Indiana Form 53789: Filling Out the Certified Records Request

Indiana State Form 53789 is the paper request you send to the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles to get a certified copy of a driving record, vehicle or watercraft title history, title inquiry, registration history, or proof-of-insurance record. Download it from the Indiana State Forms catalog, fill in your information and the record subject’s information, check the record type and your permissible use, add payment, and mail it to the BMV’s central office in Indianapolis. Processing takes two to four weeks.¹

Check Whether You Even Need the Paper Form

If you want your own certified driver record and you know your Indiana driver’s license number, skip the form. The BMV sells an Official Driver Record (ODR) through the myBMV portal for $4, delivered immediately as a download with a certification letter attached. The same portal also gives you a free Viewable Driver Record, but that version has no certification and won’t satisfy a court, an insurer, or an employer.¹

Form 53789 is the right tool when the online system won’t work for you. That includes situations where you don’t know the driver’s license number, where the record you need isn’t a driver record (title history, title inquiry, registration history, proof of insurance), or where you’re requesting records about someone other than yourself.

Filling Out the Form

Get the current version from the Indiana State Forms catalog or a full-service BMV branch. The sections you complete depend on the type of record you’re after.

Your Information

Enter your full legal name, mailing address, and phone number. The BMV mails the certified record back to the address you write here, so check it before you sign anything.

Record Subject and Record Type

For a driver record, provide the subject’s driver’s license number, date of birth, and Social Security Number. Business requesters use a Federal Employer Identification Number in place of the SSN. For a vehicle or watercraft record, provide the Vehicle Identification Number and the title number instead.

Then check the record type you want:

Official Driver Record — the person’s driving history, including violations, suspensions, and other entries on file with the BMV.¹
Certified Vehicle or Watercraft Title Inquiry — current title information for a specific vehicle.
Certified Vehicle or Watercraft Title History — a record of all previous Indiana owners, priced higher than a title inquiry.
Proof of Insurance — insurance documentation on file for a specific vehicle; you’ll also give the vehicle make and, if applicable, the date of an accident.

Notarization for Third-Party Requests

If you are requesting a record about anyone other than yourself, your signature on the form must be notarized. A notary public witnesses your signature and places their seal on the form itself. Requesting your own record does not require notarization. Libraries, banks, and shipping stores commonly offer notary services, so line that up before you mail anything.

Pick the Correct Permissible Use

The federal Driver’s Privacy Protection Act prohibits state motor vehicle agencies from releasing personal information from their records except for specific approved purposes.² Form 53789 lists these categories as checkboxes, and you have to pick one that genuinely matches your reason.

The categories most requesters use:

Personal record request, where you’re asking for your own record.
Government agency function, for a court, law enforcement, or another government body carrying out official duties.
Court proceedings, including service of process and pre-litigation investigation.²
Insurance activity, meaning claims investigation, antifraud work, or underwriting by an insurer or self-insured entity.
Business verification of information a person submitted, limited to fraud prevention or debt recovery.

Picking a box that doesn’t fit is more than a paperwork problem. Under 18 U.S.C. § 2724, obtaining or using motor vehicle records for an unauthorized purpose carries liquidated damages of at least $2,500 per violation, plus possible punitive damages and attorney fees.³ Read the options and pick honestly.

Fees

The fee tracks the record type:

Official Driver Record: $4¹
Certified Vehicle or Watercraft Title Inquiry: $4
Certified Vehicle or Watercraft Title History: $8

Requesting more than one record on the same form? Add the fees together. The BMV accepts checks, money orders, credit cards, debit cards, and e-checks.⁴ Make checks and money orders payable to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles. If the payment doesn’t match the total owed, the BMV returns the application unprocessed.

Where to Mail It

Send the completed form, any required attachments, and payment to:

Indiana Government Center North
Room 412
100 North Senate Avenue
Indianapolis, IN 46204¹

Certified record requests go to this central address only. Local BMV branches don’t process them.⁵ A trackable mailing method is worth the small extra cost when you have a deadline.

How Long Processing Takes

Allow two to four weeks. The BMV verifies your information, matches it against state records, applies the certification, and mails the documents back. There is no expedited option for a mailed request, so factor the timeline into any filing deadline or onboarding date. For a certified driver record on yourself, the online ODR through myBMV is the fast path when you have your license number in hand.¹

Why a Certified Record and Not the Free One

A certified record carries an official seal or certification letter from the BMV. A courtroom, an insurance adjuster, or a hiring department that wants proof of a driving history will typically reject an uncertified printout. Under Federal Rule of Evidence 902, a certified copy of a public record is self-authenticating, meaning you can enter it into evidence without calling a witness to vouch for it, as long as the custodian or another authorized person has certified the copy as correct.⁶ Indiana state courts follow a similar principle. That is what the fee and the four-week wait actually buy you.

1
Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Resources: Driver Record
2
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 2721 – Prohibition on Release and Use of Certain Personal Information From State Motor Vehicle Records
3
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 2724 – Civil Action
4
Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Fees and Taxes Info for Licenses and Vehicles
5
Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Request for Public Records: BMV APRA Request
6
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. Federal Rules of Evidence Rule 902 – Evidence That Is Self-Authenticating