- Title fee
- $75base title fee
- Deadline
- 10 daysfrom the date you acquired ownership of the vehicle
- Documents
- 4incl. TTLREG100
- Where
- State officein person
Massachusetts requires the buyer to apply for a certificate of title within 10 days of acquiring the vehicle (M.G.L. c.90D s.4). The seller completes the Assignment of Title on the back of the Massachusetts certificate of title with the date of sale, purchase price, odometer reading and both parties' printed names, signatures and addresses; the buyer then takes that title plus a Registration and Title Application stamped by a licensed Massachusetts insurance agent to an RMV Service Center, where no appointment is needed. The title fee is $75, sales or use tax is 6.25% of the greater of the sale price or the NADA clean trade-in value, and the vehicle must pass inspection within 7 days of the registration date.
10 things this answer does not settle
- The RMV publishes its fee schedule twice and the two disagree on currency: the HTML fee page states "This list of RMV fees is current as of its last update in January 2022", while the Schedule of Fees PDF that same page distributes is dated May 2025. This record uses the May 2025 PDF, cross-checked against the fee tables printed on the individual how-to pages.
- Neither M.G.L. c.90D s.4 nor the RMV states whether the 10-day title deadline is counted in calendar or business days; the RMV's 7-day inspection deadline and the fifteen-day transferee hold in M.G.L. c.90D s.14(b) are likewise unqualified. This record treats all three as calendar days; by contrast the RMV does say explicitly that the 7-day plate transfer grace period is seven calendar days.
- Massachusetts publishes no seller notice-of-transfer form or deadline. Nothing on the RMV's pages requires a private seller to notify the RMV that a sale happened; the seller's published duties are to assign the title (M.G.L. c.90D s.15(a)) and to cancel their own registration. Section 15(e) protects a seller who has delivered possession and complied with section 15 from liability for later operation of the vehicle.
- RMV title and registration forms carry a document code in the footer (for example TTLREG100_0923, TTL117_0822) rather than a printed revision date. This record reports the code verbatim and leaves the source effective date blank rather than converting the code into a date.
- Registration fees are set per plate type and are published in full only in the Schedule of Fees PDF. Every registration figure in this record is the PAN "Passenger Normal" plate at $60 on a biennial cycle; your plate type may cost more.
- The RMV states the individual-purchase transaction can be done without an appointment and publishes no reservation system for registration and titling, so no appointment link is recorded here. AAA branches offering limited RMV services are appointment-only through AAA, and the RMV does not publish which transactions they handle.
- Massachusetts imposes an annual local motor vehicle excise, billed by the city or town where the vehicle is garaged and payable within 30 days of the bill's issue date. Excise rates and abatement procedures are set locally and are outside the scope of this record; an outstanding excise bill can block a registration or license transaction.
- Registration fees vary by plate type. The $60 figure is the PAN "Passenger Normal" plate; reserved, vanity and charitable plates cost more, and the RMV publishes the full table only in its Schedule of Fees PDF.
- The RMV does not publish a monetary penalty for applying for a certificate of title later than 10 days after purchase; the only published consequence is that a new registration cannot be accepted until the title application is made.
- Massachusetts publishes no seller notice-of-transfer form or deadline. The seller's published duty is to cancel their own registration and destroy the plates; nothing on the RMV's pages requires the seller to notify the RMV of the sale itself.
Do this first
- Go to a licensed Massachusetts insurance agent, obtain an active policy, and have the agent complete, stamp and sign section K of the Registration and Title Application. The RMV will not process the transaction without the agent's stamp, and the stamp is only valid for 30 days.
- Complete the vehicle, title, owner, garaging address and lienholder sections of the Registration and Title Application, then sign and date section M. Every owner listed on the application must sign it.
Your checklist
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The seller's checklist
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Both of you, together
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Documents and official forms
- Massachusetts certificate of title with the Assignment of Title on the reverse completed and signed by seller and buyer, showing the date of sale, purchase price and odometer readingThe RMV accepts no erasures, white-outs or alterations on the proof of ownership.
- TTLREG100Registration and Title Application, stamped and signed by a licensed Massachusetts insurance agent and signed by all ownersThe insurance stamp is valid for 30 days; the policy change or effective date cannot be more than 30 days old or a future date.
- Proof of identity for every owner: a valid unexpired US or Canadian driver's license, a physical non-laminated Social Security card, a foreign passport, or a consular identification document
- Payment of the $75 title fee, the registration fee for your plate type and 6.25% sales or use tax, by cash, cheque or money order payable to MassDOT, or debit/credit card
Also required in some cases
The certificate of title has no space for a sale price, or the vehicle is exempt from titling because of its age.
- Bill of sale showing the sale price
The vehicle is exempt from titling because of its age (a passenger vehicle of model year 1980 or older purchased before 26 November 1990) or is a trailer of 3,000 lbs or less.
- Previous owner's registration certificate
There is an error on the assignment section of the Massachusetts certificate of title.
- TTL102Notarized Affidavit for Correction
Someone other than the owner will sign the certificate of title or the Registration and Title Application.
- TTLREG109Vehicle Owner's Limited Power of Attorney
Deadlines
- Deadline10 calendar days from the date you acquired ownership of the vehicle — Buyer: Apply for a Massachusetts certificate of title within 10 days of purchaseMassachusetts will not accept a new registration application for the vehicle until a title application is made (M.G.L. c.90D s.4(b)). Neither the RMV nor the statute publishes a monetary penalty for a late title application.
- DeadlinePay the motor vehicle sales or use tax by the 20th day of the month following the purchase from the purchase, use, storage or other consumption of the vehicle within Massachusetts — BuyerInterest and penalties are assessed by the Massachusetts Department of Revenue.
- Deadline7 calendar days from the registration date — Buyer: Obtain a vehicle inspection sticker within 7 days of the registration dateDriving without a valid inspection sticker is a traffic violation that may result in a fine and affect your insurance rate.
- Deadline7 calendar days from the date you disposed of your previous vehicle — Buyer: Register the newly acquired vehicle within the 7-calendar-day grace period if you are moving plates from a vehicle you disposed ofThere is no grace period at all if you do not currently have a registered vehicle or trailer, and the RMV does not issue temporary registration plates.
Fees and taxes
| Charge | Amount | Paid by |
|---|---|---|
| Base title fee | $75The Certificate of Title fee alone, published both on the RMV's title pages and under TITLE FEES in the RMV Schedule of Fees. It excludes the registration fee (which varies by plate type), the 6.25% sales or use tax, and the $35 annual safety and emissions inspection. | Buyer |
| Certificate of Title fee | $75The title fee alone. It excludes the registration fee (which varies by plate type), the 6.25% sales or use tax, and the $35 annual safety and emissions inspection, all of which are charged separately.Payable by cash, cheque or money order to MassDOT, or debit/credit card at an RMV Service Center. | Buyer |
| Registration fee (Passenger Normal plate) | $60The PAN "Passenger Normal" plate on a biennial renewal cycle. Registration fees vary by plate type: reserved plates are $100, vanity plates $80, and charitable-organization plates $100 or more. Consult the RMV Schedule of Fees for your plate type.Not charged if you are transferring plates you already hold rather than being issued new ones. | Buyer |
| Massachusetts sales or use tax | VariesVaries by 6.25% of the greater of the actual sale price or the vehicle's NADA clean trade-in (book) value, for a casual (private-party) sale. For a sale by a dealer registered with the Massachusetts DOR it is 6.25% of the sale price. Trailers are taxed on the actual sale price only..Collected by the RMV at the time of the transaction. Due by the 20th day of the month following the purchase; late payment draws interest and penalties from the DOR.Official calculator | Buyer |
| Annual safety and emissions inspection | $35Paid to the licensed inspection station, not to the RMV. Motorcycle inspections are $15 and must be done at a licensed Class M station. Commercial inspections are $35 plus the market labour rate.Must be obtained within 7 days of the registration date. | Buyer |
| Transfer Registration fee | $25Charged instead of a new registration fee when you move plates you already hold onto the newly purchased vehicle under the 7-day transfer law.Only applies if you already own a registered vehicle and are transferring its plates. | Buyer |
| Cancel a registration | $0The RMV states there is no fee to cancel a registration. Cancelling an individual plate where the master registration remains open is $25 per the Schedule of Fees.The seller cancels their own registration after the sale; plates are not returned to the RMV. | Seller |
Massachusetts charges 6.25% sales or use tax on a vehicle transfer, calculated for a private sale on the greater of the actual sale price or the vehicle's NADA clean trade-in (book) value, and collected by the RMV when you title the vehicle.
Inspection, emissions, notary and odometer
- Inspection
- RequiredEvery vehicle registered in Massachusetts must pass a yearly inspection under the Massachusetts Vehicle Check program, and a newly purchased vehicle must be inspected within 7 days of the registration date.
- Emissions
- Sometimes required
- The vehicle has an onboard diagnostic system and is less than 15 years old — the RMV states those vehicles must pass an annual emissions test as part of the Massachusetts Vehicle Check inspection.
- Notarization
- Sometimes required
- Only if an error on the assignment of the Massachusetts certificate of title must be corrected: the RMV's Notarized Affidavit for Correction (TTL102) carries a full notarial certificate and must be sworn before a notary public.
- The Registration and Title Application, the certificate of title assignment and the DOR exemption affidavits are all signed under the penalties of perjury and carry no notary block.
- Odometer disclosure
- RequiredThe seller must state the mileage when ownership transfers. M.G.L. c.90D s.15(a) requires the owner, at the time of delivery, to execute an assignment on the title including the actual odometer reading and warranty of title, and the RMV rejects a proof of ownership on which the mileage is not recorded.
What happens to the plates
Massachusetts plates belong to the registrant rather than to the vehicle, so every transfer needs a plate decision: the seller keeps the plates and cancels the registration, and the buyer either takes new plates or moves plates they already hold onto the new vehicle within a 7-calendar-day grace period.
- The seller keeps the plates
- The buyer gets new plates
- The seller may move the plates to a replacement vehicle
There is no fee to cancel a registration, plates are not returned to the RMV, and the former owner must recycle or destroy them — the RMV says they may be cut in half and discarded. Cancelling stops the local excise tax bill and may support an abatement from the local assessor. The 7-day transfer law requires you to be at least 18, the new vehicle to be the same type with the same number of wheels, the transfer documents showing the registration number to be carried in the vehicle, possession of the previous vehicle to have been lost or disposed of, and the plates to be attached to the new vehicle. There is no grace period at all if you do not currently have a registered vehicle, and the RMV does not issue temporary registration plates.
How to submit
- In person at a state title office
- Online
- In person at an authorized third-party office
Massachusetts uses one form, the Registration and Title Application, for both errands and normally completes them in a single visit to an RMV Service Center, issuing the registration certificate and plates at the counter while the title is posted 6 to 8 weeks later.
Official state links
Source: Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV), a division of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. Checked July 26, 2026. Report a correction