The Illinois Secretary of State says new residents have 30 days to apply for an Illinois title and registration after they establish residence, if the vehicle is properly registered in another jurisdiction. All vehicles operated on Illinois public roads must be titled and registered. The application is form VSD-190, taken to a Secretary of State driver facility, with the out-of-state title or other proof of ownership.
You need liability insurance at the amounts in the Department of Insurance shopping guide: at least $25,000 bodily injury per person, $50,000 per accident, and $20,000 property damage, under 625 ILCS 5/7-203. Uninsured-motorist bodily injury coverage has the same $25,000 and $50,000 minimums.
What has to happen, in order
- Get liability coverage at those minimums. The shopping guide says owners must carry them. It does not say the DMV will accept a policy written only for another state.
- Complete form VSD-190. Include the Illinois address, the odometer reading without the tenths, the vehicle description, the purchase date, whether the vehicle is new or used, and every lienholder in order. Owners sign in original ink.
- Attach the out-of-state title. If a lienholder in another state is holding it, the page allows a copy of the title, the certificate of origin, the out-of-state registration, or the bill of sale, together with a copy of the loan agreement.
- Apply within 30 days at a Secretary of State DMV. Titles that show a lien are mailed to the lienholder. Other titles are mailed to the owner at the address on the title.
- Pay the title fee. The page lists $165 for a standard title.
A later direct request for that same Secretary of State URL on November 10, 2026, returned HTTP 500. The 30-day rule and the $165 title fee are what the page returned earlier the same day through a retrieval that succeeded. Open the live page again before you treat $165 as the amount due tomorrow.
Leases and vehicles that will not be driven
A leased vehicle needs the lease purchase agreement, proof it was registered in another state, the out-of-state title, the manufacturer's certificate of origin, and a bill of sale that identifies the vehicle and the lessor's name and address. The page tells you to call 800-252-8980 if you need more on a held title.
A motorcycle, ATV, or motor-driven cycle that is not equipped for highway use is not registered. It can still receive a title. A vehicle that will not be operated on public roads uses VSD-190 marked title only, with the title-only fee. The page lists $30 for an ATV or off-road motorcycle title when it is not used for production agriculture, and $13 when it is.
Inspections and tax
The new-resident page does not require a VIN inspection, a safety inspection, or an emissions test. It does not mention a temporary plate for the period before the Illinois plates arrive. Registration renewal is the owner's job. Registrations expire at the end of the month, and the Secretary of State mails or emails a notice. If the notice does not come, the page says to contact the office anyway.
The same page does not state a sales-tax or use-tax amount, and it does not state a credit for tax paid to another state. The Secretary of State page does not state this. Confirm the tax with the Illinois Department of Revenue before you assume the move is untaxed. Sales tax and use tax when a car moves is the general explanation, not an Illinois rate.
A shipped car
The 30-day period runs from establishing residence, and only if the vehicle is already properly registered somewhere else. A car that arrives on a truck is in that position once you are a resident. Nothing on the new-resident page delays the application because you did not drive the car into Illinois, and nothing on that page waives the title fee. See car shipping in Illinois and the cost calculator. If a lender still holds the paper, read when the lender has the title and then follow the copy-of-title instructions above.