Import Vehicle Titles

How do you get a title document for a vehicle to import the vehicle into the U.S.? In many cases, we come across vehicles that are intended to be titled in the United States but that have a prior history in another country.

Import vs. Visiting Process
The import process is different from the visiting process. What that means is if you have a vehicle in Canada, let’s say, and you drive into the U.S. and you go across the border, that’s not importing the vehicle. That vehicle is just visiting the U.S., and when you go through the border crossing into the United States, they check to make sure the vehicle is legal and has a title and a registration from Canada, but they don’t import the vehicle. That means that the car can’t stay in the U.S. as a U.S. car; at some point, it will go back.

Steps for Importing a Vehicle
If you want to bring that car in to be titled and domiciled in the U.S., it has to go through the import process, and there are at least three government agencies involved: Department of Transportation (DOT), the EPA for emissions, and the National Highway Transportation Safety Association (NHTSA) also verifies certain items about the car. The car has to qualify to be imported, meaning that it has to be the right brand, has to be manufactured for use in the U.S., all the safety features (things like bumper height) that matches up, things like emissions. There are trade agreements with the country that manufactured the car. All those three government agencies have to verify that.

Requirements and Qualifications
If the car is already in the U.S. and has been visiting for a period of time, it may have to go back to the border or outside the U.S. to go through that import process. Just because it’s in the U.S. does not mean that it has been imported, and not every car qualifies. If it was manufactured in a country that doesn’t have a trade agreement, if it’s a brand that’s not allowed to be in the country, or even if it’s a brand that is sold in the U.S. but that particular car wasn’t manufactured for United States titling, it’s not going to fly.

Simplified Process for Previously Titled Vehicles
The first thing to find out is whether that car was ever titled in the U.S. before. If it is, then that import process was already done. Even if it went offshore for some period of time, it’s going to be a lot simpler process to get a title in the U.S.

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Bought a Car with No Vehicle Title

So what happens if you bought a car with no title? This is Dave at cartitles.com.

Seller’s Title Status
A seller will have a car that they don’t have the title for. What happens if you buy it? Well, the place to start is to find out why the seller did not have the title. Was the title just in their name and they lost it, or was the car never legally titled in their name, meaning that it was printed on the front of the title, their name, not that it was signed over to them, but legally issued to them? What did they tell you about that story? How does that match up with what you’re finding out about the vehicle?

Investigating Vehicle Records
Look for other records in the vehicle. Who is the title owner? An old registration, even things like service records, can help you. Did the seller show you their ID so you can verify who their identity actually is?

Importance of a Bill of Sale
More importantly, did you at least get a bill of sale? A bill of sale transferring the car over to you will at least be some documentation that you actually bought that car. It’s not enough to actually get a title from the DMV in most cases, but at least separate you from a person who just grabbed a car out of a parking lot.

Legal Documentation
Because you, without a bill of sale, are in exactly the same legally documented scenario as somebody who just snatched up a car off the street—you have nothing. So at least get a bill of sale, get ID from the seller, and depending upon the type of vehicle, there may be a “do-it-yourself” process that you can use for a title solution for that car.

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Blank Vehicle Title

So, is it okay to get a blank title for a vehicle? A blank title is also known as an open title, meaning that the front of the title has the prior owner’s name printed from the DMV. On the back, it has a place for them to sign over the title to a new owner.

Legal Requirements for Title Transfer
What’s supposed to happen is the owner signs it and fills in the buyer information. Legally, that must be filled in when it’s signed. However, in some cases, the seller will just sign their name, leave it blank, leaving it an open title, and hand it off to the buyer.

Risks of an Open Title
The risk of doing that is that another buyer may put in their name, they may get a loan on it, is the signature even legitimate? There also have been scenarios where the DMV has audited those titles and found out that the date when the new buyer put their information in didn’t match the location, identity, or even whether or not that seller was still alive at that point.

Precautions When Handling Open Titles
So, make sure that if you’re getting an open title, if possible, have that person who is the legal owner fill in the information right then and there with your name on it so that you’re the owner. Because if you lose that title and it’s an open title, whoever grabs it, they own your vehicle. They could put their name in, come to your house, and say this is my car and they take it from you.

Conclusion
So, a blank title and open title has risks, but there’s ways you can take care of that.

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Accepting a Duplicate Vehicle Title

Considerations When Purchasing a Vehicle with a Duplicate Title
If you’re purchasing a vehicle and the seller is going to provide you with a title that’s a duplicate title, what are the considerations that you have? This is Dave at cartitles.com.

Question the Original Title’s Whereabouts
The first question is: where is the original? Why does that seller have a duplicate title? It should reference right on there the duplicate, not the original title. Also, take a look to see when that duplicate was issued. If it was issued two or three years ago versus issued two or three days ago, that might make a difference on the story of why they don’t have the original.

Verify the Seller’s Authority
It also makes a difference if the seller is the listed title owner, meaning that if the seller is not the person listed on the title, they’re selling it for a friend, or it was signed over to them, that may make a difference on how that duplicate title is accepted by the DMV.

Understand the Risks of a Duplicate Title
There are risks involved with accepting a duplicate title. It means that there was another legal title for that vehicle out there somewhere. Now that title is now void, but it doesn’t say void on that title, meaning that a prior owner may have gotten a title loan or title brand on that original title that could affect your ownership on that duplicate title.

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DIY Duplicate Lost Car Title

Getting a Duplicate Title for a Vehicle
So how do you get a duplicate title for a vehicle? If you have a vehicle that was previously registered or titled in your name, you can do what’s called a true duplicate. You don’t have to do a title recovery or often a bonded title. It was legally titled in your name, you can get a duplicate title from the DMV in your name where it was issued.

Ensuring Correct Name on Title
Make sure, however, that it was in your name, not in your seller’s name, and you’re also going to the same state where it was last issued. For example, if you have the title in Minnesota but you’ve since moved to Texas, you actually have to request that title from Minnesota.

State Requirements and Notary Forms
Some states require you to go in person. If they’re requesting an in-person title application, you can ask them to send you an affidavit notary form where you sign it in front of a notary. They just don’t want to be sending titles to the wrong people that don’t actually own the car. They’re protecting your interest, but you go back to the state where it was last titled to request the document to get a duplicate title.

Handling Liens and Fees
If there was a lien on the vehicle, even if it’s paid off, you might need to get a lien release. Your bank will issue that to you free of charge, and you can send it in to the DMV or bring it in person. They’ll issue that duplicate title for a very small fee—five bucks, ten bucks—usually a very nominal fee. They normally will not do it on the spot; they won’t hand you the title across the desk. They have to print it in an off-site location and then maybe mail it to you later, but it’s usually pretty quick.

Additional Steps and Resources
Make sure you go back to the state where it was last registered and make sure you have a lien release even if that lien was paid off. The DMV may not know it was paid off, so you have to get that duplicate lien release letter from the bank where the loan was. That’s an easy way to get a true duplicate. If it wasn’t in your name and you have to go another route, look for other videos, and we’ll give you do-it-yourself step-by-step process on those as well.

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