How long do I have to transfer a vehicle title in Hawaii?

30 calendar days from the seller's date of transfer written in Section A on the front of the Certificate of Title. A $50 late transfer fee is added to the county transfer fee, and you are also assessed delinquent taxes for any prior years the vehicle was not registered. Honolulu's mail-in transfer costs $60 instead of $10 after 30 days.

How much does a title transfer cost in Hawaii?

The base title fee is $5–$20. Hawaii charges an ownership transfer fee rather than a separate title fee, and each county sets its own: $5 in Hawaii County, $10 in the City and County of Honolulu, $10 in Kauai County and $20 in Maui County. The figure excludes the $50 late transfer fee if you file after 30 days, annual registration renewal (collected if the registration has expired or expires within 45 days), delinquent weight taxes for unregistered prior years, and the state safety inspection. Hawaii charges no sales tax on a private vehicle sale between individuals: the state's general excise tax falls on people in business, and the Department of Taxation treats a sale by someone "not in the business of selling" as an exempt casual sale. A 4% use tax (4.5% where the county surcharge applies) is charged instead on the landed value of a vehicle imported into Hawaii from an out-of-state seller who is in the business of selling vehicles.

Does a vehicle title transfer need to be notarized in Hawaii?

Sometimes required. Hawaii does not notarise the ordinary title assignment - Honolulu says plainly that "notarization of seller's signature(s) is optional" - but it does require notarisation, or in-person identification, on the paperwork that stands in for a signed title: a duplicate title application, a bill of sale used where the recorded owner never released the title, and the affidavit an heir signs for a sole owner's estate.

Does the seller have to notify the title authority in Hawaii?

Yes. County motor vehicle offices under each county's director of finance. 10 calendar days from the date you signed the Certificate of Title over to the new owner. Hawaii County states the seller "will not be released from liability until this notice is recorded". Honolulu states the penalty for failure to comply "is subject to a fine up to $100".

Transferring a vehicle title in Hawaii

Issued by County motor vehicle offices under each county's director of finance - the City and County of Honolulu Department of Customer Services Division of Motor Vehicles, the County of Hawaii Vehicle Registration & Licensing Division, the County of Maui Division of Motor Vehicle & Licensing, and the County of Kauai Division of Motor Vehicle & Licensing. Hawaii has no statewide DMV.. Choose your situation below — the buyer’s and seller’s obligations are listed separately, and every answer links to the official source.

Title fee: $5–$20varies — details under fees
Deadline: 30 daysfrom the seller's date of transfer written in Section A on the front of the Certificate of Title
Documents: 4incl. CS-L(MVR)53
Where: Countytax office, in person

Hawaii has no state DMV - your county's motor vehicle office does the whole job, and the title and registration move together in one transaction. The seller signs Section A on the front of the Certificate of Title, enters the odometer reading, hands over the title, the last-issued Certificate of Registration and a current safety inspection certificate, and files a Notice of Transfer with the county within 10 days. The buyer signs Section D on the back and brings all three documents to the county office within 30 days of the seller's date of release, paying $5 in Hawaii County, $10 in Honolulu or Kauai, or $20 on Maui - a $50 late fee is added after 30 days.

13 things this answer does not settle

Hawaii has no statewide DMV. Vehicles are titled and registered by the director of finance of each county, and the four counties publish four separate procedures, four separate sets of forms and four different fees. Everything here is recorded per county; use the one that issued your title.
The transfer fee ranges from $5 in Hawaii County to $20 in Maui County, with Honolulu and Kauai at $10. The $50 late transfer fee is the only money figure all four counties publish identically.
Only the City and County of Honolulu publishes an online registration fee calculator (mvinquiry.hnl.info). Maui, Kauai and Hawaii County state only that a representative will determine the fees at the counter, so a visitor outside Oahu cannot price a transfer in advance.
The City of Honolulu's document server (www4.honolulu.gov), which hosts every CS-L(MVR) form PDF, returned HTTP 503 throughout this research. Honolulu's form numbers, names and links were read on the City's own web pages, but the PDFs themselves could not be opened, so no Honolulu form carries a confirmed revision stamp in this record.
The Hawaii Revised Statutes site at capitol.hawaii.gov blocked automated retrieval, so no statutory text is quoted here. Statute numbers that appear (HRS 286-41(d), 286-42, 286-55, 560:3-1201) were read on county pages or printed on county and Department of Taxation forms, not in the statute itself.
Honolulu's own transfer page states two different odometer age thresholds: its seller instructions give the current federal test (2011 model year and later, 20 years), while its death-of-owner instructions say "vehicles that are 10 years or less; vehicles 11 years or older are not required". Kauai publishes the superseded 10-year test as well. The federal rule at 49 CFR 580.17 is the controlling one.
Hawaii County's motor vehicle safety inspection page still carries a COVID-19 notice naming December 31, 2020, and states that "an expired safety inspection will not stop the registration of a vehicle" - which conflicts with the Honolulu, Maui and Kauai transfer pages, all of which list a current safety inspection certificate among the documents required to record a transfer.
No emissions or smog test appears anywhere in Hawaii's published material, but we found no official page that states affirmatively that there is no emissions programme, so this record reports that answer as not published rather than asserting it.
The transfer fee is set by each county and differs fourfold across the state - $5 in Hawaii County, $10 in Honolulu and Kauai, $20 on Maui. Check the county your vehicle is registered in, not the one you live nearest.
The four counties publish different odometer age cut-offs: Honolulu and Maui give the current federal test (2011 model year and later), Kauai still publishes the superseded "less than ten (10) years old" test, and Hawaii County gives no age cut-off at all. Record the reading on any 2011-or-later vehicle regardless.
Only Honolulu publishes a figure for the penalty for not filing the Notice of Transfer (a fine of up to $100). Hawaii County, Maui and Kauai publish the 10-day duty without a dollar amount.
Neither the amount of any delinquent weight tax for prior unregistered years nor a way to calculate it before you reach the counter is published by any county.
Only Honolulu publishes an online registration fee calculator. Maui, Kauai and Hawaii County state only that registration personnel will determine the amount at the counter.

Do this first

Print and sign your name in Section D, "Application for transfer by new registered owner(s)", on the reverse of the Certificate of Title. If the vehicle is to be jointly registered, both new owners must sign.
If you are financing the purchase, have the new lienholder print and sign in Section E, "Application for transfer by new lienholder", on the reverse of the Certificate of Title.

Your checklist

Print and sign your name in Section D, "Application for transfer by new registered owner(s)", on the reverse of the Certificate of Title. If the vehicle is to be jointly registered, both new owners must sign.Official page
If you are financing the purchase, have the new lienholder print and sign in Section E, "Application for transfer by new lienholder", on the reverse of the Certificate of Title.Applies when: You are taking out a loan against the vehicle, so a new lienholder must be recorded.Official page
Collect three documents from the seller before you hand over money: the Certificate of Title endorsed by the seller (and by the lienholder in Section B if there was a loan), the last-issued Certificate of Registration, and a current State of Hawaii Safety Inspection Certificate.Official page
Take the endorsed Certificate of Title, the last-issued Certificate of Registration and the current safety inspection certificate to your county motor vehicle office within 30 days of the seller's date of transfer written in Section A. On Oahu this is a satellite city hall and requires an AlohaQ appointment - vehicle ownership transfer is not an express-window transaction.Official page
Bring government-issued photo identification. Hawaii County states that registration personnel will request it at the time of registration.Official page
Pay the county transfer fee - $5 in Hawaii County, $10 in Honolulu, $10 on Kauai, $20 on Maui - plus the annual registration renewal if the registration has expired or expires within 45 days, and any delinquent taxes for prior years the vehicle was not registered.Official page
On Maui or Kauai, also complete the Non-Commercial Vehicle Certification if the vehicle is a pick-up truck or a cargo van.Applies when: The vehicle is a pick-up truck or cargo van being registered in Maui County or Kauai County.Official page
If you are a non-resident active duty service member, submit Non-Resident Certificate form CS-L(MVR)50; if you are a Hawaii resident on active duty or in a Hawaii-based Guard or Reserve unit, submit Hawaii Resident Certificate form CS-L(MVR)50A. Both come from your military personnel office or unit.Applies when: You are an active duty service member, or a member of the National Guard or Reserve assigned to a unit in Hawaii.CS-L(MVR)50Official page
To transfer by mail on Oahu instead, post the Certificate of Title with Sections A, B (if applicable), D and E completed, the current Certificate of Registration, the current safety check and a cheque payable to "City and County of Honolulu" to Department of Customer Services, Division of Motor Vehicles, P.O. Box 30330, Honolulu, HI 96820-0330. The fee is $10 within 30 days and $60 after.Applies when: You are transferring an Oahu-registered vehicle and cannot attend a satellite city hall.Official page

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The seller's checklist

Fill in the odometer reading in Section A on the front of the Certificate of Title. Honolulu's rule: from the 2011 model year on, the reading is required on vehicles 20 years old or less; 2010 model year and earlier vehicles are exempt.Official page
Date, print and sign your name in Section A on the front of the Certificate of Title. If there are joint owners, both must date, print and sign, and both dates of release are required.Official page
Consider signing Section A in front of a notary public. Honolulu says notarisation is optional but "will prevent rejection for irregular signature(s) upon comparison with the signature(s) on file", and Hawaii County verifies every seller signature and cannot complete a transfer if the signatures do not match.Applies when: You will not be attending the county office with the buyer, or the buyer will record the transfer in a different county from the one that issued the title.Official page
If a lienholder is shown on the title, have them complete Section B on the reverse. If they will not endorse the title, a lien satisfaction letter may be submitted instead.Applies when: The Certificate of Title shows a lienholder.Official page
Detach the Notice of Transfer from the top of the Certificate of Title, fill in the new owner's name and address, the date of sale and the vehicle description, sign it, and submit it within 10 days to the county where the vehicle was last registered. Honolulu's replacement form is CS-L(MVR)53 and Maui's is DMVL565.CS-L(MVR)53Official page
Give the new owner the endorsed Certificate of Title, the last-issued Certificate of Registration and the State of Hawaii Safety Inspection Certificate.Official page
If the vehicle is registered to a company, make sure a Letter of Authorization naming you as an authorised signatory is already on file with the county office. In a partnership all partners sign it; in a corporation a corporate officer signs it.Applies when: The vehicle is registered in the name of a business rather than an individual.CSD-LOA-DMVOfficial page
If the vehicle carries a personalized plate, decide before the sale whether to retire it or keep it: to give it up, relinquish it in writing to the DMV and return the rear plate to a satellite city hall when the buyer registers; to keep it, surrender it at a satellite city hall for storage with an application for replacement plates. Ordinary number plates stay on the vehicle.Applies when: The vehicle carries a personalized license plate.Official page

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Both of you, together

Go to the county office together if you can. Honolulu says it is "highly recommended that the buyer and seller go together in person to transfer the vehicle title and registration (buyer) and submit notice of transfer (seller)", and a joint buyer-seller transaction for a single vehicle can be processed in one appointment at any satellite city hall. Hawaii County offers the same option in place of notarising the seller's signature.Official page

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Documents and official forms

Certificate of Title endorsed by the seller in Section A and the buyer in Section DSections B (release of lien) and E (new lienholder) are completed only where a lienholder is involved. The Notice of Transfer is pre-printed at the top of the certificate.
Last-issued Certificate of RegistrationIf it has expired or expires within 45 days, the county collects the annual renewal in the same transaction.
Current State of Hawaii Safety Inspection CertificateAll four counties list a current State of Hawaii Safety Inspection Certificate among the documents needed to record a transfer. Maui and Kauai accept a current or temporary certificate; Hawaii County accepts a temporary certificate failed for "Registration" only.
Government-issued photo identification for the buyerHawaii County states registration personnel will request it at the time of registration.

Also required in some cases

The Notice of Transfer has already been detached from the top of the Certificate of Title.

CS-L(MVR)53Notice of Transfer (replacement form)

A lienholder is shown on the title but did not complete Section B.

Lien satisfaction letter

The vehicle is registered in the name of a company.

CSD-LOA-DMVLetter of Authorization

The vehicle is a pick-up truck or cargo van being registered on Maui or Kauai.

Non-Commercial Vehicle Certification

The buyer is a non-resident active duty member of the armed forces stationed in Hawaii.

CS-L(MVR)50Non-Resident Certificate

The buyer is a Hawaii resident on active duty, or a member of the National Guard or Reserve assigned to a unit in Hawaii.

CS-L(MVR)50AHawaii Resident Certificate

The person selling to you is not the owner named on the title because they never recorded their own purchase.

Notarised bill of sale or seller power of attorney

Deadlines

Deadline30 calendar days from the seller's date of transfer written in Section A on the front of the Certificate of Title — Buyer: Submit the transfer documents to your county motor vehicle office within 30 daysA $50 late transfer fee is added to the county transfer fee, and you are assessed delinquent taxes for prior years the vehicle was not registered.
Deadline10 calendar days from the date you signed the Certificate of Title over to the buyer — Seller: File the Notice of Transfer with your county within 10 daysHawaii County states the seller "will not be released from liability until this notice is recorded"; Honolulu publishes a fine of up to $100 for failing to comply.

Fees and taxes

Charge	Amount	Paid by
Base title fee	$5–$20Hawaii charges an ownership transfer fee rather than a separate title fee, and each county sets its own: $5 in Hawaii County, $10 in the City and County of Honolulu, $10 in Kauai County and $20 in Maui County. The figure excludes the $50 late transfer fee if you file after 30 days, annual registration renewal (collected if the registration has expired or expires within 45 days), delinquent weight taxes for unregistered prior years, and the state safety inspection.	Buyer
County ownership transfer fee	$5–$20The county ownership transfer fee: $5 in Hawaii County, $10 in the City and County of Honolulu, $10 in Kauai County, $20 in Maui County. It excludes annual registration renewal, delinquent weight taxes for prior unregistered years, and the $50 late transfer fee.Hawaii charges this instead of a separate title fee, and the four counties set different amounts.	Buyer
Late transfer fee	$50Added to the county transfer fee when the documents are submitted more than 30 days after the seller's date of release. It excludes delinquent weight taxes, which are charged separately.Charged when the documents reach the county more than 30 days after the seller's date of release. Kauai and Maui extend the window to 60 days where the lien holder has no office in Hawaii.	Buyer
Annual registration renewal	VariesVaries by the vehicle's weight, its usage class and the county that registers it.Collected at the same counter only if the last-issued Certificate of Registration has expired or expires within 45 days. Honolulu publishes the components: $46 state registration fee, $20 county registration fee, $10 highway beautification fee, $0.50 annual emblem, $5 initial plate fee where plates are issued, plus state and county weight taxes that vary by weight - its own example is $367 for a 3,320 lb vehicle. Maui, Kauai and Hawaii County state only that registration personnel will calculate the amount.Official calculator	Buyer
Delinquent taxes for prior unregistered years	Not publishedHawaii County, Maui and Honolulu all state that the incoming owner is assessed delinquent taxes for prior years the vehicle was not registered, but none publishes a schedule or a way to calculate the amount before you reach the counter.Falls on the incoming owner, not the seller, and can be appealed to the Oahu First Circuit District Court on Oahu.	Buyer
State safety inspection	$25.75The statewide safety inspection fee for automobiles and trucks from July 1, 2025 (motorcycles and trailers are $17.75). Paid to the inspection station, not to the county. Replacing a lost or destroyed sticker or certificate costs $7.09.Paid to the inspection station. Whoever obtains the certificate pays; the seller must hand over a current one, so in practice it is usually the seller.	Either party

Hawaii charges no sales tax on a private vehicle sale between individuals: the state's general excise tax falls on people in business, and the Department of Taxation treats a sale by someone "not in the business of selling" as an exempt casual sale. A 4% use tax (4.5% where the county surcharge applies) is charged instead on the landed value of a vehicle imported into Hawaii from an out-of-state seller who is in the business of selling vehicles.

Inspection, emissions, notary and odometer

Inspection: RequiredA current State of Hawaii Safety Inspection Certificate is one of the three documents every county requires to record a transfer, alongside the endorsed Certificate of Title and the last-issued Certificate of Registration. Inspections are annual (a new car gets an initial two-year check, then annually) and cost $25.75 for cars and trucks and $17.75 for motorcycles and trailers as of July 1, 2025.
Emissions: Not publishedNo emissions, smog or tailpipe test appears anywhere in Hawaii's published vehicle material: HDOT's Motor Vehicle Safety Office publishes only safety inspection station lists and safety inspection manuals under "Periodic Inspection of Motor Vehicles", and none of the four counties lists an emissions certificate among the documents required to transfer a title. We found no official Hawaii page that states affirmatively either that emissions testing is required or that it is not, so this record reports the answer as not published rather than asserting there is no programme.
Notarization: Sometimes required
The seller's assignment in Section A of the Certificate of Title: notarisation is optional. Honolulu and Hawaii County both recommend it, and it matters most when the transfer will be recorded in a different county from the one that issued the title.
A bill of sale used because the recorded owner never released the title (an out-of-county or out-of-state transfer, or a transfer the previous buyer never recorded): must be notarised.
An Application for Duplicate Certificate of Title: must be notarised, unless every signer appears in person with government photo identification.
Hawaii does not notarise the ordinary title assignment - Honolulu says plainly that "notarization of seller's signature(s) is optional" - but it does require notarisation, or in-person identification, on the paperwork that stands in for a signed title: a duplicate title application, a bill of sale used where the recorded owner never released the title, and the affidavit an heir signs for a sole owner's estate.
Odometer disclosure: Required, unless you are exempt
Model year 2011 or later: required until 20 years after January 1 of the model year (49 CFR 580.17). Honolulu and Maui state the 2011 cut-off on their own pages.
Model year 2010 or earlier: exempt, because more than 10 years have passed since January 1 of the model year.
Gross vehicle weight rating over 16,000 pounds, or a vehicle that is not self-propelled: exempt.
Kauai's page still states the superseded "less than ten (10) years old" test and Hawaii County's page gives no age cut-off, so record the reading on any 2011-or-later vehicle regardless of the county.
The seller writes the odometer reading into Section A on the front of the Certificate of Title. Honolulu states the rule in its current federal form: from the 2011 model year on, the reading is required on vehicles 20 years old or less, and vehicles of the 2010 model year or earlier are exempt. The four counties word the age cut-off differently, so record the reading unless you are certain the vehicle is exempt.

What happens to the plates

Ordinary Hawaii number plates stay on the vehicle: the counties' transfer instructions never ask a seller to remove or surrender plates, and the buyer inherits them along with the last-issued Certificate of Registration. Two plates are required, front and rear.

The plates stay with the vehicle
The seller surrenders the plates
The seller may move the plates to a replacement vehicle
The buyer gets new plates

Personalized plates are the published exception. Honolulu requires that a personalized plate "must be transferred, stored or retired" when the vehicle is sold. If the owner gives the plate up, it is returned to a satellite city hall when the purchaser registers the vehicle, the plate is retired and the vehicle is issued new plates for the new owner. If the owner keeps it, they surrender it for storage with an application for replacement plates, new plates are issued for the vehicle, and the stored plate is put on the owner's next vehicle. Honolulu's initial plate fee is $5.00 and is only assessed when plates are actually issued.

How to submit

In person at a county office
By mail

In Hawaii the title and the registration move together: you hand the endorsed Certificate of Title, the last-issued Certificate of Registration and a current safety inspection certificate to your county motor vehicle office in one transaction, and Honolulu states that "once a title is used to transfer ownership, a new registration will be printed to reflect the same changes made to the title".

Official state links

Source: County motor vehicle offices under each county's director of finance - the City and County of Honolulu Department of Customer Services Division of Motor Vehicles, the County of Hawaii Vehicle Registration & Licensing Division, the County of Maui Division of Motor Vehicle & Licensing, and the County of Kauai Division of Motor Vehicle & Licensing. Hawaii has no statewide DMV.. Checked July 31, 2026. Report a correction

Common questions about Hawaii

How long do I have to transfer a vehicle title in Hawaii?: 30 calendar days from the seller's date of transfer written in Section A on the front of the Certificate of Title. A $50 late transfer fee is added to the county transfer fee, and you are also assessed delinquent taxes for any prior years the vehicle was not registered. Honolulu's mail-in transfer costs $60 instead of $10 after 30 days.
How much does a title transfer cost in Hawaii?: The base title fee is $5–$20. Hawaii charges an ownership transfer fee rather than a separate title fee, and each county sets its own: $5 in Hawaii County, $10 in the City and County of Honolulu, $10 in Kauai County and $20 in Maui County. The figure excludes the $50 late transfer fee if you file after 30 days, annual registration renewal (collected if the registration has expired or expires within 45 days), delinquent weight taxes for unregistered prior years, and the state safety inspection. Hawaii charges no sales tax on a private vehicle sale between individuals: the state's general excise tax falls on people in business, and the Department of Taxation treats a sale by someone "not in the business of selling" as an exempt casual sale. A 4% use tax (4.5% where the county surcharge applies) is charged instead on the landed value of a vehicle imported into Hawaii from an out-of-state seller who is in the business of selling vehicles.
Does a vehicle title transfer need to be notarized in Hawaii?: Sometimes required. Hawaii does not notarise the ordinary title assignment - Honolulu says plainly that "notarization of seller's signature(s) is optional" - but it does require notarisation, or in-person identification, on the paperwork that stands in for a signed title: a duplicate title application, a bill of sale used where the recorded owner never released the title, and the affidavit an heir signs for a sole owner's estate.
Does the seller have to notify the title authority in Hawaii?: Yes. County motor vehicle offices under each county's director of finance. 10 calendar days from the date you signed the Certificate of Title over to the new owner. Hawaii County states the seller "will not be released from liability until this notice is recorded". Honolulu states the penalty for failure to comply "is subject to a fine up to $100".
What happens to the license plates in Hawaii?: Ordinary Hawaii number plates stay on the vehicle: the counties' transfer instructions never ask a seller to remove or surrender plates, and the buyer inherits them along with the last-issued Certificate of Registration. Two plates are required, front and rear.

About this page

Everything here is a summary of procedures published by official state title authorities, with a link to the source for each answer.

Unusual ownership, probate, lien, salvage, court-order or identity situations commonly require steps beyond those listed here.

We do not file anything with any agency, and we cannot submit, expedite, or check the status of a transfer. Ticking a box on this site records your own progress in your browser and nothing more.

35 official sources · last checked July 31, 2026 · How this was compiled · Report a correction