Mississippi Vehicle Title: Apply, Transfer, Replace, and Liens

A Mississippi vehicle title is issued by the Department of Revenue (DOR) after you file Form 78-002 through your local county tax collector, together with the prior title, a bill of sale, a VIN inspection, sales tax, and a $9.00 title fee.¹ Standard processing takes about three to four weeks once the DOR receives the paperwork. The same office handles transfers after a sale, replacement titles, corrections, and lien releases.

Applying for a New Title

Every application starts with Form 78-002, the Application for Certificate of Title. You file it through a designated agent, which in practice is your county tax collector’s office.² Bring:

The prior certificate of title, if the vehicle was already titled in Mississippi or another state.
A bill of sale showing the price or terms.
Payment for sales tax, collected by the county tax collector.
The vehicle itself, so the agent can perform a VIN inspection and certify that the identification number and description match the application.²

The title fee is $9.00.¹ The county tax collector forwards your paperwork to the DOR by the next business day, and processing at the central office in Jackson runs about three to four weeks. Missing or unclear documentation stretches that timeline.

One quirk trips people up. If a lienholder is listed on the title, the DOR sends the original title to that lienholder and gives you only a nontransferable duplicate to use as an operating permit.³ The title comes to you directly only when the vehicle has no lien.

Transferring a Title After a Sale

A private sale needs work on both ends. The seller signs the back of the existing title to release ownership. The buyer fills in their name, address, and the vehicle’s odometer reading on the same title.⁴

The buyer then takes the signed title, a bill of sale, and the $9.00 title fee to the county tax collector’s office and submits a fresh Form 78-002.¹ You have 30 business days from the purchase date to register the vehicle.⁵ Waiting is a bad idea. Until the transfer is complete, the seller remains the owner of record, and neither party is on solid ground if something goes wrong.

Once the DOR processes the transfer, a new title issues in the buyer’s name and the buyer can register the vehicle and get plates.

Sales Tax on the Purchase

Mississippi charges 5% sales tax on vehicle purchases, collected by the county tax collector when you title and tag.⁶ For a dealer sale, the tax is based on the selling price after discounts and trade-in credit. For a casual sale between individuals, the tax is based on the DOR’s assessed value from its current schedule, not necessarily the price you paid.

Some family transfers are exempt from casual sales tax. Transfers between spouses, between a parent and child, between a grandparent and grandchild, or between siblings owe no sales tax.⁶ The exemption does not extend to cousins, aunts, uncles, or in-laws; those transfers are taxed normally.

If you bought the vehicle in another state and are titling it in Mississippi for the first time, you owe the full 5% Mississippi tax. The state does not credit sales tax paid elsewhere.

Inherited, Gifted, and Out-of-State Vehicles

Inherited Vehicles

To retitle a vehicle after the owner’s death, take Form 78-002 and the existing title to the county tax collector.⁷ What else you need depends on how the title reads:

Titled as “John OR Jane Doe”: only the surviving owner signs.
Titled as “John AND Jane Doe”: the surviving owner signs, plus you provide a court-endorsed copy of the probated will.
Titled as “John AND/OR Jane Doe”: the surviving owner signs, plus a death certificate.
No probated will: provide a letter of administration or testamentary naming who should receive the vehicle, or file an Affidavit of Heirship on Form 78-014.⁸

An executor or administrator can apply for the new title the same way, and is responsible for the applicable fees and taxes.⁷

Gifts

A gifted vehicle still goes through the full transfer process: signed title, Form 78-002, and the $9.00 fee. Gifts between spouses, parent and child, grandparent and grandchild, or siblings are exempt from casual sales tax.⁶ Gifts outside those relationships are taxed at 5% of the assessed value.

Out-of-State Vehicles

If the vehicle was last titled elsewhere, bring the out-of-state title properly signed by the previous owner with your Form 78-002.² The designated agent performs a VIN inspection. Any lien from the other state must be released before Mississippi will issue a clean title.

Replacing a Lost or Damaged Title

If your title is lost, stolen, or destroyed, file Form 78-006, the Application for Replacement Certificate of Title, with a $9.00 fee.¹ You can mail the form and payment directly to the DOR’s Motor Vehicle Services office in Jackson. Standard three-to-four-week processing applies unless you pay for expedited service. If you’re planning to sell, order the replacement before you list the car; buyers won’t hand over money without a title in hand.

Fast Track Processing

The DOR offers a Fast Track option for both original and replacement titles. Pay an extra $30.00 on top of the standard fees and the DOR will process your application within 72 hours of receiving it at the central office.⁹ That 72 hours covers processing only, not mail time in either direction.

Liens, Payoff, and Release

When a vehicle is financed, the lender’s lien is recorded on the title. The lender holds the original; the owner gets a nontransferable duplicate.³

After you pay off the loan, the lender must release the lien electronically through Mississippi’s E-Lien Program within 14 days of satisfaction.¹⁰ Miss that window and the DOR can assess a $250 penalty per incident. All lienholders with a federal employer identification number are required to participate in the electronic program, so paper releases are rare. If a paid-off lien still shows active, start with your lender; the penalty framework gives them a reason to fix it quickly.

Correcting Errors on a Title

A misspelled name, a wrong VIN digit, or an inaccurate odometer reading has to be fixed before the vehicle can be transferred. Corrections go through Form 78-006, submitted to the DOR with documentation supporting the correct information.¹¹ Depending on the error, that may be a notarized statement, a corrected bill of sale, or a lien release letter. Handle these early. Lenders will not finance a vehicle with title discrepancies.

Checking a Title’s History Before You Buy

Before paying for a used vehicle, run its title history. The National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS), maintained by the U.S. Department of Justice, tracks title brands like “salvage,” “junk,” and “flood” across all 50 states, applied by state titling agencies when a vehicle has been declared a total loss or suffered severe damage.¹²

p>Consumers can pull NMVTIS reports through approved data providers, including VINAudit.com, ClearVin, and CheckThatVin.com, among others.¹³ Carfax and Experian provide NMVTIS data to dealerships only, not directly to consumers.

Title washing is a common fraud pattern, where a seller moves a damaged car between states to shed its brand. Warning signs include a price well below market, a title recently issued in a different state, visible bodywork or fresh paint on a car with a clean history, and mismatched VINs between the title and the vehicle. An independent mechanic’s inspection is cheap insurance.

Federal Odometer Disclosure

Federal law requires the seller to disclose the vehicle’s odometer reading at every transfer.¹⁴ The disclosure normally goes on the title and includes the mileage, the transfer date, and the printed names and addresses of buyer and seller. The seller also certifies whether the reading is actual, has exceeded mechanical limits, or is known to be inaccurate.

Some vehicles are exempt. Vehicles with a gross weight rating over 16,000 pounds and non-self-propelled vehicles never require disclosure. Age-based exemptions also apply:

2010 model year and older: exempt once the transfer occurs at least 10 years after the start of the calendar year matching the model year.
2011 model year and newer: exempt only once the transfer occurs at least 20 years after the start of the calendar year matching the model year.¹⁴

Odometer tampering is a federal crime. A victim can sue for three times actual damages or $10,000, whichever is greater, plus attorney’s fees.¹⁵

Penalties for Title Violations

Mississippi splits title offenses into two tiers. Most violations are misdemeanors, punishable by a fine of up to $500, up to six months in jail, or both.¹⁶ That covers late transfers and incomplete applications.

Conduct the statute designates as a felony carries one to five years in prison, a fine between $500 and $5,000, or both.¹⁷ Felony charges apply to conduct like providing false information on a title application, forging a title, or committing fraud in the title process.

1
Mississippi Department of Revenue. Motor Vehicle Titles
2
Justia. Mississippi Code 63-21-15 – Application for Certificate of Title; Expedited Title Processing
3
Justia. Mississippi Code 63-21-21 – Delivery of Certificate of Title
4
Justia. Mississippi Code 63-21-31 – Procedure Upon Transfer of Interest in Vehicle by Owner Generally
5
Mississippi Department of Revenue. Motor Vehicle Frequently Asked Questions
6
Mississippi Department of Revenue. Business Tax Frequently Asked Questions
7
Mississippi Department of Revenue. Motor Vehicle Frequently Asked Questions – Section: How Do I Obtain a New Title When the Owner Is Deceased
8
Mississippi Department of Revenue. Affidavit of Heirship for a Motor Vehicle
9
Mississippi Department of Revenue. Fast Track Title Procedure
10
Mississippi Department of Revenue. Motor Vehicle E-Lien Program
11
Mississippi Department of Revenue. Application for Replacement Certificate of Title, Form 78-006
12
U.S. Department of Justice. Understanding an NMVTIS Vehicle History Report
13
U.S. Department of Justice. Research Vehicle History
14
eCFR. Part 580 Odometer Disclosure Requirements
15
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 49 USC 32710 – Civil Actions by Private Persons
16
Justia. Mississippi Code 63-21-71 – Penalties for Violations of Chapter
17
Justia. Mississippi Code 63-21-73 – Penalty for Felonies