How to Fill Out and Submit the Massachusetts Title Amendment Form (T20065)

The Massachusetts title amendment form, officially the Amend Title/Lienholder Maintenance Application, is what you use to correct information on your vehicle’s Certificate of Title or to add, remove, or update a lienholder. Download the current version from mass.gov, mail it to the RMV’s Title Division with your original title, any supporting documents, and a $25 check made out to MassDOT, and expect the corrected title back in 10 to 14 business days.¹

What the Form Can Change

The application covers two categories of changes on the same form, for the same $25 fee.² The first is correcting information already printed on your title: a misspelled name, a wrong VIN, an inaccurate odometer reading. The second is lienholder maintenance: adding a new lender, removing one after paying off a loan, or updating a lender’s name or address.

Name changes from a marriage, divorce, or court order also go through this form. The RMV requires the title change first; only then can the registration be updated to match.³

Filling Out the Form

Vehicle Information

The top of the form asks for four items: year, make, VIN, and title number.² Copy the seventeen-character VIN exactly as it appears on your existing title or on the metal plate at the base of the windshield. The title number is on the face of the current Certificate of Title. A single transposed digit in either field can bounce your application. The form does not ask for the model.

Owner Information

Enter your full legal name (last, first, middle) and the mailing address that should appear on the corrected title. For a vehicle owned by a business, use the company name; the RMV may also need the Federal Identification number to match its records.²

Describing the Change

There is a section where you write out what needs to be fixed. Put the incorrect information exactly as it currently reads on the title, then put the corrected version. Be specific. “Title reads ‘Jon Smith’; correct spelling is ‘John Smith'” is the kind of clarity that keeps a clerk from having to guess, and guessing is what produces a second round of corrections.

Documents to Include

Every amendment requires your original Massachusetts Certificate of Title. Photocopies are not accepted.¹ Everything else depends on what you are changing.

Odometer Corrections

To correct the odometer reading, include a notarized affidavit of facts explaining the discrepancy.² Odometer statements carry federal weight as well: a false mileage disclosure on a title document violates 49 U.S.C. § 32705 and can bring civil and criminal penalties.⁴

Lienholder Changes

To remove a lienholder, submit the original title with the lender’s stamp and signature releasing the lien, or a separate lien release letter on the lender’s official letterhead. The RMV does not accept photocopies of lien releases.¹ To add a lender, include the lienholder’s name and address as they should appear on the new title.

Name Changes

For a name change from marriage, divorce, or a court order, include a certified copy of the underlying document: the marriage certificate, divorce decree, or court order. Standard photocopies will not be accepted for any supporting document on a title amendment.

If Someone Else Is Filing for You

The RMV allows another person to handle the paperwork under a power of attorney. Its own Vehicle Owner’s Limited Power of Attorney form works, and it will accept any legally executed POA that names you, is signed by you, grants authority over vehicle title transactions, and comes with a legible copy of the agent’s driver’s license or ID. The agent must write “P.O.A.” next to their signature on every form.⁵ The RMV will not transfer a title into the name of the agent.

If Your Original Title Is Lost

Because the RMV insists on the original Certificate of Title, a lost title means an extra step before you can amend. Apply for a duplicate first, either online through the myRMV portal or by mailing in a duplicate title application. The fee is $25.⁶ You will need your VIN or title number (both appear on your registration) and your Massachusetts driver’s license number, or a business Federal Identification number. Once the duplicate arrives, file the amendment as normal. Total out of pocket: $50, since you pay $25 for the duplicate and $25 for the amendment.

Where to Mail It and What to Pay

Send the completed form, your original title, any supporting documents, and a $25 check or money order payable to MassDOT to the RMV’s Title Division.⁸

You are putting your original title in the mail, so certified mail or a tracked delivery service is worth the small extra cost. If the envelope disappears, you are out the title and have to pay for a duplicate before you can start again. Keep copies of everything in the package.

What Happens After You Submit

The RMV states the amended Certificate of Title should arrive by mail within 10 to 14 business days.¹ It will only mail the new title to one of four places: the owner’s mailing address on file, a car dealership, a lienholder, or an insurance agent.² If there is an active lien on the vehicle, the title goes to the lender. Confirm that the address the RMV has for you is current before you file, or the new title may land at an old one.

If several weeks pass and nothing has arrived and nothing has come back, call the RMV’s Title Division to check the status. A rejection almost always means a missing document or a payment problem, and the RMV usually returns the package with a note explaining what to fix.

Lien Releases From a Bank That No Longer Exists

Removing a lien from a lender that has closed is a common obstacle. If the bank failed and was placed into FDIC receivership, the FDIC can help. Use the FDIC’s BankFind tool to confirm the bank was FDIC-insured and went into receivership. If the failure happened within the last two years and another bank acquired it, contact the acquiring bank for the release.⁹

For older failures with no acquiring bank handling legacy accounts, request the release from the FDIC directly. You will need a legible copy of your title showing the owner’s name, lienholder’s name, VIN, title number, year, and make. If the title is unavailable, a Vehicle Inquiry Report or Title Report from the state works instead. The FDIC’s line for these requests is 888-206-4662.⁹ The FDIC cannot help with credit unions (contact the NCUA) or with banks that merged voluntarily without government assistance.

1
Mass.gov. Change Information on Your Vehicle Title
2
Mass.gov. Amend Title/Lienholder Maintenance Application
3
Mass.gov. Change Information on Your Vehicle Registration
4
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 49 USC 32705 – Disclosure Requirements on Transfer of Motor Vehicles
5
Mass.gov. Power of Attorney for Registration and Title Transactions
6
Mass.gov. Replace Your Vehicle’s Certificate of Title
7
8
Mass.gov. Amend Title/Lienholder Maintenance Application
The mailing address is:

Registry of Motor Vehicles
Title Division
P.O. Box 55885
Boston, MA 02205-5885 7Mass.gov. Change Information on Your Vehicle Title
9
FDIC.gov. Obtaining a Lien Release