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Last reviewed 2026-10-30

Bought a Car Without a Title? Your Options

What to do after buying a car with no title, starting with the cheapest fix, and the checks to run before you pay for a bond.

Your options, cheapest first

  • Ask the seller to get a duplicate title and sign it over. Only the owner or lienholder can apply for one, so the seller has to do it.
  • If the seller never titled the car in their name, you have a "jumped title". The Kansas Highway Patrol says it must be corrected, by going back to the seller, the Department of Revenue or a quiet title action.
  • Apply for a bonded title if your state offers one. See <a href="/bonded-title-by-state">bonded titles by state</a>.
  • In states without bonded titles, such as Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana and Kentucky, petition a court for a title order.
  • In Virginia, use form VSA 12, an affidavit in lieu of title.

Check the car before you spend more

Run a National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS) report at vehiclehistory.gov. The Justice Department says it shows title brands, junk or salvage history and the latest odometer reading. TxDMV advises checking that the title and registration match the seller's name and address, and warns that thieves may swap the VIN plate from a wrecked vehicle.

Why the bond does not protect you

If the true owner's claim is paid, the surety pays and you must repay it. A bonded title on a stolen car can cost you the car and the bond.

Sources

Sources: TxDMV, Bought a vehicle with no title; FLHSMV, Duplicate title procedure TL-05; Kansas Highway Patrol, Jumped titles (2022); Franklin County (Ohio) Clerk, Court-ordered titles; PennDOT Bulletin 23-11 (2023); Indiana BMV FAQ (2023); Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Vehicle titling; Virginia DMV, Form VSA 12; US DOJ, Check NMVTIS before you buy; TxDMV, Avoid buying a stolen vehicle; SuretyBonds.com, Georgia bonded title guide. Retrieved Oct 30, 2026.

Rules and fees come from the official state pages and surety pages cited on each guide; anything we calculated is labeled as an estimate. Confirm with your DMV before you buy a bond. Run the calculator for your own range.

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Get help with your title paperwork

Tell us your state, the vehicle and what paperwork you have. A member of our team will reply by email with the route that fits and, where we know them, title services or surety agencies that can help. Your details are used only for this request and never sold to data brokers.

Use the estimate above as a yardstick. A surety should quote the bond amount and the premium separately.