(800) 989-8833 Quotes by phone, 24/7 Get quotes
See price range Call (800) 989-8833

Registering an out-of-state car in Maine

After you establish residency in Maine, you have 30 days to convert registrations and titles you hold. Pay municipal excise tax at your town office first, then register with the town or a Bureau of Motor Vehicles branch. Bring the out-of-state title if the model is 25 years old or newer, the out-of-state registration, proof of insurance, and a use-tax form showing you are exempt from sales tax.

No phone number or email is needed to see your price range.

Key facts

Registration deadline
30 days after you establish residency in Maine to convert registrations and titles
Source: maine.gov
Inspections required
Every vehicle with a Maine registration must have a current Maine inspection before it is operated on a public way, done yearly at an official inspection station
Source: maine.gov
Tax rule
A new resident who shows an out-of-state registration files a use-tax form to prove exemption from sales tax, and pays municipal excise tax. A private-party or out-of-state dealer purchase is charged 5.5 percent sales tax on the purchase price
Source: maine.gov
Insurance minimum
$50,000 per person and $100,000 per accident for bodily injury, and $25,000 for property damage. A combined single limit of $125,000 also meets the minimum. Medical payments of at least $2,000 per person are also required
Source: maine.gov

As of unpublished. Source: The state agency page linked in the sources.

When you have established residency in Maine, you have 30 days to convert registrations and titles you hold. The Bureau of Motor Vehicles puts municipal excise tax first, at your town office. Insurance proof is required at registration. A Maine inspection is required before a Maine-registered vehicle is operated on a public way. The new-resident instructions do not list a VIN inspection or an emissions test.

What do I do, in order?

  1. Pay excise tax at your town office. Excise tax is a municipal tax. The BMV page says the local office can answer questions about it.
  2. If your town does not issue registrations, take the excise receipt to a BMV branch and register there.
  3. Bring the documents listed below, including proof of insurance.
  4. File a Maine use-tax form. The new-resident section says this form proves exemption from sales tax when you show an out-of-state registration.
  5. Pay the title application fee of $33 if the model is 25 years old or newer, and pay the registration fee for the plate.
  6. Before you operate the car on a public way with Maine registration, have a current Maine inspection at an official inspection station. The motorist handbook says this inspection is yearly.

What documents do I bring?

The passenger-vehicle page lists these items for a new resident:

  • The out-of-state title, for vehicle models 25 years old and newer.
  • The name and address of any lienholder, if one applies.
  • The out-of-state registration certificate.
  • Proof of insurance.
  • The white and yellow copies of the registration application and the excise-tax receipt.
  • A Maine use-tax form, to prove exemption from sales tax when you show the out-of-state registration.

The handbook accepts an insurance card, a company or agent letter, a binder, or a policy summary naming the vehicle, the insured, the amounts, and the dates.

A private sale or an out-of-state dealer purchase uses a different packet: a signed bill of sale, a title signed over to you if the model is 25 years old or newer, insurance, and the excise receipt, plus 5.5 percent sales tax. That is not the conversion of a car already registered in your name.

Which inspections apply?

The motorist handbook says a vehicle with a Maine registration needs a current Maine inspection before it is operated on a public way. The inspection is yearly at an official station. Motorcycles need a sticker. An officer may inspect at any time. The new-resident page does not state a VIN check or an emissions test, and it does not say whether another state's sticker is honored. Confirm with the Bureau of Motor Vehicles.

Do I owe tax on a car from another state?

Two different taxes show up on the passenger-vehicle page.

Excise tax is municipal. New residents pay it at the town office before registration.

If you show an out-of-state registration, you file a use-tax form to prove exemption from sales tax. A private sale or an out-of-state dealer purchase is charged 5.5 percent sales tax on the purchase price, paid at the first registration. Questions go to Maine Revenue Services, Sales Tax Division, at 207-287-2336. The pages opened November 10, 2026 do not state a credit that reduces the 5.5 percent by tax paid to another state. Confirm a fresh purchase with Maine Revenue Services. See sales tax and use tax when a car moves.

What insurance must the car have?

The Bureau of Insurance requires proof at registration. Liability minimums are $50,000 per person and $100,000 per accident for bodily injury, and $25,000 for property damage. A combined single limit of $125,000 also meets the liability minimum. Medical payments of at least $2,000 per person are required, and uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage of at least $50,000 per person and $100,000 per accident. If liability is higher than the minimum, uninsured motorist coverage must match it unless you reject the higher amount in writing.

Can I drive it before it is registered?

The new-resident section of the passenger-vehicle page does not describe a temporary plate or a transit permit. The BMV navigation lists temporary registration permits, also called transit plates, as a separate topic. A direct request for that permits page on November 10, 2026 did not return the page. Confirm with the Bureau of Motor Vehicles before you drive. Temporary tags and trip permits explains why the question comes up when a truck, not you, brings the car.

What fees does the agency list?

On the passenger-vehicle page, opened November 10, 2026, a new resident pays a title application fee of $33 on models 25 years old and newer, and a registration fee for the plate. The page does not print the standard plate amount. Vanity plates at a BMV branch are an additional $25. Ask the town office or the BMV for the plate fee for your vehicle. The registration section phone on that page is 207-624-9000, extension 52149.

What special cases does the agency describe?

Models older than 25 years are treated differently for the title. The new-resident list asks for an out-of-state title for models 25 years old and newer, and the title fee of $33 is charged on those models.

A lienholder's name and address go on the application. The page does not say the lienholder must mail the title before you can register. It does not describe a military or student exemption from the 30 days. Confirm those with the BMV.

What if the car arrives on a truck?

A carrier delivery does not change the 30-day conversion or the inspection rule. Excise tax, the use-tax form, insurance, and a Maine inspection still apply before you drive on a public way. Car shipping in Maine covers the haul. RideShipper does not register the car. A sample sedan range is $376–$573 as of , model v1 RideShipper estimate, updated 2026-11-09, based on 3,588 prices that customers reported paying in MoveAdvisor reviews, adjusted for U.S. diesel at $6.13 a gallon for that week (U.S. Energy Information Administration). In testing, the typical difference between an estimate and a reported price was about 20% of the estimate. This is an estimate, not a quote: the carrier sets the price. No pickup date was supplied, so this estimate uses November 2026. There is no seasonal direction adjustment for this route and month.. Change cities on the calculator.

See also registering a car after you move and insurance proof before registration.

By rideshipper-editorial

Questions

Where do I start, the town or the state office?

The Bureau of Motor Vehicles says you pay excise tax at your town office. If that office does not issue registrations, you register at a BMV branch after the town tax is paid. Bring the white and yellow copies of the registration application and the excise-tax receipt.

Do I pay Maine sales tax on a car I already registered in another state?

The new-resident section says you file a Maine use-tax form to prove exemption from sales tax when you show an out-of-state registration. That is different from a car you buy in a private sale or from an out-of-state dealer, which the same page says is charged 5.5 percent sales tax on the purchase price.

Is there a title fee?

Yes. The passenger-vehicle page states a title application fee of $33 on vehicle models 25 years old and newer. It does not print a standard plate fee. It states an extra $25 for vanity plates at a BMV branch.

When do I get the inspection?

The motorist handbook says every vehicle bearing a Maine registration must have a current Maine inspection before it is operated on a public way. Inspections are yearly at an official inspection station. The new-resident registration page does not say whether another state's sticker is accepted.

What insurance do I have to show?

The Bureau of Insurance says anyone who owns or operates a vehicle in Maine must carry at least the minimum amounts, and proof must be presented to register. The liability minimums are $50,000 per person and $100,000 per accident for bodily injury, and $25,000 for property damage.

Sources

Call (800) 989-8833 Quotes by phone, 24/7

See price range