- Title fee
- $35base title fee
- Deadline
- 20 daysfrom the day the 20-day temporary registration is issued to you
- Documents
- 4incl. TDMV 23A
- Where
- Agent officeauthorized third party
The seller fills in your name, your address and the current odometer reading on the reverse of the New Hampshire title, you both sign, and the seller hands you the title at the time of the sale. You then take that assigned title and a government-issued photo ID to the clerk in the town or city where you live: the clerk determines your residency, collects the local registration permit fee, prepares the title application (TDMV 23A) for the DMV and registers the vehicle. The title fee is $35 and there is no sales tax in New Hampshire. You may not drive the car home on the seller's plates — the registration expires the moment ownership transfers — so if you need to move it before registering, buy a $20 twenty-day temporary plate from the DMV first. If the vehicle is model year 1999 or older it is title exempt: there is no title, and the seller gives you a bill of sale instead.
8 things this answer does not settle
- Two current official Department of Safety pages contradict each other on inspection. The DMV's Inspections & Emissions page and the Director's 13 February 2026 letter say the state vehicle inspection programme is suspended, stations may no longer issue state stickers, and no annual inspection is required; the DMV's New Resident page still answers "Yes. All vehicles must be safety inspected" and cites RSA 266:1, which was repealed effective 31 January 2026. This record follows the more recent, more specific guidance, but the DMV itself warns the programme's status "remains subject to change as the legal landscape continues to evolve" while the case is on appeal to the First Circuit. Anyone titling a vehicle should re-read the Inspections & Emissions page before assuming no inspection is needed.
- The DMV publishes two different figures for how long a new title takes. The Apply for a Title page says a title is produced and sent "within forty (40) to fifty (50) calendar days" of the application reaching the DMV; the Title Frequently Asked Questions page says "approximately 30 to 50 calendar days". Both were live on 31 July 2026.
- The 20-day in-transit registration for an out-of-state buyer is priced at $20.00 on the DMV's Temporary Plates page but at $10 in RSA 261:57-b, which has not been amended since 1987. The DMV page is the operative counter price.
- New Hampshire does not publish a consolidated fee schedule for a title transfer. The $35 title fee is published, but the town or city registration permit fee is computed by the clerk from the manufacturer's list price under RSA 261:153 and the state registration fee varies by gross weight under RSA 261:141, and the DMV's own answer to "How much are the fees to register my vehicle?" is "Registration fees differ for each vehicle. Contact your town or city office." The additional fee a Municipal Agent charges to complete the state portion is described only as "a small, additional fee" and is not published anywhere on the DMV site.
- RSA 261:27, III, added effective 13 September 2025, contemplates certificates of title held "in an electronic format" and a lien release made by notifying the department. The DMV publishes no consumer-facing page about electronic titles or an electronic lien and title programme, so it is not clear from official sources when a New Hampshire title is paper and when it is electronic.
- Whether you need a state safety inspection is genuinely unsettled. The DMV's Inspections & Emissions page and its 13 February 2026 letter to inspection stations say the programme is suspended and no annual state inspection is required at this time; the DMV's New Resident page still says every vehicle must be safety inspected, citing RSA 266:1, which was repealed on 31 January 2026. The programme is the subject of a federal court injunction now on appeal, and the DMV warns its status may change. Re-read the Inspections & Emissions page before you rely on this.
- New Hampshire publishes no single total for what a private-sale transfer costs. The $35 title fee is fixed, but the town or city permit fee is computed by your clerk from the manufacturer's list price and the state registration fee turns on gross weight, and the DMV's own answer is that fees differ for each vehicle and you should contact your town or city office. The extra fee a Municipal Agent charges to complete the state portion is described only as "small" and is not published.
- The DMV gives two different figures for how long the new title takes — 40 to 50 calendar days on the Apply for a Title page, 30 to 50 in the Title FAQ.
Do this first
- Before you drive the car anywhere, get a 20-day temporary plate. Take a photocopy of the front and back of the title the seller signed (or of the bill of sale, if the vehicle is title exempt), your driver license or non-driver ID and $20 payable to "State of NH-DMV" to a DMV drop box or a DMV appointment. The registration is valid for 20 days from the day it is issued, and you must keep a valid bill of sale in the vehicle while driving on it.
- Check the title the seller handed you before you leave: your name and address and the odometer reading must be written on the reverse, and both the seller's and your signatures must be there. If the title names a lienholder, do not accept it without a Release of Lien or Other Encumbrances (TDMV 20A) signed by the lender, or a signed release on the lender's letterhead.
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
- The New Hampshire certificate of title, assigned on the reverse to the buyerMust show the buyer's name, the buyer's address and the current odometer reading, and carry the signatures of both seller and buyer. The seller hands it over at the time of the sale.
- A current government-issued photo identification cardRSA 261:148 forbids the town or city clerk from issuing the registration permit without it.
- Proof of residency in the town or city where you are registeringThe form of proof is set by your town or city; the clerk determines residency before starting the registration. The DMV does not publish a statewide list.
- TDMV 23AApplication for Certificate of Title (TDMV 23A), prepared by the clerkPrepared for you at the counter — it may only be obtained at your town or city clerk's office, or from a New Hampshire licensed dealer or lienholder.
Also required in some cases
The vehicle is title exempt — most commonly model year 1999 or older.
- Bill of sale meeting RSA 261:148, III
The vehicle is title exempt and there is no title on which to record the odometer disclosure.
- TDMV 22AReport of Sale or Transfer of a Non-Titled Motor Vehicle (TDMV 22A)
Proof of the VIN is needed — for example a title-exempt vehicle where the buyer has no previous registration or title, an antique vehicle, or a vehicle from a state that titles only vehicles ten years old and newer.
- TDMV 19AVerification of Vehicle Identification (TDMV 19A)
The title you are being given names a lienholder.
- TDMV 20ARelease of Lien or Other Encumbrances (TDMV 20A), or a signed release on the lender's letterhead
The odometer disclosure cannot be made in the space on the certificate of title.
- TDMV 12Odometer Disclosure Statement (TDMV 12)
Deadlines
- Deadline20 calendar days from the day the 20-day temporary registration is issued to you — Buyer: Register the vehicle before your 20-day temporary plate expiresThe temporary registration is valid for 20 days only. After that the vehicle is unregistered and may not be driven on New Hampshire ways. Only three 20-day registrations may be issued on the same vehicle in a 12-month period, and you may apply only once on the same vehicle in that period, so you cannot simply keep renewing it.
- Deadline20 calendar days from the date the application, certificate of title or other document was required to be mailed or delivered to the DMV under RSA chapter 261 — Buyer: Title paperwork that reaches the DMV more than 20 days late costs the fee twiceRSA 261:20, II directs the department to collect, as a penalty, an amount equal to the fee required for the transaction — $35 on top of the $35 title fee.
Fees and taxes
| Charge | Amount | Paid by |
|---|---|---|
| Base title fee | $35The state title fee only, raised from $25 to $35 effective 1 January 2026 (RSA 261:20, I(a)-(c)). It is charged the same for a first title, a title after a transfer and a duplicate. It excludes the town or city registration permit fee, the state registration fee, the $8 first-time plate fee, the $2 town clerk form preparation fee and any municipal agent fee. New Hampshire charges no sales or use tax on top. | Buyer |
| Certificate of title fee | $35The state title fee alone, $35 since 1 January 2026 (RSA 261:20, I(b)). It excludes the town or city registration permit fee, the state registration fee, the $8 plate fee and the $2 clerk preparation fee.Collected by the town or city clerk with the title application and forwarded to the DMV. | Buyer |
| Town or city registration permit fee | 1.8%Varies by the manufacturer's list price of the vehicle and how old the model year is — 18 mills per dollar of list price in the current model year, then 15, 12, 9 and 6 mills for each preceding model year, and 3 mills for the fifth preceding model year and older, with a $5 minimum. It is not based on what you paid..The rate shown is the top rate, 18 mills per dollar, which applies to a current-model-year vehicle; it falls to 3 mills (0.3%) for a vehicle five model years old or more. Your town may add a solid-waste reclamation fee of $2 to $5 and, if its voters have adopted one, a transportation improvement fee of up to $5. The DMV's own answer is that fees differ for each vehicle and you should contact your town or city office.Official calculator | Buyer |
| State registration fee | From $42Varies by the gross weight of the vehicle — $42 for 0-3,000 lbs, $48 for 3,001-5,000 lbs, $66 for 5,001-8,000 lbs, and $1.06 per hundred pounds above that.The state half of the two-part registration. Payable to the DMV, or to your town or city clerk if the clerk is a Municipal Agent of the State.Official calculator | Buyer |
| Number plate fee | $8Charged the first time you order plates. New Hampshire issues and requires two plates. | Buyer |
| Town clerk form preparation fee | $2Set by RSA 261:152 at $2 for each application, payable by the applicant in addition to every other fee. | Buyer |
| 20-day temporary registration plate | $20Payable to "State of NH-DMV". Only three 20-day registrations may be issued on the same vehicle within a 12-month period, and one person may apply only once on the same vehicle in that period.Only if you need to drive the vehicle before registering it. | Buyer |
| Municipal agent fee for completing the state portion | Not publishedThe DMV says a town or city clerk who is a Municipal Agent of the State can complete the state portion of the registration "for a small, additional fee", but publishes no amount, and the fee is not in RSA 261:141 or RSA 261:153.Only where your clerk is a Municipal Agent and you choose to finish the whole transaction there rather than at a DMV office. | Buyer |
| Sales or use tax | $0New Hampshire has no general sales tax on goods purchased in the state and no vehicle sales or use tax, so nothing is charged here. The town or city registration permit fee, computed from the manufacturer's list price, is the value-based charge in its place. | Buyer |
New Hampshire charges no sales or use tax on a vehicle purchase — the Department of Revenue Administration states there is no general sales tax on goods purchased in New Hampshire, and there is no vehicle-specific substitute.
Inspection, emissions, notary and odometer
- Inspection
- Not requiredNew Hampshire's periodic vehicle inspection programme is suspended: the DMV's current guidance says inspection stations are no longer authorised to issue state inspection stickers and vehicles are not required to obtain an annual state inspection at this time.
- Emissions
- Not requiredNew Hampshire's on-board diagnostics emissions test was performed as part of the state inspection, and that programme is suspended — no state emissions test is being required at this time.
- Notarization
- Sometimes required
- Someone other than you is collecting your 20-day temporary plate — that person needs a notarised letter from you authorising them, plus their own proof of identity.
- You want the finished title posted to a third party instead of to you or your lienholder — the DMV requires a notarised statement from the owner asking for that.
- Odometer disclosure
- Required, unless you are exempt
- Exempt if the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating is over 16,000 pounds.
- Exempt if the vehicle is not self-propelled.
- Exempt if the vehicle is model year 2010 or earlier and is being transferred at least 10 years after 1 January of its model year — which now covers every model year 2010 and older vehicle.
- A vehicle of model year 2011 or later is exempt only 20 years after 1 January of its model year, so none is yet exempt on age.
- Exempt if the vehicle was sold directly by the manufacturer to a US government agency under contractual specifications.
What happens to the plates
New Hampshire requires two plates to be displayed, and a vehicle's registration expires the moment ownership transfers — so plates never simply travel with a sold car.
- The seller keeps the plates
- The seller may move the plates to a replacement vehicle
- The buyer gets new plates
RSA 261:66, I provides that on transfer of ownership the registration expires; the person the vehicle was registered to keeps the expired registration certificate because it is what earns them transfer credit. Under RSA 261:150, I a former owner may apply that permit fee as credit against the permit fee on another vehicle in the same registration period on payment of $5. The DMV adds that transfer credit is only allowed if the primary owner's name on the old and new registration does not change, and warns that "once the plates have been transferred, the old vehicle is no longer legally registered and may not be driven on any roadway". A first set of plates costs $8. A new owner who needs to drive the vehicle away before registering it needs a 20-day temporary plate.
How to submit
- In person at an authorized third-party office
- In person at a state title office
In New Hampshire you cannot title a vehicle on its own: the title application is prepared by your town or city clerk at the moment you register the vehicle, so titling and registering are one errand — but that errand has two halves, a town or city half and a state half.
Official state links
Source: New Hampshire Division of Motor Vehicles (Department of Safety). Checked July 31, 2026. Report a correction