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

30 calendar days from the date of sale — the date the seller assigned the certificate of ownership or Manufacturer's Statement of Origin to you. A delinquent title penalty of $25 falls due on the 31st day and another $25 for each further 30 days of delinquency, capped at $200. The sales tax is payable in full at titling and the Department does not offer payment plans. Until the buyer applies, the seller remains the last titled owner of record.

How much does a title transfer cost in Missouri?

The base title fee is $8.50. The certificate of title fee alone. A $9.00 title processing (agent) fee is charged with it on every application, and neither figure includes the 4.225 percent state sales tax plus local sales tax, the registration fees, or the $25-per-30-days delinquent title penalty. Missouri charges 4.225 percent state sales tax plus the local sales tax of the city or county where you live — not where you bought the vehicle — on the purchase price less any trade-in allowance, and collects it when you apply for title.

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

Yes. Missouri Department of Revenue, Motor Vehicle Bureau. 30 calendar days from the date of the sale or transfer. A seller who fails to report is guilty of an infraction, subject to a fine of up to $200; where the failure was to help the purchaser avoid applying for title or paying registration fees, it is a class C misdemeanor subject to a fine of up to $300. Until the buyer titles the vehicle the seller stays on record as the last titled owner, which is what the notice exists to cut short.

Transferring a vehicle title in Missouri

Issued by Missouri Department of Revenue, Motor Vehicle Bureau. Choose your situation below — the buyer’s and seller’s obligations are listed separately, and every answer links to the official source.

Title fee: $8.50base title fee
Deadline: 30 daysfrom the date of sale — the date the seller assigned the certificate of ownership to you
Documents: 3incl. 108
Where: Agent officeauthorized third party

Nothing in an ordinary Missouri private sale is notarised — the Department of Revenue says plainly that the signatures in the title assignment "do not need to be notarized". The buyer has 30 days from the date of sale to apply for title at a license office and pay $8.50 title fee, $9 processing fee and 4.225 percent state sales tax plus the local rate where they live; a day late costs $25, and another $25 for every 30 days after that up to $200. The seller has two duties of their own: strip the plates off before the buyer drives away, and report the sale to DOR within 30 days.

9 things this answer does not settle

Two current Department of Revenue publications disagree about where an emissions inspection is required. The instruction sheet printed with Form 108 lists "the city of St. Louis and the following counties: Franklin, Jefferson, St. Charles, and St. Louis", while DOR's emissions page, its Buying a Vehicle and Selling a Vehicle pages and the Gateway Vehicle Inspection Program itself all name only St. Louis City and Jefferson, St. Charles and St. Louis counties. Anyone in Franklin County should settle the point with a license office or the Gateway programme before relying on either.
Missouri's motor vehicle sales tax is 4.225 percent state tax plus the local rate of the city or county where you live, and the Department publishes the combined figure only through its own calculator. This record does not enumerate any local rate.
The safety inspection and emissions figures shown here are statutory ceilings — up to $12 for a safety inspection on a passenger vehicle or truck and up to $24 for an emissions test — not set prices. Each licensed station sets its own fee at or below the cap.
The Department's published required-document lists for titling do not name a photo identity document. The only identity element published is the driver license or FEIN number recorded on Form 108, so what a particular license office asks to see at the counter is not established here.
Missouri title work is filed at contract license offices run by private operators. The $9 processing (agent) fee is fixed by the Department's fee chart, but office hours, payment methods and queueing differ office by office and are not covered here.
The sales tax figure is the 4.225 percent state rate only. Your local city or county rate is added on top and Missouri publishes the combined rate only through its own calculator, so this record cannot give you a total.
The safety inspection and emissions prices shown are the maximum a station may charge ($12 and $24), not fixed fees — each licensed station sets its own price at or below the cap.
Which counties require an emissions inspection is stated two different ways by current Department of Revenue publications; the state-level note on this page sets out the conflict, which matters if you are in Franklin County.
Missouri publishes no online way to complete a private-party title transfer, and no appointment booking for license offices, so counter waits and office hours are outside what this record can tell you.

Do this first

Sign and hand-print your name as purchaser in the title assignment area on the back of the title, and check that the seller has entered your full name and physical address there — a title signed by the seller with the purchaser's name left blank is an "open title", which Missouri law makes it unlawful to possess.
Complete and sign an Application for Missouri Title and License (Form 108). Give a physical street address rather than a PO box — it is what sets your local sales tax rate — record your driver license number or FEIN, and make sure the name matches the name written into the title assignment.

Your checklist

Sign and hand-print your name as purchaser in the title assignment area on the back of the title, and check that the seller has entered your full name and physical address there — a title signed by the seller with the purchaser's name left blank is an "open title", which Missouri law makes it unlawful to possess.Official page
Complete and sign an Application for Missouri Title and License (Form 108). Give a physical street address rather than a PO box — it is what sets your local sales tax rate — record your driver license number or FEIN, and make sure the name matches the name written into the title assignment.108Official page
Collect from the seller the safety inspection certificate (less than 60 days old) and, if the vehicle will be registered in St. Louis City or Jefferson, St. Charles or St. Louis county, the emissions Vehicle Inspection Report — the Gateway programme makes providing it the private seller's duty and says that duty overrides any "As Is" wording in the sale paperwork.Applies when: The vehicle is not exempt from the safety inspection or the emissions inspection.Official page
Obtain a paid personal property tax receipt, or a statement of non-assessment, from the assessor for the Missouri county or city of St. Louis where you lived on 1 January of the previous year. It must be in an owner's name, it cannot be verified online, and you need two years' worth for a two-year registration.Applies when: You are taking license plates as well as the title; it is not required for a title-only application.Official page
Take the assigned title, the signed Form 108, your insurance identification card, the personal property tax receipt or statement of non-assessment and the inspection certificates to any Missouri license office within 30 days of the date of sale — or post them to the Motor Vehicle Bureau, PO Box 100, Jefferson City MO 65105-0100.108Official page
Pay the $8.50 title fee, the $9 title processing fee, 4.225 percent state sales tax plus your local sales tax on the price less any trade-in allowance, and the registration fees for the plates you are taking. DOR's own calculator is the only published way to get the combined tax figure for your address, and there is no payment plan — the tax is due in full at titling.Official page
Decide the plates at the same counter: move plates from a vehicle already titled in your name for a $2 license transfer fee plus a $9 registration processing fee, or buy new plates priced on the vehicle's taxable horsepower. You cannot use the plates that were on the vehicle when you bought it.108Official page
If you need to drive the vehicle before you have plates, buy a 30-day temporary permit at a license office for a $5 permit fee plus a $9 processing fee, taking the assigned title, a safety inspection certificate where one is required, and proof of insurance. Only one temporary permit may be issued per vehicle and it stops being valid once you apply for title.Applies when: No plate is available to transfer onto the vehicle.Official page

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The seller's checklist

Fill in the title assignment on the back of your Missouri title in front of the buyer: the purchaser's full name and physical address, the date of sale, the sale price with the trade-in and net price (enter "0" if there is no trade-in), and the odometer reading. Never hand over a title you have signed with the purchaser's name blank.Official page
Sign the title assignment exactly as your name appears on the face of the title and hand-print your name beside it; every seller named on the face of the title must sign. Do not use correction fluid or erase anything on a Missouri title. These signatures do not need to be notarised.Official page
Give the buyer a Certificate of Inspection and Approval from a Missouri safety inspection station less than 60 days old, unless the vehicle is exempt — most notably vehicles within ten model years and under 150,000 miles.Applies when: The vehicle is not exempt from the safety inspection.Official page
If you live in St. Louis City or Jefferson, St. Charles or St. Louis county, give the buyer a current emissions test approval or compliance waiver before the sale — the Gateway Vehicle Inspection Program requires it of private sellers, and the certificate is good for 60 days for the buyer's registration.Applies when: You live in one of the four Gateway Vehicle Inspection Program jurisdictions and the vehicle is an eligible 1996-or-newer petrol or 1997-or-newer diesel vehicle of 8,500 lbs GVWR or less.Official page
If a lien is printed on the title, give the buyer the lienholder's notarised Lien Release — the release section of Form 4809, or a notarised release on the lienholder's own letterhead showing the year, make, VIN, release date, lienholder name and signature and your details.Applies when: The certificate of title shows a lienholder and the loan has been paid off.4809Official page
Take your license plates off the vehicle before the purchaser takes possession, whether they are valid or expired. Keep them for a replacement vehicle, or surrender them at any license office — Missouri does not refund registration fees on unexpired plates, but the unused portion can be applied to a new registration.Official page
Report the sale within 30 days by posting a Notice of Sale (Form 5049), the tear-off Notice of Sale (Form 5049A) at the bottom of your title, or a Bill of Sale (Form 1957) to the Motor Vehicle Bureau. Both you and the purchaser sign it. Keep a copy: until the buyer applies for title you remain the last titled owner of record.5049Official page

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Both of you, together

Complete the odometer disclosure together on the title assignment: the seller writes the actual mileage excluding tenths and ticks "Mileage in Excess of Its Mechanical Limits" or "Mileage Reading is Not Actual" if either applies, and buyer and seller both sign and hand-print their names. Use an Odometer Disclosure Statement (Form 3019) only if the title has no space for the reading or for the printed names and signatures.Applies when: The vehicle is not exempt from mileage disclosure.3019Official page

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Documents and official forms

Missouri certificate of title, properly assignedSigned and hand-printed by every seller named on the face of the title and by at least one purchaser, with the date of sale, sale price and odometer reading entered. No correction fluid or erasures. Missouri law makes a sale without an assigned certificate of ownership "fraudulent and void".
108Application for Missouri Title and License (Form 108), completed and signedOne owner signs. Not notarised for a purchase — the form's notary block is for duplicate titles only.
Current insurance identification card or other proof of financial responsibilityOriginal, copy or electronic if legible, showing the insurer, the insured, the policy number, the effective dates and the vehicle. Not required for a title-only application or for a trailer.

Also required in some cases

You are obtaining or transferring license plates. Not required for a title-only application or for an ATV.

Paid personal property tax receipt or statement of non-assessment

The vehicle is not exempt — chiefly, it is more than ten model years old or has 150,000 miles or more.

Certificate of Inspection and Approval (Missouri safety inspection)

The vehicle will be registered in St. Louis City or Jefferson, St. Charles or St. Louis county and is a 1996-or-newer petrol or 1997-or-newer diesel vehicle of 8,500 lbs GVWR or less.

Emissions Vehicle Inspection Report or compliance waiver

The certificate of title has no space for the odometer reading or for the printed names and signatures of buyer and seller.

3019Odometer Disclosure Statement (Form 3019)

The certificate of title shows a lienholder and the loan has been paid off.

4809Notarised Lien Release (Form 4809)

The seller is reporting the sale to the Department of Revenue, which Missouri requires within 30 days.

5049Notice of Sale or Transfer (Form 5049), Form 5049A tear-off, or Bill of Sale (Form 1957)

Deadlines

Deadline30 calendar days from the date of sale — the date the seller assigned the certificate of ownership to you — Buyer: Apply for title and pay the sales tax within 30 days of the purchase dateA $25 delinquent title penalty falls due on the 31st day and another $25 for each further 30 days, to a maximum of $200.
Deadline60 calendar days from the date of the emissions test the seller handed over — Buyer: Use the emissions certificate for registration within 60 days of the testThe certificate expires and the vehicle has to be re-inspected at the buyer's cost.
Deadline30 calendar days from the date of the sale — Seller: Report the sale to the Department of Revenue within 30 daysAn infraction with a fine of up to $200; a class C misdemeanor with a fine of up to $300 where the failure was to help the purchaser avoid titling.

Fees and taxes

Charge	Amount	Paid by
Base title fee	$8.50The certificate of title fee alone. A $9.00 title processing (agent) fee is charged with it on every application, and neither figure includes the 4.225 percent state sales tax plus local sales tax, the registration fees, or the $25-per-30-days delinquent title penalty.	Buyer
Certificate of title fee	$8.50The title fee alone; the $9 processing fee, the sales tax and the registration fees are all extra.	Buyer
Title processing (agent) fee	$9Charged on every title application, whether it is filed at a contract license office or posted to the Motor Vehicle Bureau.	Buyer
State and local sales tax	4.225%Varies by the purchase price less any trade-in allowance, plus the local sales tax rate of the city or county where the buyer lives — not where the vehicle was bought.4.225 percent is the state rate only; a local rate is added on top and DOR publishes the combined figure only through its own calculator. Payable in full at titling — the Department does not offer payment plans.Official calculator	Buyer
Registration (license plate) fee	From $18.25Varies by taxable horsepower for a passenger vehicle, or gross weight plus load and operating radius for a truck, and whether you take a one-year or two-year registration.Passenger one-year fees run $18.25 (under 12 HP, electric or low-speed vehicle) to $51.25 (72 HP and over); a two-wheel motorcycle is $8.75 and an RV $32.25. Fees are prorated by month.Official calculator	Buyer
Registration processing fee	$9–$18$9 for a one-year registration, $18 for a two-year registration. Charged in addition to the $9 title processing fee.	Buyer
License plate transfer fee	$2Charged only where you move plates from a vehicle already titled in your name onto the vehicle you have just bought; a further $9 registration processing fee applies to the transfer.	Buyer
Safety inspection	VariesVaries by the inspection station, which sets its own price up to a state cap of $12 for a passenger vehicle or truck and $10 for a motorcycle.A ceiling, not a set price. The seller supplies the certificate, so the seller normally pays. Missouri's titling manual puts the same $12 cap on the identification-number-and-odometer inspection.Official calculator	Seller
Emissions test	VariesVaries by the Gateway Vehicle Inspection Program station, which sets its own price up to a state cap of $24.A ceiling, not a set price, and it should include one free re-inspection if the same licensed station does it within 20 business days. Only applies in St. Louis City and Jefferson, St. Charles and St. Louis counties.Official calculator	Seller
Quick Title (optional)	$5An optional additional charge on top of the $8.50 title fee and $9 processing fee, for a title issued at the counter rather than posted.	Buyer
30-day temporary permit (optional)	$5The permit fee only; a $9 processing fee is added if it is issued at a license office.One permit per vehicle, valid 30 days from the purchase date, and no longer valid once you apply for title.	Buyer

Missouri charges 4.225 percent state sales tax plus the local sales tax of the city or county where you live — not where you bought the vehicle — on the purchase price less any trade-in allowance, and collects it when you apply for title.

Inspection, emissions, notary and odometer

Inspection: Required, unless you are exempt
Exempt: vehicles in the first ten years following the model year of manufacture with fewer than 150,000 miles on the odometer
Exempt: even model year vehicles whose registration expires in an odd calendar year, and odd model year vehicles whose registration expires in an even calendar year
Exempt: all trailers and ATVs, vehicles displaying historic plates, low speed vehicles, and vehicles sold for junk, salvage or rebuilding
Not required for a title-only application on a vehicle that will not be registered
The certificate is valid 60 days from the date of inspection
A Missouri safety inspection is required before a vehicle can be registered unless it is exempt, and the biggest exemption swallows most recent cars: vehicles in the first ten years after their model year with fewer than 150,000 miles on the odometer need no safety inspection.
Emissions: Sometimes required
Only where the vehicle will be registered to operate in St. Louis City, St. Louis County, St. Charles County or Jefferson County
Only 1996-and-newer petrol and 1997-and-newer diesel vehicles of 8,500 lbs GVWR or less
An emissions test is required on any sale or title transfer of an eligible vehicle, and the private seller must provide the approval or waiver before the sale
Exempt: model year 1995 or older (1996 or older diesel), vehicles over 8,500 lbs GVWR, motorcycles and autocycles, trailers, and vehicles receiving a "Title Only"
Exempt: vehicles powered exclusively by electricity, solar, hydrogen or fuels other than petrol, diesel or ethanol
Emissions testing applies only in the St. Louis area — the city of St. Louis and Jefferson, St. Charles and St. Louis counties — to 1996 and newer petrol and 1997 and newer diesel vehicles of 8,500 lbs GVWR or less, and a test is required on any sale or title transfer of an eligible vehicle.
Notarization: Sometimes required
Nothing in an ordinary private sale is notarised — DOR states the seller's and purchaser's signatures in the title assignment "do not need to be notarized", and Form 108 is not notarised for a purchase
A notarised Lien Release (Form 4809), or a notarised release on the lienholder's letterhead, is required only where the title shows a lien that has been paid off
A Bill of Sale (Form 1957) must be notarised only when it proves ownership of major component parts of a rebuilt vehicle, or when DOR specifically asks for it
If the title is missing and a duplicate has to be obtained before the sale can proceed, the owner's signature on that Form 108 must be notarised
Missouri does not notarise the title itself. DOR states outright that the seller's and purchaser's signatures in the title assignment "do not need to be notarized" — notarisation is reserved for a handful of specific documents, chiefly a duplicate-title application and a lien release.
Odometer disclosure: Required, unless you are exempt
Exempt: any motor vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 16,000 pounds
Exempt: any motor vehicle model year 2010 or older that is also at least ten years of age at the time of transfer
Exempt: all trailers and all-terrain vehicles
Model year 2011 and newer vehicles must have mileage disclosed until the vehicle is twenty years old
The seller writes the mileage into the title assignment, excluding tenths, and both parties hand-print and sign their names beside it; disclosure is required for model year 2011 and newer vehicles until they turn twenty, and for older vehicles until they are both model year 2010-or-earlier and at least ten years old.

What happens to the plates

Missouri plates belong to the person, not the vehicle: the seller must take their plates off before the buyer takes possession, and the buyer either moves plates from a vehicle already titled in their own name or buys new ones.

The seller keeps the plates
The seller surrenders the plates
The seller may move the plates to a replacement vehicle
The buyer supplies a plate registered in their own name
The buyer gets new plates

DOR's instruction to sellers is flat — "Before the purchaser takes possession of the vehicle, remove your license plates (whether they are valid or expired)" — and "When there is a complete change of ownership, the seller's license plates cannot be transferred to (or used by) the purchaser." Registration fees for a passenger car run on taxable horsepower, from $18.25 a year (under 12 HP, electric or low-speed vehicle) to $51.25 (72 HP and over), each with a $9 one-year or $18 two-year processing fee. Trucks are charged on gross weight plus load and whether they operate locally or beyond. Missouri registrations normally require two plates front and rear; motorcycles, historic vehicles and commercial vehicles registered at 18,000 lbs or more are exceptions. Missouri statute does not authorise a refund of registration fees for unexpired plates, though the unused portion can be applied to a new registration.

How to submit

In person at an authorized third-party office
In person at a state title office
By mail

One errand: a Missouri license office issues the title and the license plates in the same transaction, so bring the plate paperwork — proof of insurance and a personal property tax receipt or statement of non-assessment — to the title appointment.

Official state links

Source: Missouri Department of Revenue, Motor Vehicle Bureau. Checked July 30, 2026. Report a correction

Common questions about Missouri

How long do I have to transfer a vehicle title in Missouri?: 30 calendar days from the date of sale — the date the seller assigned the certificate of ownership or Manufacturer's Statement of Origin to you. A delinquent title penalty of $25 falls due on the 31st day and another $25 for each further 30 days of delinquency, capped at $200. The sales tax is payable in full at titling and the Department does not offer payment plans. Until the buyer applies, the seller remains the last titled owner of record.
How much does a title transfer cost in Missouri?: The base title fee is $8.50. The certificate of title fee alone. A $9.00 title processing (agent) fee is charged with it on every application, and neither figure includes the 4.225 percent state sales tax plus local sales tax, the registration fees, or the $25-per-30-days delinquent title penalty. Missouri charges 4.225 percent state sales tax plus the local sales tax of the city or county where you live — not where you bought the vehicle — on the purchase price less any trade-in allowance, and collects it when you apply for title.
Does a vehicle title transfer need to be notarized in Missouri?: Sometimes required. Missouri does not notarise the title itself. DOR states outright that the seller's and purchaser's signatures in the title assignment "do not need to be notarized" — notarisation is reserved for a handful of specific documents, chiefly a duplicate-title application and a lien release.
Does the seller have to notify the title authority in Missouri?: Yes. Missouri Department of Revenue, Motor Vehicle Bureau. 30 calendar days from the date of the sale or transfer. A seller who fails to report is guilty of an infraction, subject to a fine of up to $200; where the failure was to help the purchaser avoid applying for title or paying registration fees, it is a class C misdemeanor subject to a fine of up to $300. Until the buyer titles the vehicle the seller stays on record as the last titled owner, which is what the notice exists to cut short.
What happens to the license plates in Missouri?: Missouri plates belong to the person, not the vehicle: the seller must take their plates off before the buyer takes possession, and the buyer either moves plates from a vehicle already titled in their own name or buys new ones.

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.

31 official sources · last checked July 30, 2026 · How this was compiled · Report a correction