The NYS DMV Form MV-82 is the single application you use to register a vehicle, get a New York title certificate, renew a registration, transfer plates, or replace lost plates and stickers. It’s a two-page form, available as a PDF at dmv.ny.gov or on paper at any DMV office. Which sections you fill out and which documents you bring depend on the box you check at the top, so the first job is matching the form to your transaction.
What the MV-82 Is Used For
The top of the form lists every transaction it handles. Check the one that matches your situation:
- Register a vehicle — first-time New York registration, whether the car is new, used, or coming from another state.
- Change a registration — updating information such as a name or address.
- Renew a registration — extending your current registration for another two-year cycle.
- Get a title only — obtaining a New York title without registering the vehicle, common for a car kept in storage.
- Transfer plates — moving your existing plate number from one vehicle to another.
- Replace lost or damaged items — a duplicate registration, plates, or sticker.
If you already hold a New York State driver license or non-driver ID, complete Sections 1 through 4. If you don’t, complete Sections 1 through 5. Everyone signs the certification in Section 6.
How to Fill Out the Form
Print in blue or black ink. Copy every character exactly as it appears on your documents; a single wrong digit in a VIN will delay processing.
Section 1: Vehicle and Registrant Information
Start by choosing between passenger plates and commercial plates. Most personal vehicles take passenger plates. Then enter the Vehicle Identification Number exactly as it appears on the vehicle, typically on a metal plate visible through the lower driver-side windshield or on a sticker inside the driver-side door jamb.
Below the VIN, enter the year, make, and body type. Checkboxes cover 2-door, 4-door, pickup, van, convertible, suburban/SUV, motorcycle, and others. Select the fuel type as well: gas, diesel, electric, flex fuel, CNG, or propane. These entries feed into your registration fee category.
The registrant section asks for your full legal name as it appears on your ID, your date of birth, and your New York State driver license or non-driver ID number. If a business owns the vehicle, enter the federal employer identification number instead. The form also asks whether the vehicle is used only for personal purposes; answering “no” sends you to Section 3, which covers commercial, livery, taxi, farm, and for-hire use.
Section 2: Owner Authorization
This section applies only when the owner and the registrant are different people. If a parent owns the car but a child will register and insure it, the parent signs Section 2 to authorize the registration. All owners must sign and show proof of identity the first time they apply for a New York title.
Section 6: Certification
Every applicant signs the certification on the back, attesting that all information is truthful. Under New York Vehicle and Traffic Law Section 392, knowingly making a false statement on a DMV application is a misdemeanor. All signatures must be original. The DMV does not accept photocopies on paper submissions.
Documents You Need to Bring
The form on its own won’t get you plates. You need a specific set of supporting documents, and missing one will send you home or stall a mailed application for weeks.
Proof of Identity
New York uses a six-point identity system. A valid New York State driver license or non-driver ID satisfies all six points by itself. If you don’t have one, you combine other documents such as a U.S. passport, Social Security card, birth certificate, or utility bill, each worth a different point value. Form ID-82 lists every accepted document and its point value. Any document that appears altered will be confiscated for investigation.
Proof of Ownership
For a used vehicle bought from a private seller, bring the original title certificate signed over by the seller plus a bill of sale. The DMV’s Vehicle Bill of Sale (MV-912) works, but any written bill of sale is acceptable if it names the buyer and seller, lists the VIN, and states the purchase price. Both documents must be originals.
For a new vehicle bought from a dealer, the dealer usually submits the Manufacturer’s Certificate of Origin and handles the paperwork. If you bought from an out-of-state dealer, bring either the out-of-state title transferred to the dealer’s name plus the dealer’s bill of sale, or the MCO and the dealer’s bill of sale for a new car.
Odometer Disclosure
Federal law requires an odometer disclosure for every ownership transfer of a Model Year 2011 or newer vehicle for the first 20 years of its life. Model Year 2010 and older vehicles follow the previous 10-year rule and are now exempt. In New York, the odometer and damage disclosure is recorded on Form MV-103, which the seller completes at the time of sale.
Proof of Insurance
You must present a New York State Insurance Identification Card (Form FS-20) issued by an authorized insurer, listing the vehicle’s VIN, year, and make. Watch the effective date: the card is not acceptable for registration if more than 45 days have passed since it was issued. If yours is older, ask your insurer for a fresh card before your DMV visit.
Sales Tax Form
For a private sale, both buyer and seller complete the Statement of Transaction (DTF-802), issued by the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance. The DMV uses this form to calculate and collect sales tax at registration. Tax is based on the purchase price or the vehicle’s fair market value, whichever is higher. If you need to register before you can document a below-market purchase price, pay tax on the full market value and apply for a refund later.
Fees
A first-time registration involves several separate charges:
- Registration fee, based on vehicle weight and charged for two years. The lightest passenger vehicles (under 1,650 lbs.) pay $26; vehicles over 6,950 lbs. pay $140. A typical midsize sedan around 3,500 lbs. falls in the $55–$57 range. There is a minimum two-year fee of $32.50 for vehicles with six or more cylinders and for electric vehicles.
- Plate fee: $25 for a standard set of two plates, or $12.50 for vehicles that use one plate, such as motorcycles or trailers.
- Title certificate fee: $50.
- County use tax, which varies by county and vehicle weight. New York City residents pay a flat $30 for two years. Most counties outside the city charge $10 to $20 for two years depending on weight. Suffolk and Westchester charge $30 to $60.
- MCTD supplemental fee: an additional $50 for two years if you live in one of the 12 Metropolitan Commuter Transportation District counties (Bronx, Kings, New York, Queens, Richmond, Dutchess, Nassau, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Suffolk, or Westchester).
- Sales tax, collected at registration for private sales. The rate depends on your locality.
A renewal skips the plate fee and title fee; you pay the registration fee and county use tax.
How to Submit the Form
In Person
Make a reservation through the NYS DMV’s online reservation system before going. Bring the completed MV-82, all supporting documents, and payment. The clerk processes the application, collects fees and sales tax, and issues your plates and a temporary registration document on the spot.
By Mail
For renewals, the mailing address appears on your renewal notice (Form MV-3 or OP-3). You can also find the mailing or drop-box address for your county’s DMV office on the DMV website. Out-of-state vehicle registrations and other mailed transactions go to:
NYS DMV Utica Processing Center
207 Genesee Street
Utica, NY 13501
Include a check or money order payable to “Commissioner of Motor Vehicles” for the total fees. Do not send cash. Send photocopies of your identity documents rather than originals, but ownership documents (titles, bills of sale) must be originals.
Online Renewal
If you received a renewal notice and your vehicle information and name haven’t changed since your last renewal, you can renew online at dmv.ny.gov without filling out the MV-82. You can download and print a temporary registration document right away. If your vehicle has been altered to increase seating capacity or your information has changed, online renewal isn’t available, and you’ll need to use the MV-82 in person or by mail.
Registering an Out-of-State Vehicle
If you move to New York or buy a vehicle in another state that you plan to drive on New York roads, you must register it within 30 days. The MV-82 is the same form; the ownership documents differ.
For a used vehicle from a private seller in another state, bring the out-of-state title transferred to your name and a bill of sale. From an out-of-state dealer selling a used car, bring the title transferred to the dealer plus the dealer’s bill of sale. For a new vehicle from an out-of-state dealer, bring the Manufacturer’s Certificate of Origin and the dealer’s bill of sale.
If a lienholder in the other state holds the original title, you need three items: a copy of the title showing your name from the lienholder; a certification from the lienholder that it is a copy of the original, printed on the same piece of paper as the title copy; and a statement on the lienholder’s letterhead identifying the owner, year, make, and VIN and confirming they hold the original title.
After the DMV processes your application, they mail you a 10-day Inspection Extension Sticker (VS-1077). Put the sticker on the vehicle when you enter New York, not before, and write in the date you entered. You then have 10 days to pass a New York State safety and emissions inspection at a licensed station.
Inspection After Registration
Every vehicle registered in New York must pass a safety inspection annually at a DMV-licensed inspection station, and most vehicles also require an emissions test. You do not need a current inspection to complete the MV-82 and get your registration, but you must get the vehicle inspected promptly afterward. Driving with an expired or missing inspection sticker can bring a traffic ticket. Inspection stations are private auto shops authorized by the DMV, searchable on the DMV website.
Vehicles With Liens
New York is a title-holding state. You receive the physical title certificate even while a loan is outstanding, with the lienholder’s name listed alongside yours. When you pay off the loan, the lienholder files a lien release with the DMV, and you can request a clean title.
The lien filing fee is $5, paid by the lender. If a dealer arranged financing at the time of sale, the lien is recorded on the dealer’s version of the application (MV-82DEAL). For private-party transactions with a lien, the lienholder’s information goes in the designated section of the MV-82. If you’re buying a vehicle that still has an outstanding loan, make sure the seller’s lienholder provides a lien release before you try to title the car in your name.
Salvage Vehicles Need a Different Form
You cannot use the MV-82 alone to register a vehicle with a salvage title. Salvage vehicles go through a separate examination process using the Salvage Examination/Title Application (MV-83SAL), which involves a safety inspection, mailing the form to the DMV with proof of ownership and a $200 or $205 fee, and a physical examination at a state facility. Only after the DMV issues the title do you complete the MV-82 to register the vehicle and get plates.
Having Someone Else Handle It
Someone else can process the transaction on your behalf with a Power of Attorney. The POA must include the issue date, the agent’s name and address, and the principal’s name, address, and signature, and it must be notarized. An embossed seal is not required. The agent writes “P.O.A.” next to their signature on any DMV forms.
A general POA works for motor vehicle transactions only if it refers to all “chattels and goods” of the principal. For title transfers using a general POA, the applicant must present the original title certificate, and the person transferring the title cannot be the same person receiving it. A specific POA that names the exact transaction is simpler and less likely to cause problems at the counter.
One useful exception: you don’t need a POA to register a vehicle for someone else if you can show the owner’s proof of identity and date of birth at the DMV office.
After You Submit
Process the MV-82 in person and you walk out with plates and a temporary registration document. Submit by mail and the DMV sends plates and the registration document once processing is complete. The title certificate follows separately and can take up to 45 days to arrive.
Display your temporary registration document visibly in the vehicle until the permanent materials arrive. Once you receive the permanent registration, keep it in the vehicle at all times; officers can ask for it during any traffic stop.