How to Fill Out Missouri DOR Form 4809: Notice, Release, or Name Change

Missouri Form 4809 is the Department of Revenue document used to record a new lien on a vehicle title, release a paid-off lien, or add or remove a name from a title. You complete only the section that matches your transaction, get the form notarized if you are releasing a lien, and submit it to the Department of Revenue at any Missouri license office or by mail. The form works for motor vehicles, trailers, all-terrain vehicles, manufactured homes, vessels, and outboard motors, and you can download it from the Department of Revenue website or pick one up at a license office.¹

What Form 4809 Is For

The form handles three separate transactions. Pick one.

A notice of lien records a lender’s security interest when a vehicle is used as collateral for a new loan. Filing this section within 30 days of the loan date perfects the lien as of the loan date.²

A lien release clears a paid-off loan from the title. Missouri law requires the lienholder to release within five business days after the debt is satisfied, either on the certificate itself, on a separate document like Form 4809, or electronically.³ When you apply for a new title and the existing one shows a lien satisfied on or after July 1, 2003, a notarized Form 4809 release must accompany the application.⁴

An authorization to add or remove a name lets the current owner change who appears on the title without a bill of sale or purchase agreement, useful for adding a spouse or removing a co-owner after a divorce.¹

Filling Out Form 4809

The form instructs applicants to type all entries. If it isn’t typed, attach a copy of the title.¹

Vehicle Information at the Top

Enter the year, make, and VIN, or the HIN for a boat. Every character has to match your existing title or registration exactly. One wrong digit in a 17-character VIN sends the paperwork back.

Notice of Lien Section

For a new lien, enter the lienholder’s name, mailing address, and FDIC or Lienholder ID Number. That ID is how the state tracks registered lending institutions, and your lender should be able to provide it. Add the lien date and indicate whether the lien is subject to future advances. This section does not require a notary.¹

Lien Release Section

For a release, enter the lienholder’s name exactly as it appears on the title, the date of release, and the printed name and signature of the lienholder’s authorized agent. Submit the original document and keep a copy for your records. This section must be notarized.¹

Add or Remove Name Section

Enter the owner’s name exactly as it appears on the current title, print the name being added or removed, and check the appropriate box. The current owner signs to authorize the change.

When Notarization Is Required

The lien release section requires notarization. An authorized agent of the lending institution signs in front of a notary public, who applies an official seal.³ An unnotarized release will be rejected at the license office, so finish the notarization before you go.

The notice of lien section does not require notarization.¹

An individual releasing a lien, rather than a bank or credit union, still completes, signs, and notarizes the release section of Form 4809.² A business-entity lienholder has an alternative: a notarized release on company letterhead that includes the year, make, VIN, release date, lienholder name and signature, and vehicle owner information.

Where to File and What to Include

You have two options. Walking into any Missouri license office is faster, because staff can process the paperwork and confirm acceptance on the spot. Otherwise, mail the completed form to the Department of Revenue at 301 West High Street, Jefferson City, MO 65101.⁵

What you file alongside Form 4809 depends on the transaction. For a lien release combined with a title application, submit Form 4809 with Form 108 (Application for Missouri Title and License).⁴ For a new lien filing without a change of ownership, submit Form 4809 with Form 108A and the certificate of title.²

False statements on the paperwork are a criminal matter. Form 108 warns that false statements may be punished by fine, imprisonment, or both.⁴

Fees

A standard motor vehicle title costs $8.50 plus a processing fee.⁶ The processing fee at a license office is typically $9.00.² Titles for vessels cost $7.50 and outboard motors $5.00, each with the same $9.00 processing fee.⁷

Deadlines That Matter

Two deadlines drive most Form 4809 problems.

For a new lien, the lender has 30 days from the loan date to get the notice of lien to the Department of Revenue. A lien recorded within that window is treated as perfected on the loan date.²

For a release, the lienholder has five business days after payoff. Missing that deadline triggers escalating liquidated damages payable to the borrower:

5 business days late: $500
10 business days late: $1,000
15 business days late: $2,000
20 business days late: $2,500 (the maximum)

Those penalties are per lien and set by statute.³ A written demand citing Section 301.640 tends to produce results. Keep your payoff documentation in case the dispute escalates.

If the Original Lienholder Is Gone

Sometimes the lender on the title no longer exists. If it was acquired, contact the acquiring institution and ask that entity to sign the release. If the bank failed and went into FDIC receivership, confirm the status on the FDIC’s website, then contact the FDIC with your title and proof of payoff to request a release letter. Once you have the signed release, file it with the Department of Revenue the same way you would file any other Form 4809.

After You Submit

Once the Department of Revenue processes the filing, the updated title is mailed to the address on the application. The state does not publish processing times, and mail-in submissions typically take several weeks. To check on a pending title, use the Department of Revenue’s web form for status inquiries.⁸

For electronic liens, the department updates the digital record directly. If you need a paper title after an electronic lien has been released, request one through the license office.

1
Missouri Department of Revenue. Form 4809 – Notice of Lien, Lien Release, or Authorization to Add/Remove Name from Title
2
Missouri Department of Revenue. Creation and Release of Liens
3
Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 301.640 – Release of Lienholders Rights Upon Satisfaction of Lien or Encumbrance, Procedure
4
Missouri Department of Revenue. Application for Missouri Title and License
5
Missouri Department of Revenue. Contact Information/Office Locations
6
Missouri Department of Revenue. Motor Vehicle Titling and Registration
7
Missouri Department of Revenue. Motor Vehicle Fees
8
Missouri Department of Revenue. Inquiries