To file for a lost title in Louisiana, complete form DPSMV 1799, fill out and notarize the duplicate title affidavit section, and submit it to the Office of Motor Vehicles with a $76.50 fee. The form handles everything in one document, and most owners can finish the process in a single visit to an OMV office.
What You Need Before You Start
The DPSMV 1799 is the only form required. It covers title, registration, and duplicate title requests together, and the duplicate title affidavit is built into the form itself, so there’s no separate affidavit to hunt down. You can pick one up at any OMV office.
Before you sit down to fill it out, gather the vehicle details you’ll need to enter:
- The full VIN, found on the driver’s side dashboard or door jamb
- Make, model, body style, and year
- Current mileage
- License plate number
You’ll also list your full legal name, residential address, parish, and driver’s license or state ID number as the registered owner.
Fill Out the Duplicate Title Affidavit Correctly
This is where applications get kicked back. The affidavit section asks you to check one of three boxes explaining why you need a replacement: lost, mutilated, or never received. Pick one, sign, and have the signature notarized.
You can skip the notary if you bring the form to an OMV office or a licensed Private Tag Agent and sign in front of their employee. The employee witnesses your signature after verifying your ID. If you’re mailing the application, a notary public has to sign, print their name, and include their notary ID number.
One more thing worth checking twice: if the title record lists more than one owner, every owner has to sign the affidavit. A missing signature means starting over.
Where to Submit and What It Costs
You can hand the completed DPSMV 1799 to any OMV office in person or mail it to:
Office of Motor Vehicles
P.O. Box 64886
Baton Rouge, LA 70896
The duplicate title fee is $68.50, plus an $8.00 handling fee, for a total of $76.50.1Louisiana Department of Public Safety. Office of Motor Vehicles Policy 69.00 Fees Mail-in applicants should pay by check or money order made out to the Office of Motor Vehicles. In-person visits generally accept additional payment methods.
The new title is mailed to the address on your application regardless of how you submitted it. In-person submissions tend to process faster, but the physical title arrives by mail either way. Allow several weeks for mailed applications once you factor in both processing and postal delivery. Once the duplicate is issued, the original title is treated as void. If the old one turns up in a drawer later, it’s no longer valid.
If Your Vehicle Has an Active Loan
When there’s an outstanding loan on the vehicle, the duplicate title goes to the lienholder instead of to you. Louisiana law requires the lienholder of first rank to hold the title until the debt is fully paid off.2Louisiana State Legislature. Louisiana Code RS 32:708 – Issuance of Certificates, Satisfaction of Lien or Security Interest, Security Measures
The lender has to complete and notarize the “Affidavit of Non-Possession of Title by Lienholder” section on the DPSMV 1799, stating whether they never received the original or received it and then surrendered it to the owner.3Louisiana Department of Public Safety. Office of Motor Vehicles Duplicate Title Policy You’ll want to coordinate with the lender before submitting anything. The lienholder can actually request the duplicate on their own without your signature, as long as the lien stays on the title.
If the loan is paid off but the lien still shows on OMV records, you’ll need proof of satisfaction. That can be the original promissory note stamped “paid,” a lien release on the lender’s letterhead listing the vehicle’s make, model year, and VIN, or a notarized affidavit of satisfaction signed by a representative of the lender.3Louisiana Department of Public Safety. Office of Motor Vehicles Duplicate Title Policy
If the Titled Owner Has Died
Replacing a lost title on behalf of a deceased owner isn’t really a duplicate title transaction. It’s a transfer, and which path you take depends on whether a succession (Louisiana’s version of probate) has been opened.
If no succession exists, the surviving spouse, heirs, and legatees can use an Affidavit of Heirship (form DPSMV 1696) to transfer the vehicle. Every surviving heir and legatee has to sign, the affidavit must be notarized, and you’ll need proof of death — either a death certificate or a published obituary.4Louisiana Department of Public Safety. Office of Motor Vehicles Policy 18.02 Affidavit of Heirship This works for straightforward family situations where everyone agrees. If any heir refuses or can’t be located, the affidavit route closes.
If a court has already opened a succession, the Affidavit of Heirship doesn’t apply.4Louisiana Department of Public Safety. Office of Motor Vehicles Policy 18.02 Affidavit of Heirship You’ll bring the succession documents issued by the court, such as a Judgment of Possession or Letters of Administration, along with the completed DPSMV 1799 and proof of death. Those court documents establish who has authority over the vehicle.