I Lost My Title... Now What?

Bonded titles are a whole other story.  If a vehicle arrives in Texas with ownership questions, the owner of the vehicle is likely to be asked to obtain a bonded title.    Attach a surety bond to a title and you have created a bonded title.  There are options to a bonded title, such as a legal hearing, but getting a surety bond is typically much less expensive and certainly faster.  The five steps to take in obtaining a bonded title are easy to follow:

1. Contact the DMV via a local office and apply for a title.  Applicants who do not include enough ownership evidence will be asked to obtain a bond in order to apply for a bonded title.
2. The completed paperwork – usually a Statement of Fact – Application VTR-130-S0F, supporting evidence such as a bill of sale, invoice, maybe a cancelled check, etc. and a photo ID.  If the car is an out-of-state vehicle, then the VIN will need to be verified by a Texas certified Safety Inspection Station.    If you know upfront, you will need this form, the process is sped up by submitting the verification along with the other documents.
3. Waiting … Waiting … Waiting!  Once the application is approved, the DMV issues a letter including the amount of the required surety bond – generally one and one-half of the appraised value of the vehicle.    
4. Buy a bond – the really easy part.  Call your insurance agent and, provided there are no ‘gotchas’ your bond for any vehicle valued $6,000 or less will be issued at a cost of $100.  $6,001 to $25,000 has a cost of $15 per $1000 of value.
5. With bond in-hand, you have 30 days to submit it along with any additional documents outlined in step two to the county tax office.  They, in turn, will issue a bonded title; bonded titles are good for 3 years and then an original title will be issued.