Replacing a Lost Title

You can replace a lost or stolen Washington, D.C., vehicle title at any Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) service location. The DMV will ask you to provide the following materials:

• Application for Duplicate Certificate of Title. All owners must sign the completed form.

• Valid identification for each owner. You may provide a District of Columbia driver's license, learner's permit, or identification card as long as they have not expired.

• Vehicle identification. The DMV will accept one of the following: registration renewal notice, registration card, vehicle identification number (VIN), title number, or tag (license plate) number.

• Payment of replacement title fees, typically $26.

  You can also mail these materials, including photocopies of your ID, to the following address:

  • D.C. DMV
  • P.O. Box 90120
  • Washington, D.C. 20090

Special Circumstances

If you've paid off the lien on your vehicle and want to apply for a duplicate title with the lienholder's name removed, you need to provide the DMV with documentation by doing one of the following:

• Have the financial institution stamp a lien release on the title.

• Have the financial institution stamp "paid" on the loan agreement contract. An authority there should also sign the contract.

• Obtain a letter on the financing company's letterhead that states the lien has been satisfied.

If you've noticed that your title has the incorrect VIN, you need to provide DMV with one of the following in order to be issued a corrected title:

• VIN correction from an inspection station in Washington, D.C.

• If the vehicle is from out of state, a VIN correction letter by that state's motor vehicle agency. The letter must be on official letterhead.