How to Transfer an Out-of-State Car Title and Registration to Pennsylvania

How Do You Transfer an Out-of-State Title to Pennsylvania?

Through a PennDOT authorized agent, within 20 days of becoming a Pennsylvania resident. Most notaries, dealers and messenger services are authorized agents, and they complete Form MV-1, the application for a Pennsylvania title, according to PennDOT's page on motor vehicle information for new residents. You surrender the out-of-state title, show proof of Pennsylvania insurance and a tracing of the vehicle identification number (VIN), and pay the title and registration fees.

After registration the car has 10 days to pass a safety inspection, plus an emissions test in 25 counties. Before any of that, you need Pennsylvania ID to file, which is where most of the planning goes.

This guide covers a car you already own arriving from another state, with New York as the worked example.

How Long Do You Have, and Why Does the License Come First?

PennDOT gives new residents 20 days from establishing residency to apply for a Pennsylvania title and registration. The driver license deadline is longer, at 60 days. The two interact, because agents may only issue title and registration documents to customers who show Pennsylvania identification, such as a Pennsylvania photo driver license or photo ID card, or a valid U.S. Armed Forces Common Access Card.

So the license comes first. At a PennDOT Driver License Center you surrender your old license, valid or expired six months or less, pass a vision screening and complete Form DL-180R, bringing proof of identity, proof of residency and your Social Security card, as PennDOT's page on transferring a driver's license from another state explains. No knowledge test is needed in that case.

A Pennsylvania photo ID card is no shortcut, because PennDOT's Moving to Pennsylvania page says you surrender an out-of-state license for that too. Book the license visit early in the 20 days.

What Do You Bring to the Authorized Agent?

PennDOT lists what the agent needs for each vehicle:

• Your Pennsylvania photo driver license or photo ID card
• The out-of-state title, issued in your name
• Proof of Pennsylvania insurance showing effective and expiration dates
• A tracing of the VIN plate, or a VIN verification
• The title, lien and registration fees, and sales tax if it applies

Form MV-1 is not available online, so the agent fills it in. Some agents are online with PennDOT and can process the title and registration on the spot, and an agent can issue a temporary registration plate once the out-of-state title is submitted with the application.

For a leased car, the leasing company also completes Form MV-1L and may need to provide a power of attorney.

What Pennsylvania Car Insurance Do You Need?

A Pennsylvania policy, in force before you apply. PennDOT accepts an insurance identification card, a policy declaration page, a valid binder or an application to the Pennsylvania Assigned Risk Plan, and the document must show effective and expiration dates.

The Pennsylvania Insurance Department sets the minimums on its auto insurance page: $15,000 per person and $30,000 per accident in bodily injury liability, $5,000 in property damage liability and $5,000 in medical benefits. Insurers report policy terminations to PennDOT, so keep coverage continuous once the car carries Pennsylvania plates.

Do not cancel the old policy the day the new one starts. A car still registered in New York needs New York coverage until its plates are surrendered, and our guide to returning New York license plates explains that order.

How Does the VIN Tracing Work?

PennDOT asks for one on every vehicle previously titled in another state. Place tracing paper over the VIN plate and stroke a lead pencil across it, left to right, until the embossed details show, then attach the tracing to the back of the white copy of Form MV-1. Section A of the form matches it against the VIN on the out-of-state title.

If you cannot find the VIN plate or get a clear tracing, a certified inspection mechanic or a notary public at a motor vehicle dealership can inspect and verify the VIN, listing their name and ID number in Section A and signing it. A photo of the VIN plate is also acceptable if one of them signs and dates it.

If the car is still outside Pennsylvania, PennDOT says a police officer, a dealership mechanic or a military official must verify the VIN.

What Can Hold Up the Title Transfer?

A loan can hold it up. Pennsylvania issues a title, and a temporary plate, only when the out-of-state title is submitted with Form MV-1. If a lender holds your title, PennDOT notes that the lienholder may require you to refinance the balance through another lender and pay it off in full. Call your lender at the start of the 20 days, not near the end.

A nearly new car can need one more check. Under PennDOT's Clean Vehicles Program, a 2008 or newer vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating of 8,500 pounds or less and fewer than 7,500 miles on the odometer must be certified by the California Air Resources Board before Pennsylvania will title and register it. If your car fits that description, confirm its certification before the visit.

What Does It Cost to Title and Register the Car?

PennDOT's fee schedule lists $72 for an original title and $48 for a passenger vehicle registration, which includes a standard plate the first time it is issued. Recording a lien when the title is issued costs $108, and some counties add a $5 annual local use fee, collected at registration. The out-of-state new driver four-year license is $39.50.

Sales tax depends on how long you have owned the car. PennDOT says you do not pay it if you have a valid out-of-state title and owned the vehicle for six months before moving to Pennsylvania. If you owned it for less, you need to prove you paid sales tax or pay Pennsylvania's, with any credit noted on Form MV-1. For your own situation, ask the agent or a tax professional.

When Does the Car Need a Pennsylvania Inspection?

Within 10 days of registration. A newly registered vehicle must pass a safety inspection at an official inspection station, such as a repair garage, which checks lights, brakes and other vital parts. Most passenger cars then receive a sticker valid for one year, according to PennDOT's safety inspection FAQs.

In 25 of Pennsylvania's 67 counties, the car also needs an emissions inspection, due once a year at the same time as or before the safety inspection. Those counties are Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery; Allegheny, Beaver, Washington and Westmoreland; Berks, Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Northampton and York; and Blair, Cambria, Centre, Erie, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Lycoming and Mercer, according to the Drive Clean PA region map. In the other 42 counties, most safety inspections include a visual check that emissions equipment has not been tampered with or removed.

A current New York inspection sticker does not replace either one. Register first, then inspect.

How Do You Time the Car's Arrival Around the 20 Days?

Line up the Pennsylvania license and policy before the car arrives, so the 20 days go to the agent visit rather than to waiting. Keep the title, or your lender's details, with you instead of in the car, since the agent needs the original.

Rivalane coordinates door to door transport into Pennsylvania with licensed, insured carriers. We typically assign a carrier within one to three working days after you book, and pickup and delivery dates are estimates, not guarantees, so leave room inside the 20 days rather than booking the agent for delivery day.

Our New York to Pennsylvania car shipping page covers the lane itself, and our page on car shipping in Pennsylvania covers pickups and deliveries across the state. To price your move, use the car shipping calculator.

Frequently Asked Questions