How to Get a Bonded Title in Minnesota: Search, Bond, and Apply

To get a bonded title in Minnesota, you document a diligent search for the prior owner or lienholder, buy a surety bond worth one and a half times the vehicle’s value, and submit the bond with the state’s title application to Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS). The authority sits in Minnesota Statute 168A.07. If no one challenges your ownership within three years, the bond is released and you hold a clean title.¹

Who Qualifies for a Bonded Title

A bonded title is for the person who has the vehicle but cannot produce the paperwork to title it the normal way. Typical situations: you bought from a private seller who never signed the title over, you inherited a vehicle with no documents, you picked up a project car from someone who lost the original certificate, or a previous assignment was done improperly.

Two hard requirements. First, you must have physical possession of the vehicle and be unable to establish sole ownership because one or more prior owners or lienholders cannot be located. Second, the vehicle’s model year must be more than five years before the year you apply. Applying in 2026 means the vehicle must be a 2020 model or older.¹

If the title is in your name and you only lost the physical document, you do not need a bonded title. Ask for a duplicate title instead. It is faster and cheaper.

Prove You Searched for the Prior Owner

Minnesota will not issue a bonded title just because you say the prior owner is unreachable. The statute requires an affidavit swearing you used due diligence to find and contact prior owners and lienholders.¹ DVS captures this on its Affidavit Regarding Due Diligence form, and reviewers read it closely.

Document every step. Run the VIN through the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS) to check for existing title records, liens, or theft reports. Keep copies of letters you sent, returned mail, phone records, and any replies. The stronger the paper trail, the smoother the review, and the smaller the chance of a surprise claim later.

Documents and Forms to Gather

Before you visit a deputy registrar or start filling out forms, pull together:

VIN, make, model, and year. The VIN drives everything.
Proof of how you got the vehicle: bill of sale, purchase agreement, or a written statement explaining the circumstances.
A valid Minnesota driver’s license or state ID.
Clear photos of all sides of the vehicle and a legible shot of the VIN plate.
A current valuation printout from NADA Guides or Kelley Blue Book. The bond amount is based on this value.

DVS forms you will need: the Application to Title and Register a Motor Vehicle (PS2000), the Statement of Facts (PS2002), the Affidavit Regarding Due Diligence, and the bond form itself (PS2052). Deputy registrar offices stock them, and most are downloadable from the DVS website.

You also complete a federal odometer disclosure. Federal law requires a mileage statement whenever ownership transfers, and you certify whether the reading is actual, exceeds the odometer’s mechanical limits, or does not reflect actual mileage.²

Buy the Surety Bond

The bond is the financial backstop. If someone later proves they were the true owner or held a valid lien, the bond pays for their loss. Minnesota sets the bond amount at one and a half times the vehicle’s assessed value as determined by the department.¹

You do not pay the full bond amount out of pocket. You pay a premium to a surety company, and the surety guarantees the full amount. For a vehicle valued at $4,000, the bond is $6,000 and the premium is typically around $100. The premium is your cost; the bond amount is the coverage limit. People confuse the two.

Buy from a surety company licensed in Minnesota. Many specialize in title bonds and can issue them within a day or two. Premiums vary, so shop around. You can also post a cash deposit with DVS equal to the full bond amount instead of using a surety company, though most people find the premium route far cheaper.¹

Submit the Application

Once the bond, photos, forms, due diligence file, and valuation are ready, submit the package one of two ways:

In person at any of the more than 150 deputy registrar offices in Minnesota. Bring originals, especially the surety bond.
By mail to Driver and Vehicle Services, Attn: Bonds, 445 Minnesota Street, Suite 185, St. Paul, MN 55101-1185.

You pay title fees, registration fees, and applicable sales tax at submission. Minnesota charges a title transfer fee, a filing fee, a technology surcharge, and registration fees that depend on the vehicle’s age and value; vehicles ten model years and older use a flat registration rate. Budget at least $50 to $100 in state fees on top of the bond premium, with the exact total depending on your vehicle. All signatures must be originals.

What Happens After the Title Is Issued

DVS reviews the package and, if it checks out, mails a certificate of title. The title carries a notation showing it was issued through the bonded process, and that notation stays for the three-year life of the bond. The vehicle is legal to drive, insure, and sell during that window; any buyer will see the notation and should understand what it means.

If no one files a legal action challenging your ownership within three years, the bond expires and you can request a clean title without the notation. The bond, or any cash deposit, is returned once the three-year period closes and all ownership questions are resolved.¹

If Someone Files a Claim

The three-year window exists so legitimate prior owners and lienholders can come forward. If a prior owner, secured party, or later purchaser suffers a loss because the title was issued to you, they can claim against the bond, which covers their expenses, losses, and reasonable attorney fees resulting from the title having been issued.¹

If DVS is notified a legal action is pending, the bond does not expire at the three-year mark. It stays in force until the dispute is resolved. That is the risk you accept, and it is why a thorough search before you apply matters.

One more thing worth understanding. The surety company pays the claim, then collects from you. A surety bond is not insurance that absorbs your loss. It is a guarantee backed by your personal obligation, so if a claim is paid, you owe the surety that money.

1
Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 168A.07 – Conditional Registration
2
Legal Information Institute (LII). 49 CFR Appendix B to Part 580 – Disclosure Form for Title