Title Transfers in Montana

New Montana Residents

After moving to Montana, you'll have a window of 60 days to title and register your vehicle with the Motor Vehicle Division.

Head to your local county clerk and submit:

• Your out-of-state title and/or registration.
• A completed Application for Certificate of Title for a Motor Vehicle (Form MV1).
• A Statement of Fact (Form MV100), if requested by the county agent.
• Payment for your titling fee. Add $10.30 if recording a lien.

Buying or Selling a MT Vehicle

Purchasing from a Dealer

If you purchase a new vehicle from a Montana dealership, the dealer will take care of the titling process on your behalf. Make sure to get a copy of all documents to keep for your records.

Purchasing from a Private Party

When you buy a car from a private seller, the majority of the transfer process will rest with you as the buyer.

You will need to have the seller give you:

• The vehicle title, assigned over to you, with their signature notarized.
• A Bill of Sale (Form MV24) that includes:
  • Date and purchase of sale.
  • Buyer and seller names.
  • Notarized signatures.
• Proof of a lien release, if applicable.

You'll then need to submit to the MVD:

• The documents provided by the seller.
• A completed Application for Certificate of Title for a Motor Vehicle (Form MV1).
• Payment for the titling fee. Add $10.30 if recording a lien.

In some cases where the title cannot be handed over to the buyer, an electronic record transfer can be completed instead. Contact your local MVD for details.

Selling a Vehicle in Montana

If you're selling your car, most of the tasks involved with the ownership transfer will rest with the buyer. However, you will need to supply them with a few important documents.

You'll need to:

• Sign over the title, properly filled out, and have your signature notarized.
• Fill out a Bill of Sale (Form MV24) that includes:
  • Date and purchase of sale.
  • Seller and buyer names.
  • Notarized signatures.
• Any proof of lien release, if there was previously a loan on your vehicle.

Gifting, Donating, or Inheriting a Vehicle

Gifted and Donated Vehicles

When giving a vehicle as a gift or donating it to charity, the process follows that of buying or selling a car to a private party. The purchase price will be listed as $0.

Inherited Vehicles

The process for changing vehicle ownership when the owner has died varies based on the status of the estate.

Probated Estate

If the deceased's estate has been probated, there should be a personal representative or executor of the estate named in a will or appointed by the court.

• If the vehicle was titled only in the name of the deceased, the executor must handle all transfer processes.
• If the vehicle had more than one owner listed, the surviving owner will handle the transfer of ownership.

You will need:

• The vehicle title.
• A copy of the death certificate.
• A completed Application for Certificate of Title for a Motor Vehicle (Form MV1).

If there are multiple surviving owners listed and one or more wish to remove themselves from the title, they will sign off as the “seller(s)" of the vehicle to the remaining owner.

If you are planning to sell the car to a third party rather than keep it yourself, you'll need to have your signature notarized on the title and follow the instructions listed in Buying or Selling above.

Non-Probated Estate

When an estate is non-probated, no executor or representative has been appointed by a will or the court.

The process to transfer a title follows that for a probated estate (see above), EXCEPT that there's no requirement for an executor to handle the title transfer process, since none is listed.

For more details, see the Montana MVD's Title Manual.

Removing Liens from a MT Title

Once you have repaid the loan taken out on your Montana vehicle, you can apply to have the security interest removed from your title and receive a clean title in its place.

Submit to the MVD:

• EITHER:
  • A completed Notice of Security Interest/Lien Filing/Lien Release/Repossession form;
  • The generic Release of Security Interest or Lien (Form MV37A);
    OR
  • Or a security interest/lien release on letterhead with a complete description of the title and lien information
• Your current title.
• Payment for the $10.30 new title without the lien title fee.

You may bring these items in person to your branch office, or submit them by mail to:

Vehicle Services Bureau
302 N Roberts.
Helena, MT 59620

Obtain a Duplicate MT Title

When a Montana vehicle title is lost or damaged, you'll need to get a replacement title.

The process is relatively simple:

• Complete an Application for Replacement Certificate of Title (Form MV7).
• Gather payment for the $10.30 duplicate title fee.
• Mail your items to:
  • Vehicle Services Bureau
  • P.O. Box 201431
  • 302 N Roberts.
  • Helena, MT 59620