California Title Application: Form REG 343, Fees, and Deadlines

A California title application is how you get the state Certificate of Title, the “pink slip,” put in your name after buying a vehicle privately, moving to California with an out-of-state car, or receiving a vehicle as a gift or inheritance. You file Form REG 343 with the DMV, along with proof of ownership, your ID, proof of insurance, and (for most vehicles) a smog certificate, and you pay a $15 title transfer fee plus registration, California Highway Patrol, and value-based fees. The two deadlines that matter most: 10 days from any change of ownership, and 20 days from establishing California residency with an out-of-state vehicle.¹²

Documents to Gather First

Every application starts with proof that you own the vehicle. What that looks like depends on how you got it:

Private-party purchase in California: the seller’s California Certificate of Title, with the back properly signed over to you.
New vehicle: the Manufacturer’s Certificate of Origin.
Out-of-state vehicle: your current out-of-state title.¹

Alongside the ownership document, plan to bring a completed REG 343, a California driver’s license or state ID, evidence of liability insurance from a California-authorized carrier, and (if required) a valid smog certificate.¹

If the Vehicle Still Has a Loan

When the seller’s vehicle has an outstanding loan, the lienholder must sign off on the title itself or give you a separate Lien Satisfied/Title Holder Release (REG 166). Without it, the DMV will not transfer the title. If the lender has closed or been acquired, the DMV keeps a listing of banks and financial institutions you can use to identify the successor.¹

Filling Out Form REG 343

REG 343 is the core application. You can pick it up at any DMV field office or download the PDF from the DMV website. A blank space in the wrong section will send the whole package back to you, so it helps to know which fields are non-obvious.

Section 1 wants the full Vehicle Identification Number, make, year, and model. Section 2 records the full legal name, address, and driver’s license number for every registered owner. Section 3 is for the legal owner or lienholder; if a bank or finance company holds an interest, enter its name and Electronic Lienholder Identification Number exactly as they appear on the DMV’s ELT listing, and if there is no lienholder, write “none” rather than leaving it blank. Section 4 captures the odometer reading at purchase and asks whether it reflects actual mileage. Section 9 is the signature block for all owners; both buyer and seller must sign, and the purchase date and price must be filled in so the DMV can calculate tax.³

When You Need a Smog Certificate

Most gasoline and hybrid vehicles need a smog certification for a title transfer, but several categories are exempt:

Fully electric vehicles.
Motorcycles.
Gasoline, hybrid, and alternative-fuel vehicles four model years old or newer, for a change of ownership. Instead of an inspection, an $8 smog transfer fee is due to the DMV.
Gasoline, hybrid, and alternative-fuel vehicles model year 1975 and older.
Diesel vehicles model year 1997 and older.
Diesel vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating over 14,000 pounds.

If your vehicle doesn’t fit any of those, take it to a licensed smog check station and bring the certificate with your application.⁴

What It Costs

The final bill combines flat fees, value-based fees, and use tax.

Flat Fees

Title transfer fee: $15.
Registration fee: $73 (includes a $3 Alternative Fuel/Technology fee).
California Highway Patrol fee: $34.
Smog abatement fee: $20 for vehicles exempt from smog checks by model year.
Smog transfer fee: $8 for vehicles four model years and newer at change of ownership.⁵

Value-Based Fees

The Vehicle License Fee is a percentage of the DMV’s assessed market value of the vehicle, which drops as the vehicle ages. On top of that, the Transportation Improvement Fee is set by initial value:

$0–$4,999: $33.
$5,000–$24,999: $66.
$25,000–$34,999: $132.
$35,000–$59,999: $198.
$60,000 or more: $231.

Commercial vehicles with an unladen weight of 6,001 pounds or more pay additional weight-based fees and a CVRA motor vehicle fee of $122.⁶

Use Tax

If you bought the vehicle from a private party or out-of-state dealer, you owe use tax at the combined state and local sales tax rate for the address where you register the vehicle. The exact percentage depends on your county and city; you can look up your rate on the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration website.⁷

Deadlines and Late Penalties

California runs two clocks. Any change in ownership or lienholder must be reported within 10 days.¹ New California residents must register an out-of-state vehicle within 20 days of becoming a resident or bringing the vehicle into the state, counted from the day residency is established.²

For vehicles never previously registered in California (which covers most out-of-state cars), late penalties climb fast:

One year or less late: 40% of the Vehicle License Fee and 40% of any weight fee.
More than one year but under two years: 80% of the VLF and weight fee.
More than two years: 160% of the VLF and weight fee.⁸

Vehicles already on California rolls face their own tiered surcharges on the VLF plus separate registration and CHP late fees that grow with each additional day.⁸

Extra Steps for Out-of-State Vehicles

VIN Verification

Every out-of-state vehicle needs a physical VIN verification before California will issue a title. An authorized DMV employee, a CHP officer, a licensed vehicle verifier, or an authorized auto club employee must inspect the assembled vehicle in person and record the result on a Verification of Vehicle form (REG 31). You cannot complete this form yourself. The inspector checks the VIN, reviews the emissions label for California compliance, and verifies the odometer reading.⁹

Vehicles Not Built to California Emissions Standards

If your vehicle wasn’t originally manufactured to meet California’s stricter emissions standards, you may need to submit a Statement of Facts (REG 256) certifying compliance or explaining the vehicle’s emissions status. Commercial vehicles with an unladen weight of 6,001 pounds or more (excluding pickups) must also submit a Declaration of Gross Vehicle Weight (REG 4008) declaring the maximum operating weight with a load.¹⁰

Where to Submit and How to Pay

You can file your application in person at any DMV field office or by mail to DMV headquarters in Sacramento.

In person, the DMV accepts cash, ATM and debit cards, credit cards, digital wallet payments such as Apple Pay or Google Pay (with a 2.1% service fee), cashier’s checks, and money orders. Booking an appointment online in advance is worth the extra step; walk-in waits can run for hours. By mail, payment is limited to cashier’s checks or money orders made payable to DMV. Cash and personal checks are not accepted through the mail.¹¹

Once processed, you’ll receive a temporary registration document. The Certificate of Title itself is mailed later, either to the registered owner or, if there’s a loan, to the lienholder.

Gifts, Inheritances, and Other Special Situations

Gifting a Vehicle to Family

A gift transfer runs on the same forms and fees as a sale: signed title, REG 343, smog certification if applicable, $15 transfer fee. The difference is use tax. California exempts transfers between spouses, domestic partners, or a parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, or sibling. The sibling exemption applies only between two minors related by blood or adoption. Claim the exemption by including a Statement of Facts (REG 256) identifying the relationship. The exemption doesn’t apply if the giver is in the business of selling that type of property, and writing “$0” on REG 343 for a non-qualifying gift won’t avoid tax; the DMV values the vehicle itself.¹²

Inheriting a Vehicle

California Vehicle Code Section 5910 lets an heir transfer a deceased owner’s vehicle without full probate, regardless of the vehicle’s value, provided the estate has no other property that requires probate. You’ll present the certificate of ownership and registration card if available, a certified copy of the death certificate, and a sworn statement confirming the date and place of death, that no other estate property requires probate, that you are legally entitled to the vehicle, and that unsecured creditors have been paid or their claims discharged.¹³ The DMV form for this is the Affidavit for Transfer Without Probate (REG 5).¹⁴ If the original title is missing, add an Application for Duplicate or Transfer of Title (REG 227).

If the vehicle was titled with “or” between the owners’ names, the surviving owner already holds full authority. Bring the title and a death certificate, and the DMV can update the record directly. If the estate went through probate, the executor’s court order assigning the vehicle takes the place of the REG 5.

Salvage and Rebuilt Titles

A vehicle declared a total loss carries a salvage brand. Before it can be titled and driven again as a “revived salvage,” it needs a separate inspection. Previously salvaged California vehicles are inspected by an authorized DMV employee or referred to the CHP; vehicles salvaged out of state go through CHP inspection. If the vehicle originally had airbags and they’re missing or deployed, it must be inspected at a CHP Salvage Inspection Station. The inspection costs $50. You’ll also file a completed REG 343, the salvage certificate or other proof of ownership, bills of sale showing the chain of ownership, official brake and light adjustment certificates, a smog certification if applicable, and a REG 31 (or the CHP 97C form, which substitutes for REG 31 with a revived salvage application).¹⁵

Signing by Power of Attorney

If the buyer or seller can’t appear, a Power of Attorney (REG 260) lets someone else sign title documents on their behalf. The REG 262 (Vehicle/Vessel Transfer and Reassignment Form) also has a built-in POA section. A POA cannot be used to disclose odometer mileage, to sign a REG 256 attesting to the principal’s personal knowledge (with a narrow exception for duplicate title applications), or to reassign the authority to another person. Executors and administrators cannot use a POA to appoint an attorney-in-fact, and trustees can only delegate limited, specified duties.¹⁶

1
California Department of Motor Vehicles. Title Transfers and Changes
2
California Department of Motor Vehicles. New California Resident Portal
3
California Department of Motor Vehicles. Application for Title or Registration (REG 343)
4
Bureau of Automotive Repair. Smog Check: When You Need One and Whats Required
5
California Department of Motor Vehicles. Registration Fees
6
California Department of Motor Vehicles. Appendix 1F – Fees
7
California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. Tax Guide for Purchasers of Vehicles
8
California Department of Motor Vehicles. Penalties
9
California Department of Motor Vehicles. Verification of Vehicle Not to Be Completed by Applicant – REG 31
10
California Department of Motor Vehicles. Commercial Vehicle Registration
11
California Department of Motor Vehicles. Payments and Refunds
12
California Department of Motor Vehicles. Vehicle Industry Registration Procedures Manual – Transactions Not Subject to Use Tax
13
California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code Section 5910
14
California Department of Motor Vehicles. Reporting a Death of a Family Member or Friend
15
California Department of Motor Vehicles. Vehicle Industry Registration Procedures Manual – Revived Salvage California Record
16
California Department of Motor Vehicles. Vehicle Industry Registration Procedures Manual – Signature by Power of Attorney (POA)