How Much Does a Duplicate Title Cost in Louisiana?

A duplicate vehicle title in Louisiana costs $68.50 through the Office of Motor Vehicles, the flat fee set by Louisiana Revised Statutes Section 32:728 for any certificate of title.¹ You can apply if your original was lost, stolen, damaged, or never arrived. The application is a notarized affidavit on Form DPSMV 1799, submitted in person, by mail, or through a public tag agent.

What You’ll Actually Pay

The $68.50 is the state’s charge for the title itself. If you need to record a lien on the new title at the same time, add $5 per notation. Canceling a lien on the new title is another $5.¹

Those figures assume you go directly to an OMV office. Public tag agents, the privately run offices licensed to handle OMV transactions, can charge a convenience fee of up to $23 per transaction on top of the state fee, plus a separate charge for notary services if you use theirs. Through a tag agent, the total commonly runs over $90.

Who Can Apply

Only three parties can request a duplicate title: the registered owner, the owner’s authorized agent, or the lienholder.² If someone else handles the paperwork for the owner, a power of attorney or court order authorizing them has to come with the application.

One boundary matters up front. The OMV will not issue a duplicate title in a deceased person’s name. A different process applies, described below.²

What to Bring

The core document is Form DPSMV 1799, the Vehicle Application. It contains a dedicated duplicate title affidavit section that you have to fill out and sign. The form is available at any OMV office, on the OMV website, or through a public tag agent.³

You’ll also need:

A valid Louisiana driver’s license or state-issued ID. Out-of-state licenses can be listed on the form but may not be accepted for electronic processing.³
Vehicle details: VIN, make, model, year, body type, and mileage are all mandatory fields.³
Proof of lien satisfaction, if a prior loan has been paid off. Either the original promissory note stamped “paid” or a formal lien release from the lender will work.²

The Notarization Step

The duplicate title affidavit section of Form DPSMV 1799 must be signed by the owner and notarized.² The affidavit is your sworn statement that the original title was lost or destroyed, and issuing the duplicate voids the original.

You have two ways to skip a separate notary trip. You can sign the affidavit in front of an OMV employee at any office, or in front of a public tag agent employee. Either counts as a valid substitute.² If you’re mailing the application, the affidavit has to be notarized before you send it.

Where to File

There is no online option for duplicate titles. The OMV requires them on paper, even though Louisiana’s ExpressLane portal does handle duplicate vehicle registrations. You have three routes.

In Person at an OMV Office

Bring your completed Form DPSMV 1799, your ID, and the $68.50 fee. You can sign the affidavit in front of the OMV employee handling your application and avoid a separate notary charge.

By Mail

Send the completed form with the notarized affidavit to: Office of Motor Vehicles, P.O. Box 64886, Baton Rouge, LA 70896. Include a check or money order for $68.50 payable to the Office of Motor Vehicles. Do not send cash. If you want the title mailed to an address other than the one on your vehicle record, include a notarized statement authorizing the alternate address.²

Through a Public Tag Agent

Tag agents tend to have shorter waits than OMV offices and can walk you through the form and notarization in one visit. The trade-off is the convenience fee, capped at $23 per transaction, on top of the state’s $68.50.

If the Vehicle Has an Active Lien

The process shifts if a loan or other lien is still recorded on the vehicle. The OMV will not mail the duplicate title to you. The recorded lienholder has to complete the Affidavit of Non-Possession of Title section on the application and have it notarized, and the OMV mails the duplicate directly to the lienholder.²

Contact your lender first. The lienholder can actually request the duplicate without your signature, as long as the lien is staying on the title. If you need the duplicate to sell the vehicle, you’ll likely have to pay off the loan and get a lien release before the OMV will issue a clean title in your name.²

If the Titled Owner Has Died

Since the OMV won’t issue a duplicate in a deceased person’s name, Louisiana law provides a separate transfer process under RS 32:707.1 for anyone with an ownership interest in the vehicle.⁴ The result is a new title in the heir’s or buyer’s name, not a duplicate of the old one.

The applicant needs to submit:

A death certificate or other proof of death the OMV will accept.
A copy of the will, if one exists, or a notarized statement summarizing how the will addresses vehicles.
The original title and registration if available; if not, a sworn declaration that they are unavailable.
An affidavit from every person with an ownership interest in the vehicle, establishing their relationship to the deceased, their knowledge of any will, and a transfer of their interest to the applicant.

All of those affidavits have to be notarized. Because the paperwork stack is heavier than a standard duplicate, many people find working with a public tag agent or attorney worthwhile.⁴

After You Apply

The OMV mails the duplicate to the address on file for the owner, or to the lienholder if a lien is active. Processing times vary, but most applicants receive the title within a couple of weeks. An application filed in person or through a tag agent reaches the title processing unit faster than a mailed one.

Once the duplicate is issued, the original is no longer valid. If the missing title later turns up, don’t try to use it for a sale or transfer. The OMV’s records will show the duplicate as the current document. Destroy the old one.

1
Justia Law. Louisiana Revised Statutes Title 32 RS 32-728 – Fees
2
Louisiana Department of Public Safety. Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles Duplicate Title Policy
3
Louisiana Department of Public Safety. Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles Policy 2.03 – Completion of Vehicle Application DPSMV 1799
4
FindLaw. Louisiana Revised Statutes Title 32 Section 707.1