To fill out California DMV Form REG 343, the Application for Title or Registration, gather your out-of-state title, smog certificate, proof of insurance, and any required VIN verification, then complete the vehicle description, owner and lienholder details, purchase price, and signature blocks before submitting the form with fees at a DMV field office. You have 20 days from the date you first drove the vehicle in California to file it.1California DMV. Forms – California DMV Miss that window and the penalty is 40 percent of the vehicle license fee and weight fee due for the year.2California DMV. Registration Fees – California DMV
REG 343 is used for vehicles being registered in California for the first time: brand new, coming from another state, or being revived after being junked or removed from the DMV database. It is not the form for renewals or standard title transfers between California owners.
Documents to Gather Before You Start
The form asks for information that lives on other paperwork, so collect everything first. For most people bringing in an out-of-state vehicle, the stack looks like this:
- The original out-of-state title, which you surrender to the DMV. If you don’t have the title, bring the most recent registration card from the previous state.
- A valid California smog certificate, good for 90 days from the date it was issued. Gasoline vehicles less than eight model years old are exempt, as are electric vehicles, diesels from model year 1997 and older, and gasoline vehicles from 1975 and older. The smog station transmits results electronically, but keep your receipt.3California DMV. Smog Inspections – California DMV
- A Verification of Vehicle (REG 31) if the DMV has no existing record for your vehicle. A DMV employee, licensed vehicle verifier, or authorized peace officer can complete it. For motorcycles, the REG 31 must include both engine and frame numbers.4California DMV. Vehicle Industry Registration Procedures Manual – 15.100 OHV Verification
- A weight certificate from a California-certified public weighmaster for most commercial vehicles.5California DMV. Vehicle Industry Registration Procedures Manual – Weight Certificate
- Proof of insurance. California accepts an auto liability policy, a $35,000 surety bond, a $35,000 cash deposit with the DMV, or a certificate of self-insurance. Most people bring a current insurance card or declarations page.6California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code VEH 1656.2
Filling In the Vehicle Description
Enter the full 17-character Vehicle Identification Number exactly as it appears on the dashboard plate visible through the windshield on the driver’s side, or on the label on the driver’s door jamb. The form also asks for the year, make, model, and body type.7California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code VEH 4150
Record the odometer reading in the boxes provided. Under federal rules updated in 2021, odometer disclosure is required for any vehicle less than 20 model years old, a change from the previous 10-year cutoff. Fill in the date the vehicle first entered California, since that date starts the 20-day registration clock.
Owner and Lienholder Information
List the full legal name and California residential address for every registered owner. If two people will appear on the title, both names go on the form. Use a physical California address; giving an out-of-state mailing address as the primary residence can trigger a rejection because the form is specifically for vehicles being operated by California residents.
If a bank, credit union, or other lender holds a lien on the vehicle, enter that name and address in the Legal Owner section. When the title is issued, the DMV will mail it directly to the lienholder.
Purchase Price and Value
This section drives the DMV’s use tax calculation, so the numbers matter. Include the price of the vehicle plus the value of any trade-in and all permanently attached accessories or equipment. Do not include sales tax, insurance premiums, finance charges, or warranty costs in the total.8California Department of Motor Vehicles. Application for Title or Registration
If you bought the vehicle in another state and paid sales tax there, enter that amount. California gives you a dollar-for-dollar credit against the use tax you owe, up to the full California tax amount. You’ll need to file a Statement of Facts (REG 256) to claim the credit, and the credit cannot exceed what California would have charged.9California DMV. Vehicle Industry Registration Procedures Manual – 4.015 Credit for Tax Paid to Another State There is no credit for taxes paid to foreign countries or U.S. territories like Guam or Puerto Rico.
When Use Tax Doesn’t Apply
Some transfers are exempt from use tax, and how you complete the price section changes accordingly.10California DMV. Vehicle Industry Registration Procedures Manual – 4.035 Transactions Not Subject to Use Tax
- Genuine gifts, with no money or other consideration exchanged. Write “gift” on the back of the title where the price would go, and submit a completed REG 256.
- Inheritance, whether through a will or intestate succession. You’ll need either an Affidavit for Transfer Without Probate (REG 5) or a REG 256 from a surviving co-owner. For an out-of-state titled vehicle received through inheritance, the title must be transferred in the state of origin before California will register it.
- Transfers between spouses, domestic partners, parents, grandparents, children, grandchildren, or siblings (siblings only if both are minors related by blood or adoption). Include a REG 256 showing the family relationship.
Signatures
Every owner listed on the application must sign and date the form. Your signature certifies that the information is true. If someone is signing on behalf of an owner under a power of attorney, bring the original or a certified copy of that document to the counter.
Fees You’ll Pay With the Form
Registration costs are the sum of several separate line items, and the total depends on the vehicle’s value, weight, and type. For most passenger vehicles the fees include:2California DMV. Registration Fees – California DMV
- Registration fee: $76, which includes a $3 alternative fuel/technology fee.
- Title fee: $28.
- California Highway Patrol fee: $34.
- Vehicle license fee: 0.65 percent of the vehicle’s purchase price or current market value.
- Transportation improvement fee: a tiered charge based on the vehicle’s value, from $33 for vehicles worth under $5,000 up to $231 for vehicles valued at $60,000 or more.
- Use tax: calculated on the purchase price at the combined state and local sales tax rate for your residence, less any credit for sales tax paid in another state.
Zero-emission vehicles from model year 2020 and later also pay a $121 road improvement fee, though it doesn’t apply to the initial registration of a new ZEV purchased from a licensed dealer.
Where to Submit REG 343
Most first-time registrations go through a DMV field office, and that’s usually the smoothest route. Schedule an appointment on dmv.ca.gov before showing up; walk-in wait times can be long.11California DMV. Appointments – Service Selection – California DMV Bring the completed REG 343, all supporting documents, and payment. The DMV accepts checks, money orders, debit cards, and credit cards (with a service fee for credit).
You can mail the application to DMV headquarters in Sacramento instead, but processing takes longer and you won’t get an immediate receipt or temporary permit at a counter. First-time registrations of out-of-state vehicles cannot be completed online; the DMV’s online tools handle renewals, not original registrations.
What Arrives After You Submit
If the paperwork is in order and the fees are paid, the DMV can issue a temporary operating permit so you can drive the vehicle legally while you wait for plates. A nonresident vehicle with an incomplete application can get a one-time 30-day permit. If the application is complete and sent to headquarters for plate manufacturing, the permit lasts 90 days.12California DMV. Temporary Operating Permits – California DMV
Your California Certificate of Title typically arrives by mail within 15 to 30 days.13California DMV. Title Transfers and Changes – California DMV If a lienholder is listed, the title goes to the lender. License plates and month/year registration stickers follow separately. When they arrive, mount the plates and place the stickers on the rear plate: month in the upper left corner, year in the upper right.