The Expert Podcast

When buying a vehicle or working on getting a title for a vehicle, one of the questions that comes up is, how do you check for the current title status and lien status? Well, it may not be necessary to do this when you already bought the vehicle and you're trying to get a title, but you definitely want to check the title status before you buy a vehicle. If you're buying a vehicle from someone and they’re not handing you over a legal title certificate, you do want to perform searches to make sure that vehicle is eligible for a title.

One of the things that a lot of people will do is go online to sites like Carfax or VINChek, or one of these online VIN checkers. Be very cautious with these sites. If you read the disclaimers, they clearly state that this is not the official title record; it’s just an arbitrary third-party site that may have some records, but not all. For example, these websites cannot check for liens, period. Lien information is very tightly controlled, and sites like Carfax might tell you "no liens found," but that’s only because they can’t even search for them. It will say in the disclaimer that liens are not included. Additionally, title records may not be completely available on these online searches.

So, how do you do it? The only official source for title records is the government. Every state has a department that issues titles and keeps records. In most states, it’s called the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). Some states call it the Motor Vehicle Department or the Department of Transportation, and in some states, it’s managed by another agency like the Secretary of State. That government agency is the only, and I mean only, official record of the title. If you get the official record from that agency, you can be 99% sure it’s accurate. There are a few exceptions, but that’s where you want to get it — right from the source. Don’t rely on these online VIN checks because they can be very misleading.

Here’s an example of how you can check it in the state of New York. Now, not every state has anything online. In most states, you will have to go in person to a government office, like the DMV, and show your photo ID so they can ensure they’re giving information to the correct person. There’s a federal law that prohibits giving out certain title information to just anyone due to privacy rules. In New York, you can look up some information. It won’t tell you who the owner is, but it will tell you things like whether a title has been issued, if a title was rejected, or if there’s a lien on it.

To do this, you would go to the title status website for the DMV, check off if it’s a vehicle, put in the VIN number, the year, and make (like Mercedes-Benz or Chevrolet), then hit continue. It’ll give you some basic information — not everything, but at least it’s a start in the right direction.

Keep in mind, if you’re trying to get a title for a vehicle, in most cases, you don’t need to look this up. You may need to send in a DPPA request (Driver’s Privacy Protection Act request), and our website has more information on how that works. But if you’re doing a bonded title or a court-ordered title, most of the time, you don’t need to look this up; the government will handle it when they issue the title. However, if you’re looking to buy a vehicle and the seller isn’t completely upfront with their documents — they don’t have a title or ownership documents — you may want to do some of this research for due diligence before handing over any money. Once they have your money, they’re unlikely to put in any more effort on your behalf.

Remember, no matter what stack of paperwork a seller gives you — bill of sale, notarized registration, proof of all sorts of things — you could have a stack of papers three feet high. Unless it includes the title, all that paperwork is worthless. Don’t be misled by a large stack of papers into thinking you have everything you need to get a title. The only document you truly need is the original legal title certificate.

If you’d like to perform some lookups, the example from New York can show you how to get better information than you’d find on one of these online VIN check sites. If you liked this video, be sure to check out a few others on our channel. You might find other information helpful on this subject or even related topics that could help you resolve your issue.