How much does it cost to transfer a car title in Minnesota?

Title fee $8.25 (due on all initial applications for title and title transfers). Plus, per the official Vehicle Fees page: filing fee $12 due with each title transaction; technology surcharge $2.25; local office surcharge $1 at a deputy registrar; transfer tax $10 (with stated exceptions, including transfer in the owner's name listed on the out-of-state title/registration card); grant of security interest (lien) $2 per interest recorded; Public Safety Vehicle fee $3.50; late transfer penalty $2 if not submitted within 20 calendar days.

What is the deadline to transfer a car title in Minnesota?

A late transfer penalty of $2 is due if a transfer is not submitted within 20 calendar days of the sale date (official Vehicle Fees page). No other deadline was stated on the pages opened.

Does Minnesota require an odometer disclosure when transferring a title?

none stated as a requirement on the pages opened, beyond the form name 'Application for Corrected Title/Odometer' listed among the title-transfer forms. No odometer reading, disclosure, or age-exemption rule was stated on the pages opened.

What happens to a lien when transferring a car title in Minnesota?

Grant of security interest (lien): $2 due for each security interest recorded; assignment of security interest $2; release of security interest varies, no fee if submitted with another transaction, but the filing fee is due to clear a lien from a title (Vehicle Fees page). The Notification of Lien Grant, Release and Reassignment Form is listed among the title-transfer forms.

How to Transfer a Car Title in Minnesota

The Minnesota transfer in one table

Step	Minnesota rule
Title transfer fee	Title fee $8.25 (due on all initial applications for title and title transfers). Plus, per the official Vehicle Fees page: filing fee $12 due with each title transaction; technology surcharge $2.25; local office surcharge $1 at a deputy registrar; transfer tax $10 (with stated exceptions, including transfer in the owner's name listed on the out-of-state title/registration card); grant of security interest (lien) $2 per interest recorded; Public Safety Vehicle fee $3.50; late transfer penalty $2 if not submitted within 20 calendar days. Sales tax is referenced via a related link but no rate was stated on the pages opened.
Deadline and late penalty	A late transfer penalty of $2 is due if a transfer is not submitted within 20 calendar days of the sale date (official Vehicle Fees page). No other deadline was stated on the pages opened.
Application form	Application to Title and Register a Motor Vehicle; Application for Corrected Title/Odometer; Application for Duplicate Title, Registration, Cab or Lien Card; Affidavit to Correct the Ownership Record of a Motor Vehicle; Notification of Lien Grant, Release and Reassignment Form
Odometer	none stated as a requirement on the pages opened, beyond the form name 'Application for Corrected Title/Odometer' listed among the title-transfer forms. No odometer reading, disclosure, or age-exemption rule was stated on the pages opened.
Lien	Grant of security interest (lien): $2 due for each security interest recorded; assignment of security interest $2; release of security interest varies, no fee if submitted with another transaction, but the filing fee is due to clear a lien from a title (Vehicle Fees page). The Notification of Lien Grant, Release and Reassignment Form is listed among the title-transfer forms. No narrative lien-release procedure for a private sale was stated on the pages opened.

What makes Minnesota different

Secondary sources state an $8.50 title fee, a 10-business-day deadline, and a $2-per-day late fee. The official Vehicle Fees page states $8.25, 20 calendar days, and a flat $2 late transfer penalty. This guide follows the official page.

The transfer, step by step

Buyer steps:

Submit the title transfer at any deputy registrar office or by mail. When a vehicle is purchased through a licensed dealer, the dealer submits the title transfer to DVS.
Submit the Application to Title and Register a Motor Vehicle (form name as listed on the Title Transfer page) with the properly assigned title and payment of title fees and applicable sales tax.
No buyer step list beyond submission channel and forms was stated on the pages opened; seller/buyer assignment mechanics (who signs which section, in what order) were not stated on the pages opened.

Seller steps:

No seller step list was stated on the pages opened. The Title Transfer page states only that title transfers can be submitted at any deputy registrar office or by mail, and that a dealer submits the transfer for dealer purchases. Seller actions (signing/assigning the title, odometer, lien release) were not stated on the pages opened.

Check the requirements before you go

Run your state through the Title Transfer Requirements Checker: pick your state and see the fee, the deadline, the forms, and the odometer rule as the official pages state them. Then compare how the other states do it in the Car Title Transfer by State directory.

Renewing is not transferring

If the owner is staying the same and only the registration needs renewing, see Vehicle Registration Renewal in Minnesota for deadlines, grace periods, and late fees.

Transferring a title somewhere else

See Transferring a title in Michigan.

See Transferring a title in New Jersey.

For all states side by side, see the Car Title Transfer by State directory.

Source

Facts verified 2026-10-29.

This page explains how the process works and what the official rules say. It is general information, not legal advice. For a dispute about your specific situation, talk to your state motor vehicle agency.