How to Fill Out and Submit Maine Form MVT-16: Documents and Filing

Maine Form MVT-16 is a reassignment-of-ownership form you attach to an existing certificate of title or Manufacturer’s Certificate of Origin (MCO) when the assignment area on the back of that document can’t be used to transfer the vehicle. It is not a title application on its own. You submit it together with Form MVT-2 (Application for Certificate of Title) and the original title or MCO to Maine’s Bureau of Motor Vehicles.¹

When You Need an MVT-16

Most Maine vehicle sales don’t need one. In a normal private sale, the seller signs the assignment on the back of the title and the buyer applies for a new title. Reach for an MVT-16 only when that built-in assignment won’t work. The typical situations:

The back of the title is already filled from a prior transfer. Maine’s BMV instructs that the back of the title be used first; when it’s full, the seller writes “See MVT-16” across the assignment section and attaches the completed MVT-16.²
There’s a gap in the chain of ownership. If someone bought a vehicle but never titled it in their name and is now selling it to you, they use an MVT-16 to assign it directly to you. Writing your name above theirs on the title, or using correction fluid, is not allowed.
A dealer is selling a new vehicle (attached to the MCO), a used vehicle less than 25 model years old (attached to the current title), or transferring a vehicle to a wholesale buyer.²

Think of the MVT-16 as a bridge document. It connects the current title to the new owner when the title’s own assignment section can’t do the job. Maine’s duplicate-title form even states directly that it is “not a transfer of ownership” and directs users to the MVT-16 for that purpose.¹

How to Fill It Out

The MVT-16 is available from local town offices, BMV branch offices, and the Maine Secretary of State’s forms page at maine.gov.³ Both the assigning party and the buyer must sign it. You’ll need:

The full 17-character Vehicle Identification Number, make, model, model year, and body type.
The odometer reading at the time of transfer. Federal law requires an odometer disclosure on most vehicle transfers.
The seller’s or assigning party’s name, address, and signature.
The buyer’s name, address, and signature.
Lienholder name, address, and lien date, if any lien exists.

Match the existing title exactly. If the VIN, odometer reading, or names on the MVT-16 don’t line up with what’s on the title, the Title Unit suspends the application and returns it, which adds weeks. Check the VIN against the plate on the vehicle’s dashboard. A single transposed digit is the most common reason applications stall.

What to Submit With It

Under Title 29-A, Section 654 of the Maine Revised Statutes, a title application must include the owner’s name and address, the vehicle description, the date of purchase, the seller’s name and address, any lienholder information, the existing title or MCO, and the required fee.⁴ Your package to the BMV includes:

Form MVT-2, the main title application, signed by the new owner.
The existing title or MCO, with the MVT-16 physically attached to it.
The completed MVT-16, signed by both parties.
A bill of sale. Recommended for private sales to document price and date.
The $33 title application fee by check or money order payable to the Secretary of State.⁵

If the vehicle was last titled in another state, you’ll also need the out-of-state title and a VIN verification performed by someone the Secretary of State has authorized.⁴

Where to Send It and How Long It Takes

Mail the completed package to:

Division of Title Services
Bureau of Motor Vehicles
29 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333-0029⁶

Questions can go to the Title Unit at titles.bmv@maine.gov before you submit. If you need the title faster, an expedited processing fee of $10 is available on top of the $33 fee.⁵

Once the Title Division receives a complete and accurate application, current processing times are 14 business days for a regular title, 3 to 5 business days for a rush title, and 5 to 8 business days for a duplicate. Those windows don’t include mail time in either direction, and an incomplete or inaccurate application is suspended rather than processed, so the clock doesn’t start until everything is correct.⁶

If the Vehicle Doesn’t Need a Title

Maine requires a certificate of title only for vehicles with a model year within the last 25 years. As of January 1, 2026, that means model year 2001 or newer. Older vehicles are generally exempt from titling, though the Secretary of State can issue a warranty title for an older vehicle when doing so serves both the state’s and the applicant’s interests.⁷

If you’re transferring a vehicle that falls outside the titling requirement, you don’t need to submit an MVT-2. You can request a letter of ownership from the BMV for a $5 fee instead. This matters mostly for classic cars and trucks.

Not to Be Confused With the Abandoned Vehicle Process

If you’re a property owner trying to claim title to a vehicle left on your land without permission, the MVT-16 is the wrong form. Maine’s abandoned vehicle procedure uses Form MVT-28 (Notice to the Secretary of State of an Abandoned Vehicle) along with an MVT-2 and the $33 fee, and it involves notifying the last known owner, waiting out a statutory period, and coordinating with law enforcement.⁸ The MVT-16 handles a straightforward ownership transfer between known parties, not that.

1
Ogunquit Maine. MVT-8 Duplicate Title Application
2
Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Dealer Title Processes
3
Maine Secretary of State. Forms and Applications
4
Maine Legislature. Maine Code Title 29-A Section 654 – Application for Certificate of Title and Certificate of Salvage
5
Maine Secretary of State. Title Fees
6
Maine Secretary of State. Titles
7
Maine State Legislature. Maine Code Title 29-A Section 652 – Exempted Vehicles
8
Maine Secretary of State. Instructions for Claiming Abandoned Vehicles