Maine title transfer cost and calculator
Putting a car into your name in Maine costs $33 for the title. The tax on the purchase is the part worth planning for.
Updated
Maine title transfer calculator
Updates as you typeExample: a $20,000 used car bought in Maine and registered at the same visit. Enter your own price above.
| Title transfer fee | $33 |
| Registration and plate fees | $35 |
| Tax on a $20,000 purchase | $1,300 |
| Total | $1,368 |
How much does it cost to transfer a title in Maine?
The title itself costs $33 in Maine. That is the figure most people mean by a title transfer. Title and registration together, the way most people do it in one visit, come to about $68 on a used $20,000 car, before tax.
The fee is the small part. On a $20,000 car Maine also collects about $1,580 in sales or use tax on the purchase, which is far more than the title fee.
| What you are paying | Amount |
|---|---|
| Title transfer | $33 |
| Title, registration and plate fees together | $68 |
| Tax on a $20,000 purchase | $1,580 |
| All of it, with tax | $1,648 |
Work out your own figure on the Maine registration fee calculator, which itemizes every line and links to the source for each one.
How to transfer a car title in Maine
- Get the paperwork right. The seller signs the title over to you and you fill in an application to put it in your name. Maine BMV lists the exact forms on its own site.
- Where you go. Your town office, where the excise tax is collected and the registration issued. New residents register after establishing residency in Maine. source 1
- Pay. The title fee of $33, plus the tax on the purchase unless the transfer is exempt.
- Do it in time. Treat the deadline as short and go in the first week, before the sale date turns into a late fee.
Do both of you need to be there, and can you do it online?
Maine BMV does not say whether both of you have to be there. As a rule the seller has to sign the title over and the buyer signs the application, and where a state wants both signatures notarized a notary can stand in for one party being present. Confirm it with the Maine BMV before you both take time off.
Can you transfer a title online in Maine?
Partly. Many towns offer renewal online through Maine's Rapid Renewal service. A first registration in your name is done at the town office. source 1
Transferring a title to a family member, or as a gift
A true gift is not a sale in Maine, so no tax is due on it. On the Use Tax Certificate (STMV6U), tick Exempt Purchase and explain that the car was given. Two cases are still taxed: taking over the giver's loan, and buying out a co-owner's share, even between relatives or spouses. source 9
Do not write $1 on the form to dodge the tax. Maine taxes what you actually paid, which is exactly why an understated price is treated as fraud rather than a smart move. If it truly is a gift, claim it as one on the proper form at the time of the transfer.
How long you have, and what late costs
Maine BMV does not publish a deadline. Treat it as short: every state in this set that does publish one gives you 30 days or fewer from the date of sale.
The clock starts on the sale date, not the day you get round to it, so a signed title left in a drawer is already running down. A transfer you never finish leaves the car in the seller's name, and tickets, tolls and abandoned-vehicle notices all follow the registered owner.
When something is missing
Most of what people search here is a version of "can I still do this without". The honest general answer, worth confirming with Maine BMV for your own case:
- No title. The seller applies for a duplicate before selling. A car sold without its title is not a car you can register, and a seller who cannot produce one is a seller to walk away from.
- There is still a loan on it. The lender holds the title or the lien is recorded against it, and it only moves cleanly once the loan is cleared. Never hand over money for a financed car before you have seen the lien released in writing.
- No bill of sale. Some states require one and some do not, but write one anyway. It is the only record of what you paid, and in Maine what you paid is what any tax is worked out on.
- The owner has died. This goes through the estate rather than a normal transfer, and what is needed depends on whether there is a will and whether the estate goes to probate. It is the one case here where it is worth ringing Maine BMV before you turn up.
- The other person cannot come. Where Maine wants both people, a notarized power of attorney is usually the way round it.
Questions about Maine title transfers
How much does it cost to transfer a title in Maine?
$33 for the title. The sales or use tax on the purchase is separate and much larger, about $1,580 on a $20,000 car.
How much is a title transfer and registration in Maine?
About $68 in fees for both on a used $20,000 car, of which $33 is the title. Tax on the purchase comes on top.
How much does it cost to switch a title into your name in Maine?
The same $33 title fee whether you bought the car or were given it. What changes the total is the sales or use tax on the purchase, which a gift or family transfer can reduce or remove.
What is required to transfer a car title in Maine?
The title signed over to you and an application to put it in your name, plus payment of the fee and any tax. Maine BMV lists the exact forms on its own site.
Do both parties need to be present for a title transfer in Maine?
Maine BMV does not publish a clear rule. Usually the seller signs the title over and the buyer signs the application, and where both are required a notarized power of attorney is accepted instead of one of them attending.
Can I transfer a car title online in Maine?
Partly, and it depends on the transaction. Maine BMV does not publish a single yes or no, so check its page before assuming.
Do you have to pay tax on a gifted car in Maine?
A true gift is not a sale in Maine, so no tax is due on it. The full rule is in the gift section above.
How long do I have to transfer a title in Maine?
Maine BMV does not publish a deadline. Assume it is short and do it in the first week.
How do I replace a lost title in Maine?
A duplicate title in Maine costs $33 ($46 online). Where to apply: Application for duplicate title to the BMV, or the Maine.gov online title replacement. Rush service by mail is $43. Every state's fee and form are on our lost car title page.
Is a title transfer the same as registering the car in Maine?
No, and they are charged separately. The title says who owns the car. The registration and plate let you drive it. You normally do both in one visit, which is why they feel like one thing. The Maine registration page covers the second half.
Once the title is in your name
The title is half of it. The plate and the registration are the other half, and the tax lands with them. The Maine registration fee calculator works out the whole bill line by line, including what a dealer means when they quote a single tax, title and license number.
Nearby states
Or see car title transfer by state for all 51.
Where these numbers come from
- Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles, Registration Fees, retrieved 2026-10-21
- Maine Revenue Services, Motor Vehicle Excise Tax (mill rate schedule), retrieved 2026-10-17
- 36 M.R.S. § 1482, excise tax rates by year of model, retrieved 2026-10-17
- Maine Revenue Services, Sales, Fuel & Special Tax Division (5.5% vehicle sales tax, trade-in credit), retrieved 2026-10-17
- 29-A M.R.S. section 501, registration fees ($35 automobile), retrieved 2026-10-17
- 36 M.R.S. section 1760(45), use tax exemption for a car bought and used out of state by a resident of that state, retrieved 2026-10-17
- Town of Wells, Excise Tax and Vehicle Registration (worked excise example, where excise is paid), retrieved 2026-10-17
- City of Portland, Auto and Boat Registration (new resident documents), retrieved 2026-10-17
- Maine Revenue Services, Instructional Bulletin 42, original registration of vehicles, retrieved 2026-10-30
Not affiliated with Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Procedure changes more often than fees do, so check the agency page before you travel.