To transfer a vehicle title in Illinois, you file Form VSD 190 with the signed Certificate of Title, pay a $165 title fee, and pay Vehicle Use Tax on Form RUT-50, submitting everything to the Secretary of State within 20 days of the purchase date. You can file in person at a Driver Services facility or by mail to the Vehicle Services Department in Springfield. The exact tax you owe depends on the purchase price and the vehicle’s age.
The 20-Day Deadline
Illinois gives you 20 days from the date of purchase to apply for a title in your name. Miss it and late fees start to accumulate. Driving a vehicle still titled in someone else’s name also creates liability exposure if you’re in an accident or stopped by police. Work backward from the purchase date and give yourself time to gather documents.
What the Seller Must Give You
The seller signs over the Certificate of Title. The back of the title has spaces for the seller’s signature, the purchase price, the odometer reading, and both parties’ names and addresses. Every field needs to be filled in completely and legibly before the title goes anywhere near a Secretary of State office.
A bill of sale is not required by Illinois law, but you should have one. The Illinois Department of Revenue notes that attaching a bill of sale or proof of purchase to your tax form can prevent follow-up notices about what you owe. If there’s no separate bill of sale, Form RUT-49 (Vehicle Transaction Affidavit) can substitute. Either way, record the purchase price, the date, the VIN, and both parties’ full names and addresses.
You’ll also need proof of Illinois liability insurance, a valid driver’s license or state ID, and the VIN if it isn’t already on the title. No vehicle can be registered or operated on Illinois roads without insurance in place.
Completing Form VSD 190
Form VSD 190, the Application for Vehicle Transaction(s), is the main document the Secretary of State uses to process your title and registration. Download it from the Secretary of State’s website or pick one up at any Driver Services facility.
The form asks for the owner’s name and address, the vehicle’s VIN, make, model, year, and body style, the purchase price, and signatures from both buyer and seller. It also contains the odometer disclosure section, which has its own set of rules worth understanding.
Odometer Disclosure
Federal law requires the seller to disclose the vehicle’s mileage at sale, and both parties must sign the disclosure. The seller certifies whether the reading reflects actual mileage, exceeds the odometer’s mechanical limit, or is unreliable. The buyer signs acknowledging the disclosure. False statements carry fines and possible imprisonment.
Exemptions are narrower than most people assume. Vehicles from model year 2010 or earlier are exempt once at least 10 years have passed since January 1 of that model year. Vehicles from model year 2011 or later don’t become exempt until 20 years have passed. So a 2011 model isn’t exempt until 2031, and a 2015 model isn’t exempt until 2035. If the vehicle is model year 2011 or newer, complete the odometer disclosure on the title.
Fees and Taxes
Title and Registration
The fee for an original title in Illinois is $165. Transfers between certain family members qualify for a reduced title fee of $95. Standard passenger vehicle registration is $151 per year. Electric vehicles pay an additional $100 annual surcharge on top of the standard registration.
Secretary of State facilities take checks and money orders. Some locations accept credit cards, but not all, so don’t count on it.
Vehicle Use Tax
Buying from a private party (not a dealer) means you owe Illinois Vehicle Use Tax rather than sales tax. You report and pay it on Form RUT-50, filed with your title application.
How much you owe depends on the purchase price:
- If the price is less than $15,000, the tax is a flat amount tied to the vehicle’s age, not a percentage. On the 2026 RUT-5 chart, the flat amounts run from $465 for a vehicle one year old or newer down to $100 for a vehicle 11 years old or older.
- If the price is $15,000 or more, the tax is 6.25% of the purchase price or fair market value, whichever is greater.
The flat-rate schedule generally works in a buyer’s favor on older used cars. Pay $8,000 for a seven-year-old sedan and the state tax is $155, not the $500 a straight 6.25% would produce. Some municipalities and counties add a local vehicle use tax on top of the state amount. Check the Illinois Department of Revenue’s Tax Rate Finder or RUT-6 reference guide for your location.
Submitting Your Application
In Person
Bring the completed Form VSD 190, the signed title, Form RUT-50 with tax payment, proof of insurance, and your ID to any Illinois Secretary of State Driver Services facility. Staff process the paperwork on the spot and issue temporary registration if needed while the permanent title is mailed.
By Mail
Send the full package to the Secretary of State’s Vehicle Services Department in Springfield: signed title, completed VSD 190, completed RUT-50 with payment, and supporting documents. Use a traceable shipping method. Replacing a signed title lost in the mail costs $50 for a duplicate and adds weeks to the process.
Family Gifts
When a vehicle passes between immediate family members as a gift, the title fee drops from $165 to $95. You still file Form VSD 190 and Form RUT-50. Because there’s no purchase price, the Vehicle Use Tax is based on the fair market value. If that value is under $15,000, the flat-rate age chart applies.
If the Title Is Lost
If the seller can’t find the title, they need to apply for a duplicate before the transfer can happen. A duplicate costs $50 and can be requested in person or by mail to:
Office of the Secretary of State
Vehicle Records Processing Division
501 S. 2nd St., Room 424
Springfield, IL 62756-6666
Factor this delay into the 20-day window. As a buyer, don’t hand over full payment until the seller has the signed title in hand. A promise to send it later is how people end up owning a car they can’t register.
If There’s a Loan on the Vehicle
A title showing an active lien can’t be transferred until the loan is paid and the lien released. In Illinois, the lender usually holds the title during the loan. Once satisfied, the lender sends a lien release to the Secretary of State, which then mails a clean title to the owner.
Buying from someone who still owes money on the car is safest when the payoff, lien release, and title transfer happen in a coordinated sequence, ideally at the lender’s office or through escrow. Never accept a title that still shows a lienholder unless the seller hands you an original lien release from the lender. Selling a car you’ve just paid off? Confirm with the lender that the release has been processed before you list it.
If the Owner Has Died
The transfer path after a death depends on how the title was held.
- Held in joint tenancy: the surviving co-owner applies for a new title with proof of the other owner’s death.
- Sole ownership with a transfer-on-death beneficiary named on the title: the beneficiary applies for a new title after the owner’s death. The original owner must have been an individual with no lienholder on the title to set this up.
- Sole ownership going through probate: the executor or administrator handles the transfer using letters testamentary or letters of administration.
- Sole ownership without probate: the applicant provides documentation showing the right to the vehicle, such as a small estate affidavit where it applies.
The title fee for a death transfer is $3. The applicant still shows proof of compliance with or exemption from the Vehicle Use Tax, and standard registration fees apply if the car will be driven.
If you’re planning ahead, adding a transfer-on-death beneficiary to your own title lets the vehicle pass outside probate. A notarized Beneficiary Affidavit is required to add the designation.
When Your New Title Arrives
After processing, expect the new Certificate of Title and registration stickers by mail within two to six weeks. Apply in person and you may leave with temporary documentation to use in the meantime.
If nothing arrives after six weeks, contact the Secretary of State’s office. Delays usually trace back to incomplete forms, mismatched information between the title and the application, or an unpaid tax balance. Catching those early is easier than restarting the process.