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

30 calendar days from the date of assignment on the title, bill of sale, MCO or dealer invoice, whichever is earlier. MVD adds a $20.00 late transfer penalty under Section 66-3-103(B). It may be waived if you hold a Notice of Additional Requirements (MVD-10282) that is 10 days old or less, or at the manager's discretion. A fresh bill of sale does not reset the clock - MVD uses the date of the original one.

Does a vehicle title transfer need to be notarized in New Mexico?

Sometimes required. New Mexico does not notarise the assignment on the certificate of title, the bill of sale or the title application. Notarisation attaches to particular documents: the Affidavit of Gift, a power of attorney, the two heirship forms, and a lien release issued on company letterhead.

Does the seller have to notify the title authority in New Mexico?

Yes. New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department, Motor Vehicle Division (MVD). Send MVD's Sold Unit a Notice of Vehicle Sold (MVD-10048) - MVD publishes no deadline for it from the date the vehicle is sold, transferred or assigned. MVD publishes no penalty for failing to file the notice. The form itself cites Section 66-3-101(A) NMSA 1978 and asks MVD to update its records to show the vehicle as sold. The separate 30-day plate duty does carry a fixed clock.

Transferring a vehicle title in New Mexico

Issued by New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department, Motor Vehicle Division (MVD). Choose your situation below — the buyer’s and seller’s obligations are listed separately, and every answer links to the official source.

This state’s record is not complete yet

No base title fee could be established.

What is below is sourced and usable, but check New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department, Motor Vehicle Division (MVD) before you act on it.

Title fee: Not publishednot published by the state
Deadline: 30 daysfrom the date of assignment on the title, bill of sale, MCO or dealer invoice, whichever is earlier
Documents: 5incl. MVD-10002
Where: State officein person

The buyer must apply for the New Mexico title and registration within 30 calendar days of the assignment or MVD adds a $20.00 late transfer penalty, and within 90 days or the 4% motor vehicle excise tax picks up a 50% penalty that lifts the effective rate to 6%. New Mexico is a plate-to-owner state: the seller takes the plate off before handing the vehicle over and has 30 days to move it to another vehicle of the same class or surrender it for cancellation. Nothing on the title itself is notarised.

8 things this answer does not settle

MVD's Vehicle Procedures Manual is the most detailed public account of New Mexico's title procedure - it is the manual its own counter staff work from - but its chapters carry section revision dates from 2017 and 2018. Where a current form PDF and the manual disagreed, the form was preferred here and the disagreement is flagged.
No current, itemised title-fee schedule is published. The MVD Fees Manual linked from Chapter 6 Section A is footer-stamped 2.2.09, still shows the 3% excise-tax rate that 4% replaced on 1 July 2019, and therefore cannot be used to quote a title fee today. The only vehicle title fee MVD prints anywhere current is the $5.00 on the duplicate-title application (MVD-10901), and the $2.00 administrative fee on its license-plate page.
MVD's Emission Testing page and Chapter 2 Section H of its Vehicle Procedures Manual do not agree about diesels: the web page says dedicated electric and diesel vehicles are exempt, while the manual says diesel and gas-electric hybrids must be tested every two years and only dedicated electric vehicles are exempt. Check with Albuquerque Air Care before assuming a diesel is exempt.
MVD's odometer guidance is internally inconsistent: Chapter 2 Section G (revised November 2017) says the "EX" exempt code can be used when a vehicle is 10 years or older, while MVD's own Odometer Disclosure Statement (MVD-10187, Rev. 07/12) prints no exempt box at all. Federal odometer rules were not read from an official federal page in this session, so no federal age threshold is asserted here.
Nothing on MVD's titling pages describes a state-wide vehicle safety inspection. The only inspections named anywhere in the title process are the VIN inspection for out-of-state titles and the Bernalillo County emissions test.
MVD publishes no current, itemised title-fee schedule. The fee manual its own Chapter 6 links is stamped 2.2.09 and still shows the 3% excise-tax rate that 4% replaced on 1 July 2019, so the only title-fee figure that can honestly be quoted today is the $5.00 vehicle title fee printed on the duplicate-title application (MVD-10901).
The excise tax cannot be worked out in advance from the sale price alone: MVD applies 4% to the higher of the declared price or 80% of the N.A.D.A. average trade-in value for that VIN and mileage, which is looked up at the counter.
MVD-10048, the Notice of Vehicle Sold, cites Section 66-3-101(A) NMSA 1978 but prints no deadline for filing it and MVD publishes no penalty for not filing it.

Do this first

Take the title the seller assigned to you to an MVD field office and file an Application for Vehicle Title and Registration (MVD-10002) in your own name, signed in ink. If your name and another owner's are to be joined by "and", both of you must sign.
Bring one proof of identity and two proofs of New Mexico residency, or a current New Mexico driver's license or ID card showing the address you are registering. MVD rejects the application if you have no New Mexico residence and mailing address.

Your checklist

Take the title the seller assigned to you to an MVD field office and file an Application for Vehicle Title and Registration (MVD-10002) in your own name, signed in ink. If your name and another owner's are to be joined by "and", both of you must sign.MVD-10002Official page
Bring one proof of identity and two proofs of New Mexico residency, or a current New Mexico driver's license or ID card showing the address you are registering. MVD rejects the application if you have no New Mexico residence and mailing address.Official page
Affirm financial responsibility by producing a current auto insurance card, a copy of the policy, or a letter on your insurer's letterhead, meeting New Mexico's $25,000 / $50,000 / $10,000 minimums.Official page
Pay the 4% motor vehicle excise tax when you apply for the title. Bring the bill of sale: MVD applies the 4% to the higher of the declared purchase price or 80% of the N.A.D.A. average trade-in value it looks up from the VIN and mileage at the counter.Official page
Do all of this within 30 calendar days of the date of assignment on the title or bill of sale. After 30 days MVD adds a $20.00 late transfer penalty under Section 66-3-103(B), and a fresh bill of sale will not reset the clock.Official page
Take a plate. If you have a plate of the same class from a vehicle you disposed of within the past 30 days, MVD reassigns it to your new vehicle; otherwise MVD issues you a new one once the fees and taxes are paid.Official page
If the vehicle will be registered in Bernalillo County, or you commute into it 60 or more days a year, have the vehicle pass an emissions test first. MVD checks the Albuquerque Air Care database electronically, and only asks for the paper certificate - issued within 90 days - if that check fails.Applies when: The vehicle is registered in or commutes into Bernalillo County and is not on the exemption list.Official page
If MVD hands you a Notice of Additional Requirements (MVD-10282), bring the missing documents back within 10 days of the date on that notice - that is what protects you from the late transfer fee and the late registration penalty.Applies when: MVD could not complete the transaction at the counter.MVD-10282Official page
If you would rather not queue, put the packet together on a Request for New Mexico Title Transfer - Drop Off at Office (MVD-10049) and book a title drop-off appointment. The packet needs copies of every buyer's New Mexico credential, current insurance valid at least a week out, and the original certificate of title.Applies when: The vehicle has a current New Mexico title and you want a standard Yellow, Turquoise or Chile plate.MVD-10049Official page

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The seller's checklist

Complete the Assignment of Title on the New Mexico certificate of title (MVD-10030) - the buyer's name and address, the purchase date, the selling price and the odometer reading - and sign it. MVD will not accept a photocopy of the title for any transaction.MVD-10030Official page
If the assignment block on the reverse of the title is already full or incomplete, complete a Bill of Sale (MVD-10009) instead, showing the year, make, VIN, exact sale amount and both parties' names, addresses and signatures.Applies when: The assignment on the back of the title cannot be used.MVD-10009
Remove your license plate from the vehicle before you hand it over. New Mexico registers plates to the owner, not to the vehicle, and MVD-10009 prints the reminder on its face.Official page
Within 30 days of the sale, take the removed plate to an MVD field office to have it destroyed, or apply to have it assigned to another vehicle of the same class. If you were in the first year of a two-year registration and move the plate to a same-class vehicle, MVD credits the unused second year to your account automatically.Official page
Send MVD's Sold Unit a completed Notice of Vehicle Sold (MVD-10048) - VIN, plate number, date sold, odometer reading, whether you took the plate off, and the buyer's name and address - signed by you, to P.O. Box 1028, Santa Fe, NM 87504-1028.MVD-10048Official page
If the title still shows a lien, have the lienholder release it before the sale: endorse the release block on the front of the title, sign a Release of Lien (MVD-10041), or issue a release on company letterhead - that letterhead route is the one that must be notarised. Whoever signs must state their position with the company.Applies when: The certificate of title shows a lien.MVD-10041Official page

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Both of you, together

Fill in the odometer reading together and both sign it. It can go on the back of the title, on the Bill of Sale (MVD-10009), on the Odometer Disclosure Statement (MVD-10187) or on the title application (MVD-10002) - and one mileage code must be ticked: AM (actual), EL (exceeds mechanical limits), NM (not the actual mileage) or EX (exempt).MVD-10187Official page

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Documents and official forms

MVD-10030The current New Mexico certificate of title, with the Assignment of Title section completed and signed by the sellerPhotocopies are never accepted for any type of title transaction. The location of the assignment section moves depending on how old the title is.
MVD-10002Application for Vehicle Title and RegistrationSigned in ink by the person who will be the registered owner. Where two owners' names are joined by "and", both sign.
MVD-10187An odometer disclosure signed by both partiesIt can be the block on the back of the title, on the Bill of Sale (MVD-10009), on the title application (MVD-10002), or this standalone form. Tick one code: AM, EL, NM or EX.
One proof of identityA current New Mexico driver's license or ID card satisfies both identity and residency if it shows the address you are registering.
Proof of liability insurance meeting $25,000 / $50,000 / $10,000A current insurance card, a copy of the policy, or a letter on the insurer's letterhead. Paying the registration fee is itself your affirmation of financial responsibility.

Also required in some cases

You do not hold a current New Mexico driver's license or ID showing the address you are registering, or that address differs from the one on your license.

Two proofs of New Mexico residency

The Assignment of Title on the back of the certificate is incomplete or has no room left, or you are adding, deleting or re-connecting names on the title.

MVD-10009Bill of Sale

The current certificate of title shows a lien.

MVD-10041Release of the recorded lien

Someone other than the person whose name will go on the title is signing for them.

MVD-11020Notarised power of attorney

You live in, or commute 60 or more days a year into, Bernalillo County and the vehicle is not on the exemption list.

Current Bernalillo County emissions certificate

MVD could not finish the transaction because something was missing.

MVD-10282Notice of Additional Requirements

No money changed hands and the recipient wants MVD to charge no excise tax.

MVD-10018Affidavit of Gift of Motor Vehicle or Vessel

Deadlines

Deadline30 calendar days from the date of assignment on the title, bill of sale, MCO or dealer invoice, whichever is earlier — Buyer: Apply for the New Mexico title and registration within 30 daysMVD adds a $20.00 late transfer penalty under Section 66-3-103(B). It may be waived if you hold a Notice of Additional Requirements (MVD-10282) that is 10 days old or less, or at the manager's discretion. A fresh bill of sale does not reset the clock - MVD uses the date of the original one.
Deadline90 calendar days from the date ownership of the vehicle was transferred to you — Buyer: Apply for the certificate of title within 90 days or the excise tax carries a 50% penaltyA penalty of 50% of the motor vehicle excise tax is imposed, which has the effect of lifting the rate from 4% to 6%.
Deadline30 calendar days from the date of the sale, trade-in or gift — Seller: Deal with your license plate within 30 days of the sale, trade-in or giftMVD publishes no penalty. Until the plate is reassigned or cancelled it stays registered to you, because New Mexico plates belong to the owner and not to the vehicle.

Fees and taxes

Charge	Amount	Paid by
Base title fee	Not publishedMVD publishes no current, itemised title-fee schedule. The only vehicle title fee it prints today is the $5.00 on the duplicate-title application (MVD-10901); the fee tables MVD links from Chapter 6 of its own manual are stamped 2.2.09 and still show the superseded 3% excise-tax rate, so their $2.00 administrative fee and $3.00 transaction fee cannot be quoted as today's total.	Buyer
New Mexico certificate of title fee	Not publishedMVD publishes no current, itemised title-fee schedule. The only vehicle title fee it prints today is the $5.00 on the duplicate-title application (MVD-10901); the fee tables MVD links from Chapter 6 of its own manual are stamped 2.2.09 and still show the superseded 3% excise-tax rate, so their $2.00 administrative fee and $3.00 transaction fee cannot be quoted as today's total.MVD's How to Title a Vehicle page confirms a title fee is always payable; it does not print the amount.	Buyer
Motor vehicle excise tax (MVET)	4%Varies by 4% applied to the higher of the declared purchase price or 80% of the N.A.D.A. average trade-in (wholesale) value for that VIN and mileage, less any trade-in allowance.Payable when you apply for the title. MVD looks the N.A.D.A. figure up at the counter, so the tax cannot be worked out in advance from the sale price alone. Four published exceptions let MVD accept the stated price: a licensed dealer's invoice, no N.A.D.A. value found, a salvage-branded title, and motorcycles (where 80% of the rough trade-in value is used).Official calculator	Buyer
Vehicle registration fee	$27–$62One-year passenger-vehicle registration. Two years is $54.00 to $124.00. Trucks with a declared gross vehicle weight of 26,000 lb or less are $38.00 to $207.00 for one year and $76.00 to $414.00 for two. Weight and model year set the figure.Charged with the title transaction unless you take a title-only transaction, in which case no plate is issued and registration is paid later.	Buyer
MVD administrative fee	$2MVD's license-plate page states this fee is collected once per transaction. MVD does not publish a consolidated list of what else rides on a title transfer.	Buyer

New Mexico charges a 4% motor vehicle excise tax when you apply for the certificate of title, applied to the higher of the declared purchase price or 80% of the N.A.D.A. average trade-in value for that VIN and mileage, less any trade-in allowance.

Inspection, emissions, notary and odometer

Inspection: Sometimes required
The vehicle carries a New Mexico title, so an ordinary in-state transfer needs no VIN inspection - only vehicles titled in another state do.
MVD cannot find the vehicle in its system even though it was once titled here: Chapter 8 Section B then requires a VIN inspection before the transfer can be processed.
The VIN on the title does not match the vehicle, which starts the verification process on MVD-10705.
There is no state-wide safety inspection in the New Mexico title process. The only inspection that routinely applies is the VIN inspection, and it applies to vehicles titled outside New Mexico.
Emissions: Sometimes required
The vehicle will be registered to an address in Bernalillo County. MVD publishes the list of covered ZIP codes in Chapter 4 of its Vehicle Procedures Manual, and a valid test certificate is required at change of ownership.
The owner does not live in Bernalillo County but commutes into Albuquerque/Bernalillo County on 60 or more days a year.
Exempt even inside Bernalillo County: vehicles 35 years old or older, motorcycles, vehicles with a declared gross vehicle weight over 10,000 lb, dedicated electric vehicles, and new vehicles for four years following initial registration from the date of the manufacturer's certificate of origin.
MVD's Emission Testing page and Chapter 2 of its manual disagree about diesels - the web page says diesel vehicles are exempt, the manual says only dedicated electric vehicles are. Confirm with Albuquerque Air Care before assuming a diesel is exempt.
Emissions testing is a Bernalillo County programme, not a state-wide one: it applies to vehicles registered in Bernalillo County and to vehicles commuting into it on 60 or more days a year, and a valid certificate is required at change of ownership.
Notarization: Sometimes required
A power of attorney is used because an owner cannot sign in person - MVD requires it to be notarised and signed in ink by the owner.
The lienholder releases the lien on its own company letterhead instead of endorsing the title or signing MVD-10041; that letterhead release must be notarised.
The transfer is really a gift rather than a sale, in which case the Affidavit of Gift (MVD-10018) needs both parties' signatures notarised.
New Mexico does not notarise the assignment on the certificate of title, the bill of sale or the title application. Notarisation attaches to particular documents: the Affidavit of Gift, a power of attorney, the two heirship forms, and a lien release issued on company letterhead.
Odometer disclosure: Required, unless you are exempt
Off-highway motor vehicles do not need an odometer statement.
MVD's Chapter 2 Section G says the "EX" (exempt) code "can be used when a vehicle is 10 years or older", but that section was last revised in November 2017 and MVD's own Odometer Disclosure Statement (MVD-10187, Rev. 07/12) prints no exempt box at all - on that form you still write the reading.
Where the previous title reads "Exempt" MVD carries the code "EX" forward; where it reads 888888 MVD records "NM".
An odometer statement is required on every motor vehicle title transaction except off-highway vehicles, and the seller and the buyer must both sign the document that records the reading.

What happens to the plates

New Mexico is a plate-to-owner state: the plate belongs to you, not to the vehicle. When you sell, trade in or give a vehicle away you take the plate off before handing it over, and you then have 30 days to have it assigned to another vehicle of the same class or cancelled.

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

A buyer who already holds a plate of the same class from a vehicle disposed of within the past 30 days can have it reassigned; otherwise MVD issues a new plate at no additional plate fee. Where the seller was in the first year of a two-year registration and moves the plate to a same-class vehicle, MVD automatically credits the unused second year to the customer's account. Unwanted plates can be dropped at any MVD office or posted to MVD Plate Returns, P.O. Box 1028, 1100 South St. Francis Drive, Santa Fe 87504-1028. Non-standard plates carry their own fees - a prestige (vanity) plate is $17.00 initially and on each renewal - and must be paid to match the registration term.

How to submit

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

New Mexico normally titles and registers in one transaction on one form - MVD-10002 is the "Application for Vehicle Title and Registration" - and you leave with a plate. Bring proof of insurance to the title appointment, because paying the registration fee is itself your affirmation of financial responsibility.

Official state links

Source: New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department, Motor Vehicle Division (MVD). Checked July 31, 2026. Report a correction

Common questions about New Mexico

How long do I have to transfer a vehicle title in New Mexico?: 30 calendar days from the date of assignment on the title, bill of sale, MCO or dealer invoice, whichever is earlier. MVD adds a $20.00 late transfer penalty under Section 66-3-103(B). It may be waived if you hold a Notice of Additional Requirements (MVD-10282) that is 10 days old or less, or at the manager's discretion. A fresh bill of sale does not reset the clock - MVD uses the date of the original one.
Does a vehicle title transfer need to be notarized in New Mexico?: Sometimes required. New Mexico does not notarise the assignment on the certificate of title, the bill of sale or the title application. Notarisation attaches to particular documents: the Affidavit of Gift, a power of attorney, the two heirship forms, and a lien release issued on company letterhead.
Does the seller have to notify the title authority in New Mexico?: Yes. New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department, Motor Vehicle Division (MVD). Send MVD's Sold Unit a Notice of Vehicle Sold (MVD-10048) - MVD publishes no deadline for it from the date the vehicle is sold, transferred or assigned. MVD publishes no penalty for failing to file the notice. The form itself cites Section 66-3-101(A) NMSA 1978 and asks MVD to update its records to show the vehicle as sold. The separate 30-day plate duty does carry a fixed clock.
What happens to the license plates in New Mexico?: New Mexico is a plate-to-owner state: the plate belongs to you, not to the vehicle. When you sell, trade in or give a vehicle away you take the plate off before handing it over, and you then have 30 days to have it assigned to another vehicle of the same class or cancelled.

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.

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