How to Complete and Submit New York Form MV-999: Documents and Fees

The New York MV-999 Certificate of Title is the document the DMV prints and mails to prove you own a vehicle. You don’t fill out the MV-999 itself. To get one, you submit either a Vehicle Registration/Title Application (MV-82) or an Application for Title Only (MV-82TON), together with proof of ownership, identification, proof that sales tax has been paid or is exempt, and the title fee.¹ Allow up to 45 days from the date DMV receives your paperwork for the printed title to arrive in the mail.²

A Certificate of Title establishes legal ownership of a car, truck, motorcycle, motorboat, travel or utility trailer weighing 1,000 pounds or more, or a manufactured home.³ You’ll need to apply for one when you buy a new or used vehicle, move to New York with a vehicle titled elsewhere, receive a vehicle as a gift or inheritance, or add or remove a lienholder.⁴

Choose the Right Application Form

Two forms can start a title application. Which one you use depends on whether you also want to register the vehicle.

Use the MV-82 (Vehicle Registration/Title Application) if you want title and registration at the same time. This is the normal choice for someone buying a car to drive right away.

Use the MV-82TON (Application for Title Only) if you only need the title certificate, with no registration or plates. This fits a vehicle stored off-road, or a situation where you want ownership on paper before deciding whether to register.

Both forms are available on the DMV website, at any DMV office, or by phone through a DMV Contact Center.³ Fill them out in blue or black ink and print clearly. An illegible application is one of the easiest ways to trigger a delay.

Documents You Need to Gather

Missing a single document will usually get your application sent back. Collect everything before you go to a DMV office or seal an envelope.

Proof of Ownership

The required document depends on how you acquired the vehicle. For a new vehicle, it’s the manufacturer’s certificate of origin (MCO) submitted by the dealer. For a private used-car purchase, it’s the seller’s title, signed over to you. For a vehicle whose loan the lender held, it’s the title plus the lender’s lien release. For an out-of-state move, it’s the original out-of-state title, which you must surrender to get a New York MV-999.⁵

Statement of Transaction (DTF-802)

This Department of Taxation and Finance form documents the purchase price. Use it when sales tax wasn’t collected at the time of purchase, or when the vehicle was received as a gift. Both buyer and seller (or donor) complete their sections. If the seller or donor is not required to complete the affidavit section, the buyer must bring a bill of sale signed by the seller instead.⁶

Proof That Sales Tax Was Paid or Is Exempt

Acceptable proof includes a Retail Certificate of Sale (MV-50) from a dealer, or a receipt for sales tax payment (FS-6T) from the Department of Taxation and Finance.¹ DMV will not issue the title until tax is cleared.

Six Points of Identification

You must prove your name and date of birth using documents that add up to at least six points under the DMV’s point system.⁷ A current New York State driver license, learner permit, or non-driver ID card (or one expired less than two years) is worth six points by itself and covers the whole requirement.⁸

Without a current New York ID, you combine other documents. Common point values:

U.S. passport or passport card: 4 points
Photo driver license from another U.S. state, current or expired less than two years: 4 points
U.S. military photo ID: 3 points
Certificate of Naturalization: 3 points
Original U.S. Social Security card: 2 points
New York State Certificate of Title: 2 points
Bank statement issued within one year: 1 point

The full chart is on DMV form ID-44. Pick your combination before you go.⁸

Fees and Sales Tax

The title certificate fee is $50, or $125 for a manufactured home.¹ If you are also registering the vehicle on an MV-82, separate registration fees apply on top of the title fee.⁹

Sales tax is calculated on the purchase price at the combined state and local rate for the jurisdiction where the vehicle will be registered. The state rate is 4 percent, and counties and cities add their own rates on top. An additional 0.375 percent applies in the Metropolitan Commuter Transportation District, which covers New York City and the counties of Dutchess, Nassau, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Suffolk, and Westchester.¹⁰ Check the Department of Taxation and Finance website for current combined rates in your area before you apply.

By mail, pay with a check or money order payable to the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles.¹ In person, DMV offices also accept most credit cards, debit cards, and prepaid cards that do not require a PIN.¹¹

Where to Submit Your Application

You can file in person at a DMV office or mail everything to Albany.

Applying in person has one practical advantage: a clerk reviews your documents on the spot. If something is missing or wrong, you find out immediately. When you file an MV-82 for title and registration together, the office issues your registration certificate and plates the same day. The title itself is never handed over at the counter. Every MV-999 is printed at a secure facility in Albany and mailed afterward.¹²

To apply by mail, send the completed form, all supporting documents, and your check or money order to:

Title Services Bureau
New York State DMV
6 Empire State Plaza
Albany, NY 12228¹

Some application types must be mailed to this address and can’t be processed at a local office, including garage person’s liens, salvage certificates, manufactured home titles, boat titles, bonded vehicles, and dealer applications for vehicles returned under the Lemon Law.

Special Situations

Moving to New York With an Out-of-State Vehicle

Surrender the original out-of-state title with your application. DMV will not issue a New York title without it.⁵ If you are also registering, DMV sends your registration documents, plates, and a 10-day Inspection Extension Sticker (VS-1077) together. Allow about six weeks. When you enter New York, place the sticker on the vehicle and mark the date you arrived; you then have 10 days to get a New York State inspection.¹³

Private Sales

The seller signs the back of the existing title to release ownership, and the buyer brings that signed title to DMV. Both parties should also complete a DTF-802 showing the price. The buyer pays sales tax on that price. Under Vehicle and Traffic Law Section 2105, the application must include the date of purchase, the seller’s name and address, and any lienholder information, and the buyer must sign a statement disclosing any facts that could affect the title’s validity or any liens on the vehicle.¹⁴

Gifted Vehicles

The paperwork mirrors a private sale, but the tax treatment differs. Gifts between spouses, parents, children, stepparents, and stepchildren are exempt from sales tax; enter zero on line 4 of the DTF-802.⁶ Gifts outside that family circle are not tax-exempt, and the donor must complete the affidavit section (Section 6) of the DTF-802. If the vehicle’s fair market value exceeds $19,000, the donor may also need to file IRS Form 709 for that tax year, though no gift tax is owed unless the donor has exceeded their lifetime exemption.¹⁵

Inherited Vehicles

How you transfer the title after a death depends on the vehicle’s value and who’s claiming it. If the vehicle is worth $25,000 or less, a surviving spouse can sign the back of the title on the seller’s line, followed by “as surviving Spouse.” If there is no spouse, a legal guardian can sign for a surviving child under 21, noting the relationship. If the vehicle is going to someone other than the spouse or child, the spouse or guardian completes a notarized Affidavit for Transfer of Motor Vehicle (MV-349.1), and the new owner brings that form plus a photocopy of the death certificate.¹⁶

When the vehicle is worth more than $25,000, or the deceased owned more than one vehicle, it becomes part of the estate. The executor or administrator must get Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration from Surrogate Court, then sign the title followed by “Executor (or Administrator) of the Estate of [deceased owner’s name].” The MV-349 and MV-349.1 shortcut forms do not apply in that situation.¹⁶

Odometer Disclosure

Federal law requires an accurate odometer reading on title transfers for newer vehicles. Vehicles with a model year of 2011 or newer require an odometer disclosure for the first 20 years of the vehicle’s life. A 2011 model, for example, is not exempt until 2031. Vehicles with a 2010 or older model year are exempt.¹⁷ On a paper New York title transfer, the seller writes the mileage on the title and signs it.

When Your Title Arrives

Once DMV receives your application, the Title Bureau in Albany reviews the documents and, if everything is in order, prints the MV-999 and mails it to the owner’s address on file.⁵ Allow up to 45 days.²

Under New York law, the title is always mailed to the vehicle owner, not to the lienholder. If a lien is recorded, DMV separately mails the lienholder a notice of the recorded lien.³ You can check the status of your title or any lien recorded against it through the DMV’s online title status tool. If more than 45 days have passed and nothing has arrived, contact the DMV by email through the inquiry form on the website.²

1
New York Department of Motor Vehicles. Apply for a Title Certificate Only
2
New York DMV. Check a Title or Lien Status
3
New York Department of Motor Vehicles. Information and Instructions About Your Certificate of Title
4
New York Department of Motor Vehicles. Titles and Vehicle Ownership
5
Cornell Law Institute. 15 NYCRR 20.7 – Issuance of Title and Registration; Issuance of Title Only
6
New York State Department of Taxation and Finance. Form DTF-802 Statement of Transaction
7
New York State Department of Motor Vehicles. Proof Requirements for New York State Vehicle Registrations or Title Certificates
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New York State Department of Motor Vehicles. ID-44 How to Apply for a New York Learner Permit, Driver License, or Non-Driver ID Card
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New York State Department of Motor Vehicles. Passenger Vehicle Registration Fees, Use Taxes and Supplemental Fees
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New York State Department of Taxation and Finance. Sales Tax Rates, Additional Sales Taxes, and Fees
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New York Department of Motor Vehicles. Driver License and Learner Permit Fees and Refunds
12
New York Department of Motor Vehicles. Replace a Title Certificate
13
New York Department of Motor Vehicles. Register an Out-of-State Vehicle
14
New York State Senate. New York Code VAT 2105 – Application for First Certificate of Title
15
Internal Revenue Service. Gifts and Inheritances
16
New York Department of Motor Vehicles. If a Family Member Has Passed Away
17
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. NHTSA Announces Final Rule on Electronic Odometer Disclosures