How to Fill Out the NY MV-103: Odometer and Damage Disclosure Statement

The New York MV-103, Odometer and Damage Disclosure Statement, is a one-page DMV form the seller and buyer both sign to record the vehicle’s mileage and certify whether it has sustained major damage. You need it whenever ownership changes hands and the existing title does not already include those disclosures built into the certificate. You can download the PDF from dmv.ny.gov.

When a Separate MV-103 Is Required

Many current New York titles have odometer and damage disclosure fields printed on the certificate itself, so the information is captured there at transfer and no separate form is needed. The MV-103 fills the gap when the title does not carry that disclosure. That usually means an older New York title printed before August 1989, or an out-of-state title that lacks full odometer disclosure information.¹

The form also comes into play with rebuilt salvage vehicles. If someone buys a vehicle on a Salvage Certificate (MV-907A) and applies for a new title after rebuilding, the MV-103 is included with the title application when the proof of ownership does not already contain the disclosure statement.²

Dealers face a stricter rule. Under New York’s dealer regulations, a selling dealer must prepare an MV-103 for any transfer of ownership — wholesale or retail — involving one of these older or out-of-state titles, and cannot legally acquire the vehicle without one.¹

Vehicle Information

The top of the form asks for the vehicle’s year, make, model, body type, and full seventeen-character Vehicle Identification Number. Copy the VIN straight from the dashboard plate or door jamb sticker. One transposed digit will cause problems downstream.³

Odometer Disclosure

Record the mileage exactly as it reads on the odometer, without the tenths. Check the box indicating whether the odometer has five or six digits. Then certify one of three mileage statuses.³

Actual mileage. The reading reflects the true distance the vehicle has traveled.
Exceeds mechanical limits. The odometer has rolled past its maximum and started over at zero. A five-digit odometer reading 12,000 on a vehicle that has actually traveled 112,000 miles falls here.
Not the actual mileage. You know or suspect the reading is inaccurate for another reason, such as a prior odometer replacement or tampering. The form flags this option as “ODOMETER DISCREPANCY.”

Pick the one that honestly reflects the situation. Checking “actual mileage” when you know the odometer was replaced is exactly the kind of false statement the penalties on the form target.

Vehicles Exempt From Odometer Disclosure

Not every vehicle needs the mileage section completed. Under New York’s regulations, the odometer disclosure portion does not apply to vehicles manufactured in or before model year 2010. For vehicles from model year 2011 or later, the exemption takes effect once the vehicle is twenty or more model years old. So in 2026, a 2011-model-year vehicle has aged past that threshold, while a 2012 or newer vehicle still requires disclosure.¹

Even when a vehicle is exempt from odometer disclosure, the damage disclosure section still applies. You cannot skip the entire form because the car is old enough to dodge the mileage requirement.

Damage Disclosure

This section asks whether the vehicle has ever been wrecked, destroyed, or damaged severely enough that the estimated or actual cost of parts and labor to rebuild it exceeded 75 percent of the vehicle’s retail value at the time of the loss. Check either “has” or “has not.”³

If you are unsure whether prior damage crossed that threshold, check repair records or contact the insurer that handled the claim. The form itself warns that failing to accurately disclose salvage status can bring civil fines on top of criminal penalties under the Penal Law.

What Checking “Has” Triggers

Marking “has” produces two consequences. The vehicle must undergo an anti-theft examination before it can be registered, and the title issued afterward will carry the brand “Rebuilt Salvage: NY.”³ For vehicles eight model years old or newer, the DMV applies this branding to the new title certificate.²

The brand follows the vehicle through every future sale and carries real financial weight. Most major banks and credit unions will not finance a vehicle with a rebuilt salvage title, pushing buyers toward subprime lenders with higher rates and larger down-payment requirements. Basic liability insurance is generally available, but full collision and comprehensive coverage is harder to find and typically costs more than for a clean-title vehicle of the same year and model.

Signatures

The seller signs first, prints their full name, provides a mailing address, and dates the statement. The new owner then does the same in a separate section at the bottom. Both signatures are required. A form with only one signature is incomplete.³

Where to Submit the Completed Form

The MV-103 does not get filed on its own. It travels with the title certificate or other proof of ownership when the new owner applies for a title.

For a routine sale where the existing title lacks built-in disclosure fields, bring the completed MV-103 to a DMV office with the title certificate and the rest of the transfer paperwork.

If the proof of ownership is a Salvage Certificate (MV-907A), the new owner first visits a DMV office to pay sales tax and get a receipt (Form FS-6T), then mails the following to the DMV Title Services Bureau: the title certificate together with the MV-103 (if the title does not already contain the disclosure), the FS-6T sales tax receipt, the Salvage Examination/Title Application (MV-83SAL), and a personal check for $205 payable to “Commissioner of Motor Vehicles.”² The MV-83SAL drives the salvage examination itself; the MV-103 supplies the disclosure the title lacked.

Penalties for a False Statement

Lying on the MV-103 is a felony, not a paperwork slip. Under New York Penal Law Section 175.35, knowingly presenting a written document containing false statements to a public office with intent to defraud is offering a false instrument for filing in the first degree, a Class E felony.⁴ A Class E felony carries a maximum prison term of four years.⁵

On the civil side, Vehicle and Traffic Law Section 429 sets a penalty of up to $2,000 per offense for knowingly making a false statement on a title application with intent to defraud a subsequent purchaser.⁶ Rolling back an odometer or checking “actual mileage” when you know the reading is wrong can also trigger federal prosecution under the Motor Vehicle Information and Cost Savings Act.

1
New York Codes, Rules and Regulations. 15 NYCRR 78.11 – Procedures to Be Used for Certificates of Sale
2
New York Department of Motor Vehicles. Buying a Salvage Vehicle
3
New York Department of Motor Vehicles. Odometer and Damage Disclosure Statement
4
New York State Senate. New York Penal Code 175.35 – Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the First Degree
5
New York State Senate. New York Penal Code 70.00 – Sentence of Imprisonment for Felony
6
New York State Senate. New York Code VAT 429 – Junk and Salvage Vehicles