If you recently moved to Minnesota, you have 60 days to register a passenger vehicle, motorcycle, utility trailer, or house trailer. Register immediately if the registration is expired or the vehicle is a commercial trailer or truck. Driver and Vehicle Services asks for the out-of-state title, identification, the odometer reading, and your insurance company, policy number, and expiration date. The new-resident page does not state an inspection that must happen first.
What do I do, in order?
- Check whether the 60 days still apply. Expired plates, and commercial trailers and trucks, are registered immediately.
- Complete the application to title and register a vehicle.
- Take it to a deputy registrar, or mail it with the fees. The page says to register at a deputy registrar office by mailing the application with the appropriate fees.
- Include the current out-of-state title if you want a Minnesota title. A title is issued only when that title is submitted.
- Pay the tax if the Department of Revenue exemption does not apply.
What documents do I bring?
The new-resident page lists:
- The name and address of any lienholders.
- The current odometer reading.
- A driver's license or other acceptable identification.
- The insurance company name, policy number, and policy expiration date.
- For a vehicle from another U.S. state, the current title, or a manufacturer's certificate or statement of origin.
If the physical title is not in your hands, these can be used to register, though a Minnesota title waits for the current out-of-state title: the most recent registration card, unless it has been expired more than one year; a copy of the title clearly marked COPY; a confirmation of ownership when the bank holds the title; a title application receipt; a web dealer title; a title summary; or an electronic title copy.
A lease needs the registration card or a copy of the title showing the leasing company as owner, a lessee designation form signed by the lessor, and the application signed by the lessor. A power of attorney from the leasing company lets you sign those forms. See when the lender has the title.
Which inspections apply?
The new-resident page does not state a safety inspection, an emissions test, or a VIN inspection. The agency's page does not state this. Confirm with Driver and Vehicle Services.
A vehicle imported from another country is different. That page requires CBP Form 7501 or 3461, EPA Form 3520, and NHTSA Form HS-7, and it says more documents may be needed to show the vehicle was brought into compliance.
Do I owe tax on a car from another state?
The Department of Revenue says that if you bought the vehicle and titled it in your name for at least 60 days in the other state, tax is not due when you register it in Minnesota.
If you are a Minnesota resident who registered the vehicle and paid sales tax to another state, Minnesota allows a credit for that tax. If the other state's rate is lower, tax is due on the difference in rates. The new-resident registration page does not restate the rate. Confirm the amount with the Department of Revenue or the deputy registrar. See sales tax and use tax when a car moves.
What insurance must the car have?
The registration page asks for the insurance company, policy number, and expiration date. It does not print the dollar minimums. The vehicle registration overview says the Minnesota No-Fault Act requires owners to maintain no-fault insurance, and that proof must be in the vehicle.
Minnesota Statutes section 65B.49 sets residual liability at not less than $30,000 for bodily injury to one person, $60,000 for two or more people, and $10,000 for property damage. The same section requires uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage of at least $25,000 for one person and $50,000 for two or more. The Department of Commerce auto insurance guide lists those liability amounts and also lists required personal injury protection of $40,000 per person per accident. See insurance proof before registration.
Can I drive it before it is registered?
The new-resident page does not describe a temporary plate or a trip permit. If the out-of-state registration is still current, the 60-day period is the time the page gives you. If the plates are expired, it says to register immediately. Confirm with Driver and Vehicle Services before you drive. See temporary tags and trip permits.
What fees does the agency list?
The new-resident page says to include the appropriate fees and does not print a title fee or a plate fee. Use the motor vehicle fees page it links, or ask the deputy registrar. Do not guess a dollar amount from another state's schedule.
What special cases does the agency describe?
A lease is registered in the leasing company's name as owner, with a lessee designation. The lessor signs, unless you hold a power of attorney.
A commercial trailer or truck does not get the 60 days. Neither does a passenger vehicle whose registration is already expired.
The page does not describe a military or student exemption from the 60 days. Confirm those with Driver and Vehicle Services.
What if the car arrives on a truck?
The 60 days run from the move, and an expired registration does not get that time, whether or not you drove the car in. Car shipping in Minnesota and the cost page cover the haul. RideShipper requests quotes. It does not register the car or pay the motor vehicle tax. A sample sedan range is $428–$652 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.