Illinois Title & Registration Guide

Illinois Secretary of State

Titles and registers motor vehicles, motorcycles, trailers, recreational vehicles, manufactured homes, ATVs, OHVs, and related plate classes through Vehicle Services, ERT/PERT, remitters, and facilities.

Illinois Department of Revenue

Administers dealer sales tax, out-of-state use tax, private-party vehicle tax, watercraft use tax, local tax, credits, penalties, and interest through ST-556 and the RUT form family.

Illinois DNR

Handles watercraft and snowmobile registration/title transactions and administers public-access OHV requirements. These fees and checks are separate from SOS vehicle transactions.

Ordinary title

$165 for most motor vehicles, motorcycles, and trailers.

Passenger registration

$151 annually for standard passenger plates.

State dealer/use-tax rate

6.25% before exact seller-location or purchaser-address local adjustments.

Duplicate/corrected title

$50 plus any registration-card correction or expedited service.

Plate transfer

$25 when a qualifying current Illinois plate is transferred.

Mandatory ELT threshold

Beginning July 1, 2026, lienholders processing five or more Illinois vehicle liens annually must participate in ELT.

New resident / Illinois entry

Title, registration, insurance, emissions, and applicable use-tax filings generally must be addressed within 30 days. IDOR calculates applicable late tax, penalty, and interest.

Illinois dealer tax filing

ST-556 is generally due no later than 20 days after delivery, even when the title transaction remains in processing.

Manual and title-only processing

Manual applications and title-only transactions can require 10–12 weeks in the ILTS workflow. Processing time is an estimate, not a guaranteed SOS service level.

Separate payment streams

Secretary of State title/plate fees, IDOR tax, IDNR recreational-unit fees, and UCC filing fees must remain separated and routed to the correct agency.

Generally titled by SOS

Passenger vehicles, trucks, motorcycles, autocycles, trailers, recreational vehicles, manufactured/mobile homes, ATVs, off-highway motorcycles, low-speed vehicles, and other units meeting an Illinois title definition.

Handled outside ordinary SOS title fees

Watercraft and snowmobiles use IDNR routes. Qualifying mopeds and tow dollies are title-exempt. Certain non-titled equipment and fixtures may require UCC rather than a vehicle-title lien.

Application

VSD 190 supports title and plates, title and transfer, title only, duplicate, corrected, salvage, junking, plate-only, sticker, transfer, replacement, and registration-card actions.

Electronic processing

PERT/ERT and approved remitter workflows generate the application and tax documents. Printed applications must be reviewed, signed, and submitted with original ownership evidence where required.

New unit

Original Manufacturer’s Certificate or Statement of Origin assigned to the purchaser.

Used titled unit

Original certificate of title with complete assignment, purchase date, purchaser information, odometer disclosure, and lien release when applicable.

Non-title jurisdiction

Current registration and bill of sale, together with any state-specific ownership affidavit or inspection required by Illinois.

Government surplus

Federal or governmental ownership document, such as SF 97, plus supporting bill of sale and required federal disclosures.

Imported / grey-market

Foreign ownership, customs entry, EPA, NHTSA/DOT, translation, and federal compliance documents.

Insufficient ownership proof

Bonded-title, court-order, mechanic’s-lien, abandoned-vehicle, or other special process; ordinary VSD 190 alone is not enough.

Names and addresses

Buyer, seller, dealer, lienholder, and mailing information must be consistent across the title, MCO, bill of sale, tax return, power of attorney, and application.

Lienholder source of truth

The electronic title application controls the new Illinois lien record. Enter the secured party’s exact legal name, complete address, and ELT identifier when required.

Odometer

Illinois requires original signatures on odometer disclosures. Electronically signed odometer statements are not accepted for recording.

Title delivery

When a lien is recorded, title delivery follows the ELT or lienholder route. When no lien exists, title generally routes to the owner or other approved mailing recipient.

Salvage Certificate

Current workbook fee: $20. Insurer, owner-retained, and out-of-state salvage facts determine the supporting forms and surrender requirements.

Rebuilt vehicle

A rebuilt or specially constructed vehicle generally requires Secretary of State Police inspection, ownership evidence for major component parts, receipts, photographs, and the applicable $94 inspection charge before an Illinois rebuilt title can issue.

Junking Certificate

The SOS junking certificate fee is $0. A junked vehicle cannot return to ordinary highway title status through a routine corrected-title application.

Bonded title

When ownership evidence is insufficient, Illinois may require a security bond equal to 1.5 times current wholesale value, maintained for three years, together with RT OPR 23/26 documentation.

Custom, replica, street rod, and specially constructed

Component ownership, VIN assignment, inspection, photographs, and branding are transaction-specific. Do not quote ordinary title-only fees without the inspection path.

Foreign or grey-market unit

Federal import and safety compliance must be resolved before Illinois title issuance. Missing compliance documents cannot be corrected with a simple affidavit.

Duplicate

$50. Existing liens and ownership names remain unless a separate valid correction or release is documented.

Corrected

$50. A corrected registration card may add $3. The surrendered title and proof of the error are normally required.

Expedited

Add $30 when eligible. Bonds, estates, repossessions, and other special-document files may be excluded.

Brand carry-forward

Illinois carries forward qualifying salvage, rebuilt, flood, odometer, lemon, and other brands. Never remove or soften a prior-jurisdiction brand without SOS authority.

Titled motor vehicle

Perfect the lien through the Illinois title application. No separate lien fee is added beyond the applicable original or corrected title unless a specific service applies.

Perfection timing

A motor-vehicle lien can relate back to creation when the title delivery is completed within 30 days; otherwise perfection generally dates from delivery to the Secretary of State.

Watercraft lien

Use the IDNR title and lien route. The workbook applies a 21-day relation-back period rather than the motor-vehicle rule.

Release

Vehicle lienholders generally must release a satisfied lien within 21 days, with a shorter 10-business-day rule for specified guaranteed funds.

Application data

The electronic application must use the lienholder’s exact legal name, mailing address, FEIN/customer information, and approved ELT identifier.

Paper-title preference

Do not promise paper title delivery when ELT controls. The title format and delivery route depend on the lienholder’s participation and the transaction type.

Fixture filing / real-estate-related collateral

Fixtures, timber to be cut, as-extracted collateral, and some manufactured-home interests may file with the county recorder rather than the Secretary of State UCC Division.

Debtor-name control

Use the exact individual name shown on the unexpired driver’s license or the exact registered organization name. A financing statement can fail if the debtor name is seriously misleading.

Collateral description

Identify the unit by year, make, model, VIN/HIN/serial number, and equipment description. Include proceeds, replacements, and accessions only when authorized by the security agreement.

Do not double-file automatically

A properly perfected certificate-of-title lien ordinarily controls titled vehicles. Add UCC only when the collateral or transaction requires a separate Article 9 filing.

Dealer transfer

Dealer files the ERT/PERT title application and ST-556. The assignment, tax return, bill of sale, lienholder data, trade information, and odometer disclosure must agree.

Private-party transfer

Use VSD 190 and RUT-50 for qualifying motor vehicles. Private-party trailers and mobile homes follow different tax rules and are not automatically subject to RUT-50.

Out-of-state acquisition

Use RUT-25 or RUT-25-LSE as applicable. Credit may be allowed for legally due tax paid to another state. Registration, insurance, and emissions must also be resolved.

New Illinois resident

Title and register within 30 days. A qualifying individual may use the three-month prior-title exemption; businesses, leases, and certain military-home-of-record situations use different tax rules.

Joint owners

Ownership conjunction and signature requirements must match the current title and application. Do not assume one owner can sign for all owners.

Beneficiary designation

Illinois supports beneficiary title designations and beneficiary affidavits. The beneficiary process depends on the title record and proof of death.

Deceased owner

Surviving joint owner, small-estate affidavit, probate, letters of office, death certificate, and heir releases may apply depending on ownership and estate status.

Power of attorney

Use an original power of attorney when required. If the form contains notary language, complete the notarization. Odometer authority must be specific and compliant.

Repossession

Use VSD 609 and the current repossession documentation. Law-enforcement notice, lien evidence, title assignment, tax treatment, and out-of-state secured-party documents may apply.

Plate transfer

A qualifying Illinois plate may transfer for $25. Verify plate class, owner identity, expiration, and vehicle eligibility.

Seller report

Sellers should complete the applicable Illinois report-of-sale or release process to reduce exposure to later parking, toll, tax, or liability notices.

Staggered registration

Passenger, B-truck, and motorcycle registrations generally use a monthly staggered expiration.

Fiscal-year plates

Commercial truck and trailer classes use fiscal-year schedules with quarter-based first-registration amounts.

Calendar-year plates

Certain plate classes use December 31 expiration and calendar-year part-year rules.

Watercraft

IDNR registrations use three-year terms and expire under the watercraft schedule.

Snowmobiles

Illinois snowmobile registration is three years; nonresident trail stickers expire June 30.

Plate quantity

Most passenger vehicles receive two plates. Motorcycles, trailers, semitrailers, mopeds, autocycles, and truck-tractors generally receive one.

Insurance

Current Illinois financial-responsibility coverage is required for highway registration. The application must include the insurance company and policy information when requested.

Emissions

Eligible vehicles in Illinois emissions areas must satisfy testing before renewal. Newer vehicles, diesel vehicles, antique plates, and other categories may be exempt.

Federal HVUT

Proof of federal Heavy Vehicle Use Tax is required for vehicles registered at 55,000 pounds or more when the federal requirement applies.

Temporary registration

Temporary registration permits are controlled by the issuing dealer/remitter and the transaction. Do not use a temporary permit as a substitute for missing title or tax documents.

Renewal

Online, mail, remitter, and facility options vary by plate class. Emissions and insurance holds must be cleared first.

Replacement plate or sticker

Single plate, pair, sticker, and registration-card replacement fees are separate and depend on what was lost, stolen, damaged, or corrected.

Reclassification

Changes in weight, use, body style, farm status, commercial operation, or vehicle configuration may require a new plate class and additional fee.

Specialty plates

Program donation, initial issuance, vanity/personalized, replacement, and annual renewal charges differ. Use the selected plate’s current SOS page.

Dealer sale — ST-556

Illinois state rate is 6.25% of the taxable selling price after a qualifying trade-in. Exact seller-location occupation tax and purchaser-address supplemental use tax may apply.

Out-of-state retailer — RUT-25

Tax is based on the applicable purchase price or value and exact Illinois title address. Credit may be allowed for tax legally paid to another state.

Private-party vehicle — RUT-50

Tax is generally a 2026 fixed amount based on age or value. Motorcycles, ATVs, qualifying family transfers, and statutory exceptions have special amounts.

Lease — ST-556-LSE / RUT-25-LSE

Collect fixed consideration, term, lessor, lessee, location, and variable charges. Do not substitute a simple monthly-payment formula.

Watercraft — RUT-75

Private-party watercraft tax uses the greater of purchase price or fair market value, without trade-in credit. Dealer and out-of-state retailer routes differ.

Local and home-rule tax

Chicago, Cook County, collar counties, and municipalities can add separately administered tax. Some amounts are billed directly to the owner after registration.

Dealer taxable amount

Include taxable documentation, freight, preparation, accessories, protection products, and other seller charges. Exclude separately stated government title and registration fees.

Trade-in

Deduct only a qualifying trade-in accepted by a retailer in the business of selling that type of property. Private-party RUT-50 transactions do not receive trade credit.

Tax paid to another state

Credit is limited to qualifying tax legally due and paid to another state and cannot reduce Illinois tax below zero.

Exemptions

Government, nonprofit, rolling stock, agriculture, manufacturing, family, beneficiary, and new-resident claims require the controlling certificate and factual eligibility.

New-resident three-month rule

A qualifying individual who titled and used the vehicle outside Illinois for more than three months may claim the new-resident exemption, but the required return still must be filed.

Future-effective tax controls

The workbook retains effective dates for NITA and local-tax changes. The calculator must use the transaction date rather than the page publication date.

Quarter proration

Newly acquired or first-time Illinois fiscal-year units use the quarter amount from the applicable SOS schedule. Renewals generally use the full-year amount.

Mileage-tax plates

Available only for qualifying commercial operations. Mileage records, reporting, and operating restrictions apply; the lower registration charge does not replace compliance duties.

IRP / apportioned plates

Interstate carriers may require IRP registration, IFTA, USDOT/FMCSA authority, lease documentation, HVUT proof, and apportioned payment through the Springfield carrier process.

Farm plates

Farm truck and farm trailer plates require qualifying agricultural use. General commercial hauling can invalidate the farm classification.

Permanently mounted equipment

Special weight-based registration applies to qualifying equipment permanently mounted on the vehicle. Verify that the equipment and use meet the statutory class.

Semitrailers

A permanent non-transferable semitrailer plate is available for qualifying units. Commercial trailer, recreational trailer, farm trailer, and permanent semitrailer are distinct fee routes.

Title threshold and documented vessels

Powered watercraft over 21 feet generally require Illinois title. USCG-documented vessels register by length but do not receive an Illinois certificate of title.

Registration term

Watercraft registration is three years. Nonresident and documented-vessel operating thresholds must be reviewed before requiring Illinois registration.

Tax

Dealer watercraft sales use ST-556; private purchases use RUT-75; out-of-state retailer purchases use the applicable Illinois use-tax return.

Watercraft lien

Record the secured party through the IDNR title process when title applies. The workbook uses a 21-day perfection relation-back rule.

Illinois snowmobile

$45 three-year registration plus $2 processing. Apply within 15 days.

Nonresident snowmobile

Controlled review annual trail-use sticker when the unit is not registered in Illinois and no exemption applies.

OHV public-access stamp

$16 where required. Private-property operation and statutory exemptions may change the requirement.

ATV / OHV title

SOS title fee is generally $30, or Controlled review for the narrow production-agriculture or dealer-trade-in category.

No ordinary highway plate

An ATV/OHV title or public-access stamp does not create ordinary highway registration. Local roadway operation requires separate authority.

Security interest

Use the SOS title lien for titled ATVs/OHVs. Use UCC for non-titled recreational equipment when Article 9 filing is required.

Manufactured/mobile home title

Illinois generally titles manufactured and mobile homes through the Secretary of State unless a valid real-property conversion, surrender, or local property-record procedure controls.

Multiple sections

Identify each manufacturer serial number and section. A multi-section home may require title evidence for each titled component.

Private-party tax

A private-party trailer or mobile home is not automatically subject to RUT-50. Dealer, retailer, use-tax, local-property, and exemption facts determine tax treatment.

Fixture and real-property lien

When the home becomes a fixture or is converted to real property, the secured party may need county real-estate recording or fixture filing rather than only an SOS title lien.

Special mobile equipment

Construction, agricultural, industrial, and permanently mounted equipment may be exempt, specially registered, or titled depending on design and highway use.

Non-titled equipment

For generators, lifts, equipment trailers, implements, and other non-titled collateral, perfect through UCC when the debtor, jurisdiction, and collateral classification require it.

Illinois title issued

Record lien on the title application.

IDNR title issued

Record lien through the applicable IDNR watercraft process.

No certificate of title

Review UCC-1, fixture filing, county recording, or another statutory lien route.

Dealer license

Current annual motor-vehicle dealer license fee is $1,000; a qualifying prorated $500 amount may apply after June 15.

Designated-agent bond

Maintain the current $50,000 surety bond and all licensing, training, location, and renewal requirements.

ERT/remitter enrollment

Electronic processing provider and remitter charges are external and variable. They are not state title fees and should be disclosed separately.

Dealer plates

Master set: $45. Duplicate sets 1–7: $13 each. A qualifying eighth or later set uses the current higher fee.

Dealer-name consistency

Dealer legal name and address must match across the title, MCO, bill of sale, tax return, application, and supporting affidavits.

Nonresident sale

Use the current ST-58 reciprocity chart and drive-away requirements. Do not assume every nonresident sale is Illinois-tax exempt.

Illinois resident on active duty

Home-of-record, out-of-state use, plate renewal, tax, and new-resident exemptions require transaction-specific review. Military status does not automatically eliminate Illinois title or tax.

Nonresident stationed in Illinois

A properly registered home-state vehicle may remain exempt from Illinois registration when residency has not changed, but insurance, base rules, and local operating requirements still apply.

Insurance verification

Maintain mandatory liability insurance throughout the registration period. Random electronic verification and suspension procedures apply.

Emissions testing

Testing applies in designated areas and to eligible vehicles. Registration renewal can be blocked until compliance is reported.

Document retention

Dealers, remitters, lessors, and secured parties should retain signed applications, tax forms, odometer disclosures, powers of attorney, lien records, and proof of filing.

Audit trail for e-signatures

When electronic signatures are accepted, preserve signer authentication, timestamps, document ID, IP/device data, and the final signed record. Original-signature exceptions still control.

MCO / title

• Reassigned to the buyer.
• Original required.
• All assignments complete and consistent.
• Existing liens released unless carried forward.

Lienholder information

• Exact legal name and complete address.
• ELT identifier when required.
• Application controls the new Illinois lien record.
• Correct conflicts before filing.

Power of attorney

• Original required when used.
• Complete notarization when the form requires it.
• Odometer authority must be complete.
• Do not use POA to cure an invalid ownership assignment.

Odometer

• Buyer and seller signatures.
• Original or acceptable carbon copy.
• No electronic signature for recording.
• Complete the MCO/title odometer section too.

Bill of sale

• Itemized selling price and taxable charges.
• Trade year, make, model, and VIN.
• Dealer legal name and address consistent.
• Tax form values must reconcile.

Identification

• Current driver’s license for each buyer unless a valid business-name exception applies.
• Business authority and FEIN when titled to an organization.
• Residency and identity evidence when requested.

Reconcile amounts

Application, bill of sale, tax return, calculator, and checks must agree.

Separate checks

Do not combine SOS, IDOR, IDNR, and UCC amounts without written agency instructions.

Confirm filing room

ERT, standard, expedited, corrected-title, IDNR, and UCC packages use different rooms or addresses.