- Title fee
- $15base title fee
- Deadline
- 15 daysfrom the date of sale
- Documents
- 4incl. BDVR-108
- Where
- State officein person
Michigan transfers ownership on the paper title itself. The seller completes and signs the seller's portion - including the odometer reading and the buyer's name and address - hands over the original certificate, and removes their license plate. The buyer then has 15 days from the date of sale to complete the transfer at a Secretary of State office or through the online title transfer, paying a $15 title fee, 6% use tax on the greater of the purchase price or retail value, and the plate or registration fee. After 15 days a $15 late fee is added.
7 things this answer does not settle
- Michigan does not publish a general statement about notarization. The conclusion that nothing in a title transfer needs a notary comes from reading the department's forms themselves - the TR-11L, TR-128, BDVR-108, TR-205 and TR-40 each carry a plain signature line and no notarial certificate - rather than from a page that says so.
- No official Michigan page was found stating whether the state operates a vehicle emissions testing program. The Secretary of State's requirement lists for titling, registering and bringing in an out-of-state vehicle name no emissions certificate, so emissions are recorded as not published rather than as a confirmed 'no'.
- The department publishes a $15 title fee, while the fee statute at MCL 257.806 sets a $10 title fee plus a $3 service fee and a $1.50 tire disposal surcharge, which do not add to $15. Pay the department's published figure; the counter total is what governs.
- Two current Secretary of State pages disagree about whether a grandparent-in-law is exempt from the 6% use tax. Treasury's Internal Policy Directive 2015-1 resolves it in one direction only: a transfer to a grandparent from a grandchild's spouse is exempt, the reverse is not.
- The department publishes both $15 and $16 for removing a lien from a title, on the title correction page and the titles page respectively.
- Secretary of State offices charge a processing fee for debit and credit card payments; the amount is not published on the pages we read.
- The same 6% charge is described as 'sales tax' on the Secretary of State's pages and as use tax on the TR-11L and by Treasury. It is one charge, assessed on the greater of purchase price or retail value, and Treasury makes the final determination.
Do this first
- Before you pay, check that the seller is handing you the original Michigan title and not a photocopy, that the VIN on it matches the VIN on the vehicle, that the odometer figure matches what the vehicle shows, and that every owner named on the title has signed. Crossing out or altering anything on a title invalidates it.
- Book a Secretary of State office visit and bring the assigned title, your Michigan driver's license or state ID, proof of a valid Michigan No-Fault insurance policy on the vehicle, and payment.
Your checklist
Ticks are saved in this browser only. Nothing here is sent to us or filed with any agency.
The seller's checklist
Ticks are saved in this browser only. Nothing here is sent to us or filed with any agency.
Both of you, together
Ticks are saved in this browser only. Nothing here is sent to us or filed with any agency.
Documents and official forms
- Original Michigan certificate of title with the seller's portion completed and signedPhotocopies are not accepted, and the buyer's name and address must be entered on it.
- Buyer's Michigan driver's license or state IDEveryone whose name will appear on the new title must attend or appoint an agent.
- Seller's driver's license or state IDThe department states that the buyer and seller must both present a license or state ID when transferring ownership.
- Proof of a valid Michigan No-Fault insurance policy on the vehicleRequired to register the vehicle and get a plate. Out-of-state insurance is not accepted.
Also required in some cases
The title has no space for the odometer disclosure.
- BDVR-108BDVR-108 Odometer Mileage Statement
The vehicle had a loan against it.
- Lien termination from the lienholder
An owner or incoming owner cannot appear at the office.
- TR-128TR-128 Appointment of Agent with a photocopy of the owner's license
You are recording a new lienholder, or the office asks for a written title application.
- TR-11LTR-11L Application for Michigan Vehicle Title
Deadlines
- Deadline15 calendar days from the date of sale — Buyer: Transfer the title into your name within 15 days of the date of saleUntil the transfer is made and the fee paid the vehicle is treated as being without registration, and the Secretary of State may repossess the license plates.
- Deadline3 calendar days from the date of sale — Buyer: You may drive the vehicle home without a plate for three days from the date of saleThe three days only cover driving directly to the first place of storage, usually your home, by the most direct route, carrying the properly assigned title and proof of insurance. Do not use the seller's plate.
- DeadlineThe online transfer buyer code expires 48 hours after it is generated, and the buyer has a further 48 hours to finish once the seller has done their part from the buyer code being generated, and again from the seller completing their portion — BuyerIf either 48-hour window lapses the buyer must generate a new buyer code or complete the transfer at a Secretary of State office instead.
- DeadlineEither go with the buyer to a Secretary of State office, or keep a record of the sale for at least 18 months from the date of sale — SellerA seller who does neither is responsible for a civil infraction, is presumed to be the last titled owner, and can be liable for towing and daily storage fees if the vehicle is abandoned. The record must be a photocopy of the reassigned title, or a document showing the buyer's name, address, driver license number and signature with the purchase price and date of sale.
Fees and taxes
| Charge | Amount | Paid by |
|---|---|---|
| Base title fee | $15The Secretary of State's published title fee. A same-day instant title is $20 instead. It excludes the 6% use tax, the plate or registration fee, the optional Recreation Passport, and the $15 late fee that applies once the transfer is more than 15 days after the sale. | Buyer |
| Michigan title fee | $15The department's published title fee at a Secretary of State office. A same-day instant title is $20 instead. It does not include the 6% use tax, the plate or registration fee, or the $15 late fee that applies after 15 days. | Buyer |
| 6% use tax (called sales tax on some Secretary of State pages) | 6%Varies by the greater of the purchase price or the vehicle's retail value, as finally determined by the Michigan Department of Treasury.Official calculator | Buyer |
| Plate/registration transfer fee | From $10Varies by whether the sale is a private sale or between immediate family, and the registration fee for the vehicle receiving the plate.$15 when the plate comes with a private-sale purchase, $10 from an immediate family member, and $10 to $15 when you move a plate between two vehicles you own. Extra fees apply if you also replace or renew the plate, or move it to a vehicle with a higher MSRP.Official calculator | Buyer |
| New plate and registration fee | VariesVaries by the manufacturer's suggested retail price (base price) for 1984 and newer passenger vehicles and light trucks, or the vehicle's weight for older vehicles.Set by state law and reduced by a percentage for the three years after a vehicle is first titled; no further reduction applies after that.Official calculator | Buyer |
| Recreation Passport state park pass (optional) | $7–$29$15 added to a one-year vehicle registration, $29 to a two-year registration, $7 to a motorcycle registration. It is optional. | Buyer |
| Debit or credit card processing fee | Not publishedSecretary of State offices state that a processing fee is charged for debit and credit card use, but do not publish the amount on the pages we read. Cash, checks and money orders are also accepted. | Buyer |
Michigan charges 6% use tax on the greater of the purchase price or the vehicle's retail value, collected by the Secretary of State before the transfer, unless the new owner is on Treasury's published list of exempt relatives.
Inspection, emissions, notary and odometer
- Inspection
- Not requiredNo inspection is part of an ordinary Michigan title transfer; inspections are required only for rebuilt salvage vehicles, assembled or reconstructed vehicles, and off-road vehicles being converted to on-road use.
- Emissions
- Not publishedThe Secretary of State's requirement lists for titling, registering and bringing in an out-of-state vehicle name no emissions or smog certificate, and we found no official Michigan page that states whether the state operates a vehicle emissions testing program.
- Notarization
- Not requiredNothing in a Michigan title transfer is notarized: the title assignment, the odometer disclosure and every departmental form take a plain signature.
- Odometer disclosure
- Required, unless you are exempt
- Vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 16,000 pounds
- Vehicles that are not self-propelled
- A model year 2010 or earlier vehicle transferred at least 10 years after 1 January of its model year
- A model year 2011 or later vehicle transferred at least 20 years after 1 January of its model year
- Low-speed vehicles and scrap vehicles
What happens to the plates
Plates follow the person in Michigan: the seller must remove the plate before the buyer takes the vehicle, and the buyer either transfers a plate they already own or buys a new one.
- The seller keeps the plates
- The buyer supplies a plate registered in their own name
- The buyer gets new plates
- The seller may move the plates to a replacement vehicle
The one exception is a sale to an immediate family member, where the plate may stay on the vehicle and be transferred to the new owner. A plate transfer costs $15 in a private sale, $10 from an immediate family member, and $10 to $15 when moving a plate between two vehicles you own. A buyer with no plate may drive the vehicle home without one for three days from the date of sale, by the most direct route to the first place of storage, carrying the assigned title and proof of insurance.
How to submit
- In person at a state title office
- Online
Michigan handles the title and the plate in the same Secretary of State transaction, so bring proof of Michigan No-Fault insurance to the title appointment - you cannot leave with a plate without it.
Official state links
Source: Michigan Department of State (Secretary of State). Checked July 26, 2026. Report a correction