. We pull a VIN Report on our end to verify your title is acceptable before proceeding.

We cannot accept foreign titles that aren't from the United States or a U.S. Territory.

We need the most recent title. If a newer one has been issued, it voids any previously issued titles.

Filling out the title

If you bought the vehicle from someone else and haven't transferred the title yet, the seller's signature needs to be present.

If the title is not in your name AND is from Kentucky, Louisiana, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma or Pennsylvania, it must be notarized by the seller before it comes to us.

If the title is in your personal name, LLC name, entity, Trust or similar, leave it as-is and don't fill it out or sign it. We'll handle it to prevent mistakes.

If you haven't signed as the buyer yet, you don't have to. If you want to, use your personal name rather than your LLC name. If you already signed as your LLC, that's okay.

If the title is signed over to someone besides you, we need the full chain of ownership as bills of sale connecting each party. The chain can be any length. If a third party signed on behalf of the seller, such as a dealer via Power of Attorney, include that Power of Attorney.

Odometer disclosure

If all of the following are true, you'll need a separate odometer disclosure form from the dealer showing the vehicle mileage:

• You purchased from a dealer
• The dealer did not complete the odometer section of your title
• Your vehicle is 2011 or newer

This also applies to off-road vehicles being made street legal.

Certificate of Origin

A Certificate of Origin is like a birth certificate for a vehicle. The manufacturer issues it to the dealer, who normally converts it into a title, but sometimes they hand it to you instead. More common with off-road vehicles. It doesn't need notarizing.

Do not modify it. Only the dealer should complete it.

• In the Reassignment section, the purchaser should be your name or your LLC name. The address doesn't need to match what we have on file.
• The odometer disclosure should be filled out by the dealership if the document is signed over directly to your LLC name. If they didn't, they can provide a separate disclosure form. The DMV needs to see a reading of 1 mile or more.
• If it's been signed over to someone who isn't you or your LLC, we need a notarized Bill of Sale connecting each party, including from the most recent owner to you.
• Check the back for a lien at the bottom. If there is one, we need a lien release from the bank or lienholder.
• On the front, if your name is listed as the dealer, common with imported vehicles, that's fine.

If a title has ever been issued for your vehicle, this document is invalid and we'll need the current title instead.

Transferable Registration

On its own a vehicle registration is not a legal ownership document unless it's transferable. If you're in doubt, it will often say "transferable" somewhere on it.

• We cannot accept registrations that aren't transferable.
• Contact us if your registration isn't from the United States.

Same signing rules as a title: if you bought from someone else, the seller's signature needs to be present. If it's already in your name or your LLC's name, leave it as-is.

SF-97 for military and government surplus vehicles

The SF-97, also called the United States Government Certificate to Obtain a Title to a Vehicle, is proof of ownership for military and government vehicles. It lets former government vehicles be titled by the public.

• Transferor can be your name or your LLC name
• Transferee is the auction company

It should be accompanied by an SF-97 Reassignment Form, usually from a government auction site like IronPlanet. We need both documents.

Special situations

Deceased and probate: if someone signed on behalf of a deceased individual we need an original Death Certificate plus probate papers showing they were allowed to sign. The Death Certificate won't be returned, since the state holds it in case of audit, so have a Certified Copy made and send that if you want to keep the original.

Repossessions: if the vehicle has been repossessed, we need a Repo Letter to complete the chain of title.

Your vehicle must be physically inspected by a police officer or an authorized third-party VIN verifier, from any state, who completes Section 2 of the Montana VIN inspection form in ink. It cannot be filled out online, and they must use the Montana form rather than an equivalent from another state.

Who can inspect

• Local law enforcement in any state. Call your non-emergency police line and ask to meet an officer for a VIN verification requested by the DMV.
• Licensed VIN verifiers in AZ, CA, CO, FL, NV, OH, UT, VA
• Notaries in Florida. Dealerships in CO, NV, FL.

Not exhaustive. Always check your state's rules on VIN verifications.

When the inspector hands the form back, scan or photograph it and upload it to your portal. The form itself doesn't get mailed, only your ownership document does.

Download the Montana VIN inspection form and instructions

Photograph it while you're still with the inspector, then upload it to your portal.

Florida notary inspections: the notary stamp on the form is the credential, nothing extra needed.

One photo of the VIN on the vehicle itself. For cars and trucks, shoot the dashboard VIN through the windshield on the lower driver side. For motorcycles and off-road vehicles, photograph the VIN or serial number wherever it appears on the frame. Make sure it's clear, legible, and nothing is cropped out.

Cars and trucks 1981 and newer: federal safety label

Also photograph the federal safety label, sometimes called the federal certification label or safety compliance sticker. The driver's door jamb is by far the most common location. Also check the edge of the driver's door, the door frame pillar, or occasionally under the hood or in the glove box. The full VIN on the label must be readable.

Only if your vehicle is 2011 or newer, we need a clear and legible photo of the odometer. If your vehicle is 2010 or older you can skip this, even though the inspector records mileage on the VIN inspection form.

The mileage in this photo must match the mileage on the VIN inspection form, which is why it's easiest to take it while the inspection is happening. The readout can be in kilometres. Double-check the odometer is showing full mileage and not a trip reading.