Transferring a Vehicle Title in Montana

By Javier Marín, Editor·Last reviewed September 2026·How we check this

A Montana vehicle title transfer happens when ownership of a registered vehicle changes — between private parties, from a dealer to a buyer, between family members, after inheritance, or when a vehicle is brought from out of state. Montana gives the buyer 60 days to complete the transfer at the county treasurer's office, and the title fee is a flat $12 regardless of the vehicle's purchase price. There is no state sales tax on the transfer.

Before the sale: seller's responsibilities

The seller of a Montana-titled vehicle must:

Sign the back of the existing title in the "Seller" section, including the printed name, signature, date, and odometer reading.
Complete an odometer disclosure if the vehicle is less than 10 years old. The federal Truth in Mileage Act applies to private-party Montana sales.
Provide a signed bill of sale with the purchase price, date, and full names of both parties.
Notify the Montana MVD or county treasurer of the sale within 30 days to remove liability for any post-sale events. Montana's notice-of-sale form is the seller's protection from tickets and accidents that happen after the keys change hands.
Remove the license plates if not transferring them with the vehicle (Montana plates stay with the owner, not the vehicle, so most sellers retain them).

Buyer's responsibilities

The buyer must complete the title transfer at their county treasurer's office within 60 days of the sale, bringing:

The original title, signed and dated by the seller (a copy is not accepted).
A completed Form MV5 — Application for Title and Registration.
The signed bill of sale.
The seller's odometer disclosure (or a separate form if the title doesn't have one).
A VIN inspection if the vehicle was previously registered out of state.
Proof of liability insurance meeting Montana's 25/50/20 minimum.
The $12 title fee plus any registration and lien-recording fees.

Fees and taxes

Montana's title transfer fees are simple and flat:

Title fee: $12.
Lien recording fee: $8 if the vehicle is financed.
Annual registration fee: varies by vehicle age — $217 for newer cars, $87 for mid-age, $28 for older; or $87.50 one-time permanent registration for vehicles 11+.
License fee in lieu of property tax: varies by vehicle age, included in the registration fee.
County option tax: 0%-0.7% in a few counties (Cascade, Lewis and Clark, Yellowstone) on the vehicle's depreciated value.
State sales tax: none — Montana has no statewide sales tax.

Family and gift transfers

Montana doesn't levy sales tax on any vehicle transfer (including private-party), so the gift designation doesn't carry the same financial weight it does in sales-tax states. Still, the bill of sale should be marked "gift" with a $0 purchase price for honesty in the record. The transfer requires a signed title, completed Form MV5, and the standard $12 title fee. The qualifying gift relationships are broad — spouse to spouse, parent to child, sibling to sibling, grandparent to grandchild, and other family members.

Inheritance transfers

When a vehicle owner dies, the title transfers to the heir based on the size and structure of the estate:

Small estates (under Montana's small-estate threshold) can use a Small Estate Affidavit after the 30-day waiting period. The affidavit, the original title, and Form MV5 transfer the vehicle to the named heir.
Probated estates use the personal representative's letters of authority — the personal representative signs the title in the seller section and Form MV5 names the heir as buyer.
Joint titles with right of survivorship transfer to the surviving owner with a death certificate and Form MV5; no probate is required.

Vehicles bought out of state

A vehicle purchased outside Montana needs:

The out-of-state title properly assigned by the seller.
A bill of sale.
A VIN inspection signed by an authorized officer in Montana.
Form MV5 and the standard fees.

If the prior state collected sales tax at the time of purchase, that's a closed transaction — Montana doesn't refund or credit it. But Montana itself collects no sales tax on the transfer, so the buyer faces no additional tax burden when bringing the vehicle to Montana. This is one reason out-of-state buyers sometimes register vehicles to Montana addresses — though this requires actual Montana residency and is not a workaround for state-of-residence sales tax.

Liens and lienholder titles

If the vehicle is being purchased with financing, the lender's name appears on the new Montana title. The buyer signs the title and Form MV5; the lienholder pays the lien-recording fee and receives the title (Montana holds electronic lien titles for most national lienholders). When the loan is paid, the lienholder files a release with the MVD and the title transfers to the owner — see our title replacement page for the full lien-release process.

Permanent registration after title transfer

If the vehicle is 11 years or older, the buyer can choose permanent registration at the time of title transfer rather than annual registration. The one-time fee of about $87.50 (in addition to the $12 title fee) registers the vehicle indefinitely. This is one of Montana's most distinctive registration features and significantly reduces long-term ownership costs for older vehicles.