How to Replace a Lost Vehicle Title in California
You may apply for a duplicate vehicle title if your original title is lost, stolen, or damaged. A vehicle with a missing title cannot be bought or sold, so owners must apply for and obtain a replacement before they can sell their vehicle.
WHAT YOU NEED WHEN APPLYING FOR A DUPLICATE/REPLACEMENT TITLE
- Complete the Application for California Duplicate Title (REG 227) form, making sure to indicate on the form that you are applying for a duplicate title. A paperless title certification, transfer of title with duplicate or paperless title is also possible with this form.
- Once completed, you must have the application form properly notarized.
- If your original title is damaged or mutilated, you must return the original title when applying for a replacement.
- If your title shows a lienholder, you must give the lien holder a completed and signed Statement of Facts (REG 256) and ask him to submit this to the DMV with the title for correction.
FEES
Along with your application form and the other materials, you must submit a $17 duplicate title fee, which will vary with the type of vehicle plus a reflectorized license plate fee of $1. If there is only a name change to be done, without the duplicate title form, no fee is applicable.SUBMITTING THE APPLICATION
You can submit the application and fees for a duplicate title at your local DMV office, or mail the package to:Department of Motor Vehicles Vehicle Registration Operations P.O. Box 942869 Mail Station E254 Sacramento, CA 94269-0001
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
- For checking on the status of your title, you can call (800) 777- 0133 Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays from 8:00 am-5:00 pm Pacific time and on Wednesdays from 9:00 am-5:00 pm Pacific time. You can also use the online inquiry form to check the status of the application.
- See also Title Transfers, Replacing Your License, and Replacing your Registration.
- See also Address Changes and Bill of Sale.
Reviews of How to Replace a Lost Vehicle Title in California
I purchased a vehicle while living in California. I now live in Colorado and would like to sell the vehicle. I can't find my title. Do I need to get a title to sell it in Colorado? If so, do I get a title from California or Colorado? How long does it take? The vehicle is still registiered in California.
I have the same problem except I live in MA. I sent in the form for a duplicate title and my check was cashed on 10/7. Should I expect my duplicate title in the mail soon?
I purchased my car while stationed in California, I retired and moved to Texas while still making payments on that car. Ford Motor Credit send my statements to my Texas address for several years until the car was paid off. Once the car was paid off, I called Ford Motor Credit asking for the title. They said it had been mailed to my California address because I never put in a change of address. I explained to FMC that the California address no longer exists because the military had completly demolisted 3 square miles of houseing to create new military houseing. They said the title would be returned to the California DMV and to contact them. Is this correct? How do I find out if California DMV really has my vehicle title? If so which one of the procedures do I follow to obtain it?
If I were to mail the package, how should I pay the duplicate fee- cash, cheque, mo ???
My elderly mom wants to donate "her" disabled auto to my son that was registered under my dad's name who passed away. The auto has been on blocks for many years. She is unable to find a "Pink Slip" nor remmebers if my dad received one.Suggestions would be appreciated.
I recently bought a car from a man who said it was his girlfriends car and she lives in San Francisco. When I went to have the car registered they told me I have dto get a lien satisfy. Well I wrote the young lady at the address on the duplicate registration and sher no lonnger lives there. The man nowhere to be found. What do I do to get registered?...Otherwise I have to park the car or resell it......What do I do?
a few years ago I bought a boat trailer that was unregistered. The seller gave me a Bill of Sale, but I never registered it. I also cannot locate the Bill of Sale I recently sold the trailer but the buyer claims that the trailer cannot be registered at all. Is there a way to work this out? Thanks.
Go back to the sellor and ask them to file a lost title form. You can even fill it out for the sellor. The sellor has to notarize it. Then when the sellor gets the replacement title, the sellor signs it over to you. This time, turn it in to the DMV.
California state law says that you can't sell the boat until you have the title, so you have to get the title or give the new buyer his money back.
what if you can't find the seller? I have the same situation & this car is sitting. I don't know what to do.
I've heard that if a behicle that has been on your property for a certain amout of years, you can claim ownership ? Is this true? The car I was speaking of is sitting at a friends house & I lost the title. I can't go have it towed without proff that its my car. What can I do?
I aksed title feburary 1st but it does not arrive yet. do I have to ask again?
Someone stole the registration sticker off our car. How do you go about getting a replacement?
I would like to know how i can go about obtaining a license plate for the front of my viechle it fell
off my car and what is the fee or can i get it replaced. Also how can I get a new title and the cost of this transaction .
Huh? The California DMV took my vehicle title at the counter and stapled it to other docs needed in registration process (for an out-of-state, foreign-origin car). I would prefer to keep title safely locked up but I drove with it stapled to my temporary paperwork until a much later date, after a special smog test for my 'foreign' car made me eligible for br. So, upon returning to the DMV to completed registration and get plates for the car, I stated that I wanted my title removed and returned to me. I own the car, the DMV doesn't own it and has no business holding on to my vehicle title.
The DMV did not remove the title from the stapled pages when asked and hand it over to me. No explanation. Person serving me went on break and after much waiting I had to get back to my job site. Now what? Spend money on a title replacement and wait 8+ weeks for it to be delivered to me? Meanwhile, my original title may fall into the wrong hands--someone with a harmvul mind-- via a DMV employee?
California DMVs have a fortess builit around their phonelines--citizens can only get through to a centralized appointment maker. This scenario is one more bureaucratic hell. Or am I missing something? Was the DMV actually planning to send me a fresh new title from the Golden State? Am I not allowed to retain a vehicel title issues by another West Coast state?
I thought I was through dealing with the disruptions of a major move, but this sort of thing just bogs me down more, body & spirit. And I can't just call up the local DMV because the state has it rigged so everyone must call a special number to get appointments--rather than permit calls to local DMV.
You have to surrender your out of state title and wait for a new title from California to come in the mail. You are issued a temporary title until then. Standard procedure on out of state vehicles, Also standard procedure on in-state seller-to-buyer title transfers. For questions answered call the DMV at 1-800-777-0133 to talk to an agent. You will probably will have to wait on hold for a while. Michael
I also replaced my registration card. but the car is under my sisters name. is there anyway to get a replacement for the registration card.
I seem to have misplaced my registration and would like a duplicate please.
Gurminder
how did you do, gurminder?