Michigan’s RD-108 form is the single application you file with the Secretary of State to title a vehicle, register it, and pay the use tax in one transaction. Dealers complete it for you and submit it within 21 days of delivery. If you bought from a private seller, you fill it out yourself and bring it to a branch office within 15 days of the sale, or a late fee applies.
What to Gather Before You Start
Everything on the form has to match a document in your hand. Missing one item means a rejected submission or a return trip to the branch. Pull these together first:
- The signed-over Michigan title from the seller, or the Manufacturer’s Certificate of Origin for a new vehicle. This is where you’ll copy the VIN, year, make, body style, and model.
- A written odometer reading from the seller at the time of transfer, either on the title itself or on a separate signed statement.
- Your Michigan driver’s license or state ID. Every person going on the title needs their license or ID number on the form.
- Proof of a valid Michigan No-Fault insurance policy. You cannot register the vehicle without it.
- The lender’s full legal name and address if you financed the purchase, so the lien is recorded on the title.1Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 257.238 – Security Interest in Vehicle; Certificate of Title
- The purchase price, matching your bill of sale. Michigan charges use tax on the greater of the purchase price or the vehicle’s retail value, so underreporting invites penalties.2Michigan Department of Treasury. Transferring a Vehicle Title to a Relative
The RD-108 is available at any Secretary of State branch or as a downloadable PDF from the Michigan Secretary of State website.3Michigan Department of State. Dealer Manual Chapter 7 – RD-108 Application for Title and Registration The form runs in two columns, with fee calculations down the right side.
Filling Out the Form Section by Section
Vehicle and Sale Information
Start at the top of the left column with the purchase date and delivery date. In a private sale these are usually the same day; for a dealer transaction, delivery may be later than the contract date. Check the box for new, used, or demo. If you traded in a vehicle, mark “Yes” and enter that vehicle’s year, make, and VIN.
Enter the odometer mileage exactly as the seller disclosed it, without tenths of a mile, and check whether the reading is actual, not actual, or exceeds the mechanical limits.4Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 257.233a – Transfer of Title or Interest in Vehicle; Disclosure of Odometer Mileage Any mismatch between this number and the odometer statement on the title stops the transaction. In the title brand section, disclose salvage, flood, rebuilt, or other branded history; the Secretary of State cross-references this against its own records.
Owner, Vehicle, and Fee Details
In the right column, copy the year, make, and body style from the title or Manufacturer’s Certificate of Origin. Enter the full 17-character VIN carefully. A single transposed digit creates a mismatch that stops processing. Below the VIN, enter the base MSRP for vehicles from model year 1984 and newer, or the empty weight for pre-1984 vehicles. This figure drives your registration fee.
Fill in the driver’s license or ID number for every person going on the title, and enter your county of residence. Then indicate whether you want a new plate, are transferring an existing plate, or need title only. The fee boxes running down the right side — plate fee, plate transfer fee, title fee, use tax — populate based on those selections.
All owners listed sign the form. If a lender holds a security interest, put the lender’s name and address in the designated field so the lien prints on the certificate of title.
Fees and Use Tax You’ll Calculate on the Form
The RD-108 doubles as your tax payment slip. Michigan levies a 6% use tax on vehicle purchases, calculated on the greater of the purchase price or the vehicle’s retail value. The Department of Treasury makes the final call on value, so a $500 sale price on a car with a $10,000 book value will still be taxed on the higher figure.2Michigan Department of Treasury. Transferring a Vehicle Title to a Relative Write the calculated tax in the use tax block.
For passenger vehicles model year 1984 and newer, the registration fee follows an ad valorem system tied to the manufacturer’s suggested retail price. The fee starts at an original level for new or current-year vehicles and drops through three depreciation levels as the vehicle ages, stopping at level 3 once the vehicle is generally three or more years old.5Michigan Secretary of State. Determining Ad Valorem Fee Level For pre-1984 vehicles, the fee is based on empty weight instead.6Michigan Department of State. License Plates and Tabs
The base title fee is $15. Add $5 for an expedited or instant title, and $1 if the vehicle has a lien recorded against it.3Michigan Department of State. Dealer Manual Chapter 7 – RD-108 Application for Title and Registration Transferring a plate from a vehicle you already own runs $10 to $15 depending on the receiving vehicle’s registration fee. Buying from a private seller and transferring a plate is $15; buying from an immediate family member drops that to $10.7Michigan Department of State. Plate Transfer
When a Family Transfer Skips the Use Tax
If a qualifying relative is giving or selling you the vehicle, the 6% use tax may not apply at all. The exemption covers transfers between spouses, parents and children (including adoptive and step-relationships), siblings, grandparents and grandchildren, in-laws, and legal guardians or wards.2Michigan Department of Treasury. Transferring a Vehicle Title to a Relative Step-relationships qualify only if the marriage is still intact or the parent died while married; a divorce before the transfer disqualifies the exemption.
Aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, and nephews do not qualify. Neither do former spouses or step-grandparents. Keep documents proving the relationship if you claim the exemption. Treasury can audit, and a fraudulent claim carries a penalty of up to 100% of the tax owed.
Filing the Completed Form
If you bought from a dealer, you sign the RD-108 at the dealership and they submit it to the Secretary of State within 21 days of delivery.8Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 257.217 – Registration and Title Application
For a private sale, bring the completed RD-108, the signed-over title, proof of No-Fault insurance, your ID, and payment for taxes and fees to a Secretary of State branch office.9Michigan Department of State. Title Transfer and Vehicle Registration Schedule an appointment online or by calling 888-SOS-MICH (888-767-6424); appointments can be booked up to six months out. Walk-ins get slotted into the next available time, which might be the same day or the next business day.10Michigan Department of State. Scheduling an Office Visit
The clerk reviews your documents, verifies the VIN and odometer readings against state records, and collects the title fee, registration fee, use tax, and any plate transfer fee at the counter.
Bringing a Vehicle in From Another State
An out-of-state vehicle follows the same RD-108 process with more paperwork. Present the out-of-state title, your Michigan driver’s license, proof of Michigan No-Fault insurance, and the vehicle’s out-of-state registration.11Michigan Department of State. Title Transfer and Vehicle Registration If an out-of-state lender holds the title, you also need a copy of the out-of-state title, a memo title, a recently validated title application, or a vehicle record on the issuing state’s DMV letterhead confirming the vehicle is titled there.
When the out-of-state lienholder keeps the physical title, Michigan issues a “Foreign Ownership — Registration Only” memo registration. Your out-of-state title remains the ownership document until the lien is released.
Deadlines and Late Fees
Private buyers have 15 days from the sale date to transfer the title at a branch office. Miss that window and you owe a $15 late fee on top of everything else.9Michigan Department of State. Title Transfer and Vehicle Registration Dealers pay a $50 late fee if the RD-108 is submitted more than 21 days after delivery.3Michigan Department of State. Dealer Manual Chapter 7 – RD-108 Application for Title and Registration
Driving on an expired registration, or never completing the transfer at all, risks a traffic citation. Renewing a registration late also triggers a separate $10 fee.12Michigan Department of State. Vehicle Tabs and License Plates
What Happens After You File
Once the clerk processes the application and takes payment, you leave with a temporary registration that lets you drive legally while the state prepares your permanent documents.6Michigan Department of State. License Plates and Tabs A new plate is either issued at the counter or mailed afterward. A transferred plate goes on the new vehicle immediately.
The printed certificate of title arrives by mail, sent to you or to the lienholder if the vehicle is financed. The Secretary of State estimates about 14 days for corrected or duplicate titles, and new purchase titles follow a similar timeline, though processing volume can stretch that.13Michigan Department of State. Titles If nothing has arrived after several weeks, call the Secretary of State at 888-767-6424 to check the status.