To register a car in Vermont, submit the original title, a Vermont insurance ID card, a completed Registration, Tax, and Title Application (Form VD-119), and payment covering the 6% purchase and use tax plus registration fees that start at $91 a year for a standard passenger vehicle. You can hand the packet in at any DMV branch or mail it to the Montpelier office. Once the registration is processed, the vehicle has to pass a state safety inspection within 15 days.
Documents to Gather Before You Start
The centerpiece of the packet is the original certificate of title. Vermont law requires a title for every motor vehicle at first registration and whenever a sale changes the registration.1Vermont General Assembly. Vermont Statutes Title 23 Section 2013 – When Certificate Required For a private-party purchase, add a completed Bill of Sale and Odometer Disclosure Statement (Form VT-005), which records the sale price, mileage, and both signatures.2Department of Motor Vehicles. Bill of Sale (BOS) and Odometer Disclosure Statement (ODS) If you bought from a dealer, the dealer usually files the title transfer for you.
The odometer disclosure applies to vehicles from model year 2011 forward. Federal law requires odometer readings for the first 20 years of a vehicle’s life, so a 2011 vehicle stays covered through 2031.3Department of Motor Vehicles. Truth in Mileage Act Older vehicles are exempt.
You also need a valid Vermont insurance identification card. Minimum liability coverage is $25,000 per person and $50,000 per crash for bodily injury, plus $10,000 for property damage.4Vermont General Assembly. Vermont Statutes Title 23 Chapter 11 – Section 800 Maintenance of Financial Responsibility Have the card in hand before you fill out the application, because the DMV will not process anything without it.
Finally, complete Form VD-119. It asks for the 17-character VIN, vehicle details, and information for every listed owner.5State of Vermont. Required Documents Wizard Check the VIN against the dashboard plate or the sticker inside the driver’s door jamb. One transposed digit can hold up the whole application.
A physical VIN verification (Form VT-010) is only required in narrow cases: vehicles with salvage documentation, vehicles titled under bond, and vehicles registered in a foreign country, including Canada.6Department of Motor Vehicles. Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) Most registrations do not need one.
If a Lender Still Holds the Title
You can register in Vermont even when a lienholder is holding the title. In place of the original title, bring your current registration certificate and the original bill of sale. The DMV contacts your lender and asks for the title to be converted to a Vermont certificate, which is then sent to the lender until the loan is paid off.7Department of Motor Vehicles. Vehicle Title The updated title typically reaches the lender about three weeks after your registration is processed.
The 6% Purchase and Use Tax
Vermont charges a 6% purchase and use tax on every vehicle registration.8Department of Motor Vehicles. Tax – Purchase and Use Tax The tax is calculated on the purchase price or the J.D. Power clean trade-in value, whichever is higher. That rule catches below-market private sales: buy a car from a friend for $3,000 when J.D. Power values it at $8,000, and you pay 6% of $8,000. If you believe the book value is too high for the vehicle’s actual condition, submit a Vermont Dealer Appraisal (Form VD-012) to argue for a lower assessed value.
Trading in a vehicle lowers the tax. The trade-in value is subtracted from the taxable price of the replacement vehicle before the 6% rate is applied.
One boundary worth knowing: genuine gifts between close family members are exempt from the tax entirely. The exemption reaches spouses, parents, children, siblings, grandparents, grandchildren, in-laws, stepfamily, and trusts set up for any of those people, as long as the donor is the person on the title and no money changes hands. File a Certification of Tax Exemption (Form VT-014) with the usual paperwork. Divorce transfers have a tighter rule: the donor must have owned the vehicle on the date the divorce became final, and the transfer must happen within a year of that date, documented by the final decree.9Department of Motor Vehicles. Gifts
Registration and Title Fees
A standard passenger car registration is $91 for one year or $167 for two years. Those figures already include a $2 Clean Air Fund fee and an EV Infrastructure fee.10Department of Motor Vehicles. Vehicle Registration Fees A new certificate of title is $42, and each lien recorded adds $14.11Department of Motor Vehicles. Title Fees
So for a typical one-year registration with a new title and no loan, budget roughly $133 in fees on top of the 6% tax. If the vehicle is financed, add another $14.
Where to Submit the Application
You have two ways to file. Mail the complete packet to the Vermont DMV at 120 State Street, Montpelier, VT 05603-0001, or take it into any DMV branch. Offices include Montpelier, Bennington, Rutland, South Burlington, Springfield, and White River Junction, among others.12Department of Motor Vehicles. What Is the Mailing Address for DMV? Booking an appointment online cuts your wait. Town clerks do not handle new registrations, only renewals.
If you file in person, the DMV may issue a temporary registration that lets you drive the vehicle while the permanent paperwork is processed.13Department of Motor Vehicles. Temporary Registration Authorization If you mail your packet in, you can request a 60-day temporary registration and plate to use until the permanent set arrives. Keep whichever temporary documents you receive in the vehicle. When the permanent registration arrives by mail, its expiration date is backdated to when the temporary was issued.
Moving to Vermont With a Car From Another State
New residents have 60 days after establishing residency to register a vehicle, or until the current out-of-state registration expires, whichever comes first.14Department of Motor Vehicles. Moving to Vermont The same forms and fees apply, with a few wrinkles.
The 6% tax on an out-of-state vehicle is based on the J.D. Power clean trade-in value rather than what you originally paid.8Department of Motor Vehicles. Tax – Purchase and Use Tax If the book value overstates the vehicle’s actual worth, a dealer appraisal on Form VD-012 lets you request a lower assessed value.
When an out-of-state lender holds the title, bring the current registration and original bill of sale. The DMV will contact the lender to convert the title.7Department of Motor Vehicles. Vehicle Title VIN verification is generally not required for a domestic out-of-state vehicle. Vehicles coming from a foreign country, including Canada, are the exception and must be verified by a Vermont law enforcement officer or a designated DMV employee.6Department of Motor Vehicles. Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
Get the Vehicle Inspected Within 15 Days
Every newly registered vehicle that does not already carry a valid Vermont inspection sticker must be inspected within 15 days of registration.15Department of Motor Vehicles. How Long After I Register My Vehicle Do I Have to Get It Inspected? Take it to any state-licensed inspection station. These are typically auto repair shops and service centers authorized by the DMV. Technicians check brakes, lights, tires, exhaust, and other safety components.
You can legally drive during the 15-day window without a sticker, but the vehicle still has to be in good mechanical condition and meet Vermont’s safety standards. The window is time to get to an inspection station, not permission to drive an unsafe car. When the vehicle passes, the station places a numbered sticker on the windshield. Driving without a valid sticker after day 15 exposes you to fines and possible towing.