A Minnesota car title transfer happens when the seller signs the existing certificate of title over to you and you submit it to the Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS) division within 20 calendar days of the sale, along with an $8.25 title fee, 6.875 percent motor vehicle sales tax on the purchase price, and registration tax.1Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 168A.10 – Transfer by Owner2Minnesota Department of Public Safety. Vehicle Fees3Minnesota Department of Revenue. Motor Vehicle Sales The fastest route is to walk the paperwork into any deputy registrar office in the state.
What You Need From the Seller
The core document is the existing Minnesota certificate of title, signed over to you. The seller fills in both parties’ full legal names and current addresses, the sale date, the purchase price, and the odometer reading on the dashboard. That purchase price is what DVS uses to calculate your sales tax, and the sale date starts your deadline clock.
Two disclosures travel with the title:
- An Odometer Disclosure Statement, required under federal law for any vehicle less than 20 model years old. Model Year 2011 and newer vehicles fall under the 20-year window; Model Year 2010 and older are exempt under the previous 10-year rule. Check the number against what the seller wrote on the title before you sign.4National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Consumer Alert: Changes to Odometer Disclosure Requirements
- A damage disclosure, built into the Minnesota title itself, covering flood damage, salvage history, and lemon law branding.5Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 168A.05 – Certificate of Title
Bring a valid driver’s license or state ID when you file. If the original title has been lost or destroyed, the seller and buyer complete the Application to Title and Register a Motor Vehicle (Form PS2000) together instead, which captures the same assignment information.6Minnesota Department of Public Safety. Application to Title and Register Motor Vehicle
The 20-Day Deadline
Minnesota gives buyers 20 calendar days from the date the title is assigned to file the application for a new certificate.1Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 168A.10 – Transfer by Owner Blow past it and the vehicle’s registration gets suspended, which means you can’t legally drive it until you straighten things out. Some county registrar offices treat 10 business days as the practical cutoff, so there’s no upside in waiting.
Filling Out the Title Without Voiding It
Use blue or black ink only, and do not cross anything out, write over anything, or touch it with correction fluid. Any alteration voids the entire title, and once that happens both you and the seller have to complete a corrected form together.7Anoka County, MN. Transfer of Minnesota Titles If you’re not sure where a particular entry goes, walk into a deputy registrar office before you put pen to the document. Staff will show you at no charge.
The seller signs the seller assignment section and records the odometer reading. You sign the buyer’s section after confirming the mileage matches what you see on the dashboard and what appears on the Odometer Disclosure Statement. Make sure the sale date is in the right field.
Where to File and What You Pay
File in person at any deputy registrar office in the state, or mail the materials to DVS headquarters in St. Paul. Walking it in is faster because staff verify the paperwork while you’re standing there. Deputy registrar payment options generally include cash, check, and major credit cards, with a small convenience fee on card transactions.
The charges on a standard transfer:
- Title fee of $8.25 for the new certificate.2Minnesota Department of Public Safety. Vehicle Fees
- Motor vehicle sales tax of 6.875 percent of the purchase price, collected at the time of transfer. The rate took effect July 1, 2023, replacing the previous 6.5 percent.3Minnesota Department of Revenue. Motor Vehicle Sales
- Registration tax at 1.575 percent of the vehicle’s depreciated base value, which is the original MSRP reduced each year by a state depreciation schedule. For vehicles 11 years old or older, the registration tax hits a floor of $20.
- A deputy registrar filing fee on top of the state fees. The amount varies by office.
Once your application is processed, you get a temporary 60-day registration permit to affix to the rear of the vehicle in place of the plate.8Minnesota Department of Public Safety. Vehicle Registration Temporary Permits The printed title is mailed to the address on file and typically arrives in four to six weeks.9Anoka County, MN. Fast Track
When Sales Tax Doesn’t Apply
Not every transfer triggers the 6.875 percent. Minnesota exempts qualifying gifts, inheritance, divorce-related transfers, and changes from joint to single ownership.10Minnesota Department of Public Safety. Vehicle Sales Tax A genuine gift with no money changing hands still requires full title paperwork, but the sales tax line comes out to zero.
When a vehicle owner has died, the path to retitling depends on how ownership was held — jointly, in a trust, or solely in the deceased person’s name — and most routes require the death certificate plus proof of your right to inherit, such as a probate order or affidavit.11Minnesota Department of Public Safety. Deceased Relative Vehicle Title Transfer Call your local deputy registrar before the trip so you know exactly which documents to carry.
Titling a Vehicle From Another State
If you’ve moved to Minnesota or bought a vehicle registered elsewhere, you need the out-of-state certificate of title in hand. DVS will not process the application without proper ownership documents from the originating state.6Minnesota Department of Public Safety. Application to Title and Register Motor Vehicle New residents have 60 days to register a vehicle brought into the state. If the out-of-state registration has already expired, register immediately rather than using the 60-day window. Sales tax for new residents is calculated from 60 days after establishing residency or from the transaction date, whichever comes first.
One thing catches people off guard: any brand on the out-of-state title carries over permanently. A vehicle branded as flood damaged or salvage in another state will show that brand on every Minnesota title issued for it afterward.12Minnesota Department of Public Safety. Declaration of Reconstruction Special Assembly
If the Title Was Lost Before You Got It
When the seller cannot find the title, the clean fix is for the seller to request a duplicate from DVS using the Application for Duplicate Title, the vehicle identification number, and a valid photo ID. The mail-in fee is $21.50, and deputy registrar offices charge slightly more because of the added filing fee.13Minnesota Department of Public Safety. Duplicate Vehicle Title Application If a lender was listed on the original, a lien release has to be in hand before DVS will issue the duplicate.
Salvage, Reconstructed, and Branded Titles
Minnesota will not issue a title for any vehicle branded as junked, non-repairable, scrapped, dismantled, or destroyed.12Minnesota Department of Public Safety. Declaration of Reconstruction Special Assembly Check the brand before paying for anything at auction or at a salvage yard.
Reconstructed or specially assembled vehicles can be titled, but only after a motor vehicle inspection by appointment at a DVS location. Bring the completed Form PS2000, a Declaration of Reconstruction form, and proof of ownership for all major components used in the rebuild. The inspection verifies the vehicle’s identity and the legitimacy of the parts rather than roadworthiness.