How to Fill Out HSMV Form 82040: Florida Certificate of Title Application

HSMV Form 82040 is the Florida application for a certificate of title, used to establish or transfer ownership of a motor vehicle, mobile home, or vessel, and optionally to register it at the same time. Since January 1, 2024, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles has issued the form in three separate versions, so the first thing to get right is picking the one that matches what you’re titling.¹ You submit the completed form at your local county tax collector’s office.²

Pick the Right Version

The old combined 82040 is no longer accepted. Use:

HSMV 82040 MV for cars, trucks, motorcycles, trailers, and other motor vehicles.³
HSMV 82040 VS for boats and other vessels.
HSMV 82040 MH for mobile homes and manufactured housing.

The rest of what follows focuses on 82040 MV, the version most filers need. Vessel and mobile home filings follow the same general pattern on their respective forms.

When You Have to File

Florida requires a title application any time ownership of a motor vehicle changes hands or is first established in the state.⁴ Common triggers:

You bought a vehicle from a private party.
You moved to Florida or bought a vehicle titled in another state.
You’re adding or removing an owner, including after a divorce.
Your legal name changed and you want the title updated.
Someone gave you a vehicle.
You bought a new vehicle from a source other than a licensed dealer, and you have the Manufacturer’s Certificate of Origin.

You have 30 days from the date of delivery to file. Miss that window and a $20 late fee is added on top of everything else.⁵ Licensed dealers file the paperwork on dealership purchases, so you generally handle this yourself only for private sales, out-of-state transfers, and ownership changes.

What to Bring

Assemble everything before you go. A missing document sends you home.

Proof of Ownership

For a used vehicle already titled in Florida, bring the Florida certificate of title with the seller’s signature on the assignment section. For a vehicle titled elsewhere, bring the original out-of-state title.⁴ For a new vehicle, bring all Manufacturer’s Certificates of Origin. If a Florida title has been lost or destroyed, you can certify that on Section 11 of the form.⁶

Photo ID for Every Owner

Each person listed on the application needs valid photo ID: an unexpired Florida driver’s license, a driver’s license from another U.S. state or territory, or a U.S. passport. Foreign passport holders also need a valid Permanent Resident card, I-94, or other immigration document proving legal U.S. presence.⁷ IDs marked “Not for Federal Identification” are not accepted.⁸

Florida Insurance (Only if Registering)

If you’re registering the vehicle at the same time, bring proof of Florida auto insurance with at least $10,000 in Personal Injury Protection and $10,000 in Property Damage Liability.⁹ Without it, the office will refuse registration.¹⁰ An insurance card, policy binder, or certificate of insurance works. If you’re applying for a title only, insurance isn’t required.

Filling Out the Key Sections

Vehicle Information and VIN

Enter the full 17-character Vehicle Identification Number exactly as it appears on the vehicle’s VIN plate, usually visible through the lower driver-side corner of the windshield. A single wrong character gets the application rejected. You’ll also fill in the year, make, model, and body style.¹¹

Odometer Disclosure

Federal and Florida law require you to record current mileage. The form has a five- or six-digit odometer field, and you check the box matching your odometer’s digit count.¹¹ Knowingly reporting a false reading is a third-degree felony under Florida law, punishable by up to five years in prison.¹²

Vehicles with a model year of 2010 or older are exempt from odometer disclosure under the federal rule that extended the exemption from 10 to 20 years. Because the exemption is tied to calendar year, model year 2010 vehicles remain the newest exempt vehicles through 2030.

Owner Names and Title Format

Enter each owner’s full legal name and address. If there are two owners, the connector matters. “And” means both must sign to transfer the vehicle later. “Or” allows either to act alone, and if one owner dies, an “or” designation generally lets the survivor transfer the title without probate.

Florida issues electronic titles by default. They cost $2.50 less than paper.¹³ If you want a paper title, you can pick it up in the office or have it mailed. If you go electronic and later need paper, you can convert through the MyDMV Portal for $4.50, with the paper title arriving in about three to four weeks.¹⁴

Purchase Price and Gift Exemption

Report the exact purchase price and sale date. The tax collector uses these to calculate sales tax. If the transfer is a genuine gift, meaning no money or other consideration changed hands and you’re not assuming an outstanding lien, complete the “Sales Tax Exemption Certification” section. You’ll provide a sworn statement describing the vehicle, naming the donor, and confirming no payment was made.¹⁵ The exemption applies to any gift between individuals, not only family members.

VIN Verification for Out-of-State Vehicles

Every used vehicle brought into Florida from another state needs a physical VIN inspection before Florida will issue a title. An authorized person has to look at the VIN plate on the vehicle and confirm it matches the paperwork. The inspection is recorded on Form HSMV 82042 or directly in Section 8 of the 82040 MV.¹⁶

Authorized verifiers include:

Tax collector employees
Florida notaries public
Law enforcement officers from any state
Florida DMV compliance examiners or inspectors
Military police officers

The simplest route is to have it done at the tax collector’s office when you file. If you can’t drive the vehicle there, getting a law enforcement officer or notary to sign off in advance saves a return trip.¹⁷

What It Costs

The base state title-transfer fee is $75.25 for an electronic title.¹³ Add $2.50 for a paper title, and $2 to record a lien. Out-of-state transfers run higher, around $85.75 for an electronic title at most county offices, because of an additional initial title fee.¹⁸ “Fast title” service costs an extra $10.¹⁹

On top of that, you owe Florida’s 6% state sales tax on the purchase price. Most counties also charge a discretionary sales surtax on the first $5,000 of the price, at a rate that varies by county.²⁰ The surtax is based on where the buyer lives, not where the vehicle was bought. A properly declared gift transfer is exempt from sales tax.

Where to File and How Long It Takes

File at any county tax collector’s office in Florida. Most people go in person so the office can review documents on the spot and, if needed, handle VIN verification. Some counties accept applications by mail, but requirements vary; call before you send anything. If you’re registering the vehicle at the same time, both transactions are handled in one visit.

Electronic titles are recorded in the state database almost immediately. A paper title takes about two to four weeks to arrive by mail from FLHSMV in Tallahassee.²¹ Fast title shortens the wait but isn’t instant at every location.

Divorce, Name Changes, and Corrections

If a divorce awards a vehicle to one spouse, the recipient files a new title application with a copy of the court order. You don’t need the whole decree, just the first page, the page conveying the vehicle, and the page with the judge’s signature.⁶ Any existing lien must be resolved; the state won’t issue a clean title over an unresolved lien. For a marriage-based name change, bring your marriage certificate with the current title and application. A court-ordered name change works the same way with a certified court order in place of the marriage certificate. Standard title fees apply.

Salvage, Rebuilt, and Military Situations

If the vehicle was previously declared a total loss, the process is not a standard 82040 filing. Florida defines a vehicle as a total loss when an insurer pays to replace it, or when repair costs reach 80% or more of pre-damage value for uninsured vehicles.²² A repaired salvage vehicle requires a rebuilt inspection, parts receipts, and damage photographs before Florida will issue a rebuilt-branded title, and the brand stays with the vehicle permanently.²³

Active-duty service members have separate exemptions, including a sales tax exemption for Florida residents who buy a vehicle at an out-of-state duty station, and an exemption from the $225 initial registration fee for non-resident military stationed in Florida and their families. Each is claimed by affidavit filed with the application.²⁴

1
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Information Notice (INFO) 23-023
2
Charlotte County Tax Collector. Motor Vehicles
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Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Forms
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Florida Statutes. Florida Code 319.23 – Application For, and Issuance Of, Certificate of Title
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Florida Statutes. Florida Code 319.23(6)(a) – Application For, and Issuance Of, Certificate of Title
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Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Procedure TL-17 – Dissolution of Marriage
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Lee County Tax Collector. Title and Registration Identification Requirements
8
Mike Fasano, Pasco County Tax Collector. Vehicle Title Information
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Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Florida Insurance Requirements
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Florida Statutes. Florida Code 320.02 – Registration Required
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Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. HSMV Form 82040 – Application for Certificate of Motor Vehicle Title
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Florida Senate. Florida Code 319.35 – Unlawful Acts in Connection With Motor Vehicle Odometer Readings
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Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Fees
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Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Electronic Liens and Titles (ELT)
15
Florida Department of Revenue. Do I Have to Pay Sales Tax When I Transfer My Car Title
16
Lee County Tax Collector. VIN Verification
17
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Vehicle Identification Number and Odometer Verification
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Seminole County Tax Collectors. Motor Vehicle Fees
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Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Paper Liens and Titles
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Florida Department of Revenue. Sales and Use Tax on Motor Vehicles
21
Manatee County Tax Collector. Electronic Titles (E-Titles)
22
Florida Senate. Florida Code 319.30 – Definitions, Salvage
23
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Procedure TL-37 – Rebuilt Vehicles
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Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Military Forms Packet