An Illinois Secretary of State title inquiry can be done two ways: a free online lookup by Vehicle Identification Number that returns the current title and registration status in seconds, or a written request on Form VSD 375 that costs $5 for a standard search or $10 for a certified copy. The online check is enough if you just want to see what the state has on a vehicle. The paper request is what you need when a court, lender, or buyer wants proof.
The Free Online Lookup
The Title and Registration Status Inquiry at apps.ilsos.gov/regstatus takes a VIN and shows the current status of that vehicle’s title and registration in the state’s system.1Illinois Secretary of State. Illinois Secretary of State Title and Registration Status Inquiry It will tell you whether a title is active, pending transfer, or flagged with a brand such as salvage or flood. For most people asking “what’s the status of this title,” this is the right tool.
A second Secretary of State tool causes regular confusion. The Electronic Registration and Title (ERT) Status Inquiry at apps.ilsos.gov/ertstatus does not take a VIN. It uses a document number assigned when a dealer or licensed facility submits title paperwork electronically, and it tracks that specific transaction through processing.2Illinois Secretary of State. Illinois Secretary of State – Electronic Registration and Title Status Inquiry If you bought a car from a dealership and want to know whether your title paperwork has cleared, use the ERT tool. If you want to verify ownership, spot a lien, or see a brand, use the VIN-based inquiry.
When the Online Check Isn’t Enough
Neither online tool produces anything you can hand to a court, lender, or buyer as proof. Both reflect what’s currently in the state’s system, which is useful for your own peace of mind and nothing else. If a title inquiry needs to travel with a legal filing, back a loan, or close a private sale, you need a certified record on the Secretary of State’s letterhead. That means a paper request.
Requesting a Written or Certified Search
A formal search runs on the Secretary of State Information Request Form, designated VSD 375. You can download it from the Secretary of State’s publications page or pick one up at any Driver Services facility.3Illinois Secretary of State. Secretary of State Information Request Form
The form asks for your name, address, daytime phone number, and driver’s license number. A vehicle description section wants the year, make, VIN, and the title number if you have it. The title number is a state-assigned identifier printed on a prior title document or registration card. You don’t strictly need both the VIN and the title number, but providing both speeds the search and cuts the risk that your paperwork comes back for insufficient information.
Section IV asks your reason for the request, and this is not a formality. The reason you give determines what the Secretary of State can legally release to you. Illinois law bars the release of personally identifying information unless the request falls within a defined list of approved purposes.4Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Code 625 ILCS 5/2-123 – Sale and Distribution of Information If you’re the registered owner checking your own vehicle, that’s straightforward. Third-party requests get closer scrutiny.
Sign and date the form before it leaves your desk. The instructions warn that unsigned submissions, or those missing the fee, will be returned.3Illinois Secretary of State. Secretary of State Information Request Form Every round trip adds weeks.
Fees
The fee structure is set by statute and printed on the form itself:4Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Code 625 ILCS 5/2-123 – Sale and Distribution of Information
- Title search: $5
- Registration search: $5
- Certified title search: $10
- Certified registration search: $10
- Microfilm with any search: no additional charge
- Microfilm only: $5
The certified version costs more because the statute authorizes a $5 certification fee on top of the $5 base search fee. Certification means the report carries the Secretary of State’s signature and official seal, which is what courts and lenders will ask for. If you’re just confirming basic title status for your own records, the standard $5 search is enough.
Payment must accompany the form. Checks and money orders are payable to “Secretary of State.” Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover are also accepted, and a processing fee applies to card payments.3Illinois Secretary of State. Secretary of State Information Request Form Government agencies pay nothing for title or registration searches.
Where to Send It and How Long It Takes
Mail the completed VSD 375, payment, and a copy of your driver’s license or business license to:
Secretary of State Record Inquiry Section
501 S. Second St., Rm. 626
Springfield, IL 62756-88883Illinois Secretary of State. Secretary of State Information Request Form
Online results come back instantly. Mailed requests take meaningfully longer because state employees run the search by hand. The Secretary of State does not publish an official processing timeline, but a reasonable expectation is several weeks once you account for mail transit and the internal queue. High-volume periods stretch that further.
Who Can Pull Someone Else’s Record
Two layers of privacy law govern access to Illinois vehicle title records. The federal Driver’s Privacy Protection Act prohibits state motor vehicle agencies from releasing personal information from their records except for a defined set of purposes.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 2721 – Prohibition on Release and Use of Certain Personal Information From State Motor Vehicle Records Illinois’s 625 ILCS 5/2-123 mirrors many of those restrictions and adds state-specific rules.
Approved reasons for accessing another person’s vehicle record include government functions such as law enforcement, court, and agency use; vehicle safety and theft-related work, including recalls and emissions; insurance activities such as claims investigation, anti-fraud work, and underwriting; use in civil, criminal, or administrative proceedings; fraud prevention and debt recovery tied to information the subject gave a business; and disclosures the vehicle owner has authorized in writing.
Misstating your reason on the request form is a petty offense under Illinois law.4Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Code 625 ILCS 5/2-123 – Sale and Distribution of Information The federal exposure is steeper. Anyone whose personal information is improperly disclosed can sue for at least $2,500 in liquidated damages per violation, plus punitive damages and attorney fees.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 2724 – Civil Action
Reading What the Inquiry Shows
A title inquiry surfaces two things that regularly change a buyer’s decision: liens and brands.
Liens
When a vehicle is financed, the lender’s name appears on the title as the lienholder and the physical title document is mailed to the lender rather than the owner. A title inquiry will show whether a lien is currently recorded. This matters most when you’re buying a used car from a private seller, because a vehicle carrying an outstanding lien cannot be cleanly transferred to you until the seller pays off the loan and produces a lien release.
Title Brands
A title brand is a permanent notation flagging something significant in a vehicle’s history. Brands affect value, insurability, and in some cases whether the vehicle can legally be driven. Illinois recognizes several categories:7Illinois Secretary of State. Secretary of State – Vehicle Title Brands
- Salvage. The vehicle was declared a total loss from theft, collision, fire, flood, or similar damage. A salvage-branded vehicle cannot be registered or driven on Illinois roads until it receives a rebuilt title.
- Rebuilt. A previously salvaged vehicle that has been repaired and inspected. Only licensed rebuilders can take a vehicle out of salvage status in Illinois, so if you aren’t one, you have to hire one.
- Junk. The vehicle is damaged beyond any reasonable repair and can only be used for parts or scrap. Once junked, the brand is permanent, and the vehicle can never be rebuilt or retitled for road use.
- Flood. Salvage caused specifically by water damage. Flood vehicles that are later rebuilt carry both the flood brand and a rebuilt brand, so the flood history is never hidden from future buyers.
Illinois dealers are prohibited from selling salvage-titled vehicles directly to consumers. A dealer who acquires a salvage vehicle must first obtain a rebuilt title in its own name before reselling.7Illinois Secretary of State. Secretary of State – Vehicle Title Brands A brand disclosed on the title inquiry is exactly the kind of thing a buyer wants to see before signing anything.
The Limits of an Illinois-Only Search
An Illinois inquiry only tells you what Illinois knows. If a vehicle was previously titled in another state and picked up a salvage brand, flood history, or theft record there, it might not appear in the Illinois system right away. The National Motor Vehicle Title Information System was built to close that gap by aggregating title data from participating state agencies into a single federal database.8American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators. National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS)
Consumers can get NMVTIS vehicle history reports through approved data providers listed on the Department of Justice’s NMVTIS website. Not every provider sells to consumers; some work only with dealerships.9Office of Justice Programs. Research Vehicle History – VehicleHistory An NMVTIS report doesn’t replace an Illinois title search, but if the vehicle has been titled in more than one state, running both gives you the fullest picture of what you’re actually buying.