Registering and titling a vehicle in Massachusetts: new residents, purchases and renewals

How to register and title a vehicle in Massachusetts after buying from a dealer or a private seller or moving from another state, plus insurance, sales tax, inspection, renewal and plates, based on the RMV's own pages.

Guide · Massachusetts · Vehicle registration · Titles · updated October 29, 2026

In Massachusetts, vehicles and trailers are titled and registered by the Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV), the same agency that issues driver's licenses. The RMV says that to drive in Massachusetts, a vehicle must be properly registered and its owner must have a legally acquired title. This guide covers buying from a dealer or a private seller, bringing a vehicle from another state, and keeping the registration current.

Where registration happens

First-time registrations and title applications go to an RMV Service Center. You can book an appointment online. Walk-ins are welcome, but customers with appointments are served first. The RMV also encourages people to work through their insurance agent or auto dealer. Agents and dealers can process registrations in bulk through the RMV's Business to Business (B2B) service or electronically through the Electronic Vehicle Registration (EVR) program.

AAA members can handle some vehicle tasks at AAA branches by appointment: renewing and replacing most registrations, limited registration transfers, and replacing most titles.

Many routine tasks can be done online in myRMV, or by mail. These include renewing, replacing or cancelling a registration, replacing a lost or damaged plate, and replacing a title.

The application and insurance

The key form is the Registration and Title Application. Before you go to the RMV, you take it to a licensed Massachusetts insurance agent. The agent sets up an active insurance policy and completes, stamps and signs the application. The RMV says any erasures, white-out or alterations will be rejected. The application must be legible, printed on plain white 8½ by 11 inch paper, and match your supporting documents.

You must also prove your identity. The RMV accepts at least one of these:

• A valid, unexpired driver's license from a U.S. state or territory, or Canada
• Your physical Social Security card (not laminated)
• A document from the RMV's acceptable ID list
• A foreign passport
• A consular identification document

If a vehicle has two owners, both must prove their identity.

Buying from a Massachusetts dealer

The dealer completes and signs the Registration and Title Application. You then take it to your insurance agent for the stamp. Along with the application, bring:

• The bill of sale
• One proof of ownership: the manufacturer's certificate of origin (new vehicles only), the previous owner's title, or, for a vehicle exempt from titling because of its age, the previous registration

The sale date, odometer reading and purchase price must be filled in on the back of the certificate of origin or title. Both the seller and you must sign it. You pay the registration fee, a title fee and 6.25% sales tax. The RMV has a printable checklist for dealer purchases.

If you bought from an out-of-state dealer, you may drive the vehicle home on a temporary out-of-state registration, provided it meets the conditions the RMV lists, including minimum insurance. Back in Massachusetts, the RMV says you must apply for a title within 10 days and pay sales or use tax by the 20th of the month after the purchase. The temporary registration does not extend those deadlines.

Buying from a private seller

The RMV says Massachusetts title law requires all motor vehicles and trailers (over 3,000 lbs) to be titled within 10 days of purchase. You need:

• The Registration and Title Application, stamped by your insurance agent
• The previous owner's title, or, for a vehicle exempt from titling because of its age, the previous registration and a bill of sale
• The fees: the title fee is $75, and registration fees vary by plate type

The seller must record the mileage. Both buyer and seller must sign, print their names and date the transfer document. If the title has no space for the price, include a bill of sale showing it. Sales tax on a private sale is 6.25% of the purchase price or the NADA trade-in value, whichever is higher. The RMV's family/gift transfers page explains when a family transfer is exempt.

Moving to Massachusetts with a vehicle

The RMV says you must register your vehicle in Massachusetts as soon as you become a resident. The law does not provide a grace period. Bring these to a Service Center:

• The Registration and Title Application, stamped and signed by a Massachusetts insurance agent
• Your out-of-state title, or your current out-of-state registration if the vehicle is exempt from titling because of its age
• Form MVU-29, the sales tax exemption affidavit for a vehicle bought outside Massachusetts
• The registration fee for your plate type

If a lienholder holds your title, bring your out-of-state registration plus one of the documents the RMV lists, such as a copy of the title or the loan agreement. The RMV notes that vehicles coming from New York, Kentucky, Minnesota, Maryland, Missouri and Montana need the physical title even when there is a lien.

The RMV mails your Massachusetts title in about 6 to 8 weeks. If you have a loan, the title goes to your lienholder. For your license, see the Massachusetts driver's license and ID guide.

Plates and inspection

After a completed registration, you receive a registration certificate, new plates and an expiration-year decal for the rear plate. If you were given a temporary plate, the RMV lets you extend it online in myRMV.

Every vehicle registered in Massachusetts must pass a yearly inspection, and a newly registered vehicle must be inspected within 7 days of the registration date. The RMV says inspections cost $35 for most vehicles and $15 for motorcycles. They are done at licensed stations under the Massachusetts Vehicle Check program. That program also covers emissions: vehicles less than 15 years old with onboard diagnostic systems must pass an annual emissions test.

Renewing a registration

Registrations are renewed every 1 or 2 years, depending on the plate type. You need an active insurance policy. The renewal application mailed to you shows whether the RMV has one on file. If it does not, your insurance agent must stamp the application.

You can renew three ways:

• Online in myRMV. If you do not have a Massachusetts license or ID, you can use the guest option with your plate number and plate type.
• By mail, with a check or money order payable to MassDOT. Send it to the Mail-In Registration Department, PO Box 55891, Boston, MA 02205-5891.
• In person, at a Service Center or AAA branch.

Online and mail renewals take at least 14 business days to arrive. You cannot renew while the registration is suspended or revoked, or while you have unpaid parking tickets, excise tax or E-ZPass violations.

The RMV also generates an annual excise tax bill for every active registration. Payment goes to the city or town where the vehicle is garaged, within 30 days of the bill's issue date. If you stop using a vehicle or move away, cancel the plates and registration to stop the bills.

To visit a Service Center, see the Massachusetts RMV visit guide and the Massachusetts RMV office list.