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

Registering an out-of-state car in Missouri

You have 30 days after you become a Missouri resident to title the vehicle. A car previously titled in another state needs a VIN and odometer inspection. A safety inspection can satisfy that check. If you owned and operated it in another state for at least 90 days, no additional sales tax is due.

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

Key facts

Registration deadline
30 days from the date you become a Missouri resident to title the vehicle
Source: dor.mo.gov
Inspections required
VIN and odometer inspection for every vehicle previously titled in another state. A Missouri safety inspection satisfies it. Emissions if you live in St. Louis City or Jefferson, St. Charles, or St. Louis County
Source: dor.mo.gov
Tax rule
No additional sales tax if you owned and operated the vehicle in another state for at least 90 days. If you owned it for less than 90 days, you pay the difference when Missouri state and local tax is higher
Source: dor.mo.gov
Insurance minimum
At least $25,000 per person, $50,000 per accident, and $25,000 property damage. The title file needs a current insurance card or other proof of financial responsibility
Source: insurance.mo.gov

As of unpublished.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

You have 30 days from the date you become a Missouri resident to title your vehicle. The Department of Revenue requires an identification-number and odometer inspection on every motor vehicle previously titled in another state. A Missouri safety inspection satisfies that requirement. You also need proof of financial responsibility. Sales tax depends on how long you already owned and operated the vehicle in the other state.

What do I do, in order?

  1. If a lienholder has the out-of-state title, send Form 5834 and ask for the original title. You cannot finish a full Missouri title without an acceptable ownership document.
  2. Get the VIN and odometer inspection at an authorized station. A safety inspection covers it. Keep the original. A copy is not accepted.
  3. Get a safety inspection not more than 60 days old unless you are exempt, and an emissions inspection not more than 60 days old if you live in the emissions area and are not exempt.
  4. Get a statement of non-assessment from the assessor in your Missouri county, or the City of St. Louis, showing you do not owe personal property tax there.
  5. Apply at a license office, or by mail to the Motor Vehicle Bureau, with Form 108, the ownership document, the inspections, insurance, and payment.

What documents do I bring?

The titling page lists:

  • The original out-of-state title, or other proof of ownership in your name under the previous state's law.
  • If the lienholder will not release the title, a written refusal on letterhead or on Form 5834, plus a copy of the front and back of the title, an electronic-title receipt, or a statement that an electronic-title state holds it.
  • Signed Application for Missouri Title and License, Form 108.
  • The VIN and odometer inspection. A safety inspection satisfies it.
  • A current insurance card, paper or legible electronic, or other proof of financial responsibility.
  • The assessor's statement of non-assessment. Military members who do not claim Missouri as their state of residence submit a recent leave and earnings statement showing their state of residence instead.
  • The safety inspection and, if you live in St. Louis City or Jefferson, St. Charles, or St. Louis County, the emissions inspection, unless an exemption applies.

If the original title is not surrendered, you get a one-year registration that cannot be renewed, and no Missouri title, until the out-of-state title arrives. See when the lender has the title.

Which inspections apply?

Every vehicle previously titled in another state needs a VIN and odometer inspection. A safety inspection meets that requirement. Keep the original.

A safety inspection not more than 60 days old is also listed, unless exempt. Even model years are inspected in even calendar years, and odd model years in odd years, unless exempt. Since August 28, 2019, a vehicle in its first ten model years with under 150,000 miles is exempt from the safety inspection. The page's example is a 2023 vehicle under that mileage, exempt through 2033. That exemption does not clearly remove the VIN and odometer check. Confirm both with the license office.

Emissions, not more than 60 days old, apply in St. Louis City and in Jefferson, St. Charles, and St. Louis counties, unless exempt. The department says it does not run that program. See emissions when states differ.

Do I owe tax on a car from another state?

If you owned and operated the vehicle in another state for at least 90 days before you title and register it in Missouri, no additional sales tax is due.

Owned less than 90 days, and the other state's tax is lower than Missouri's, you show proof and pay the difference. State tax is 4.225 percent plus local tax, on the price less any trade-in. The department links a calculator.

A purchase has a different penalty: $25 on day 31, then $25 more every 30 days, up to $200. That clock is separate from the 30-day new-resident title deadline. See sales tax and use tax when a car moves.

What insurance must the car have?

Bring a current insurance card or other proof of financial responsibility. The Department of Insurance requires at least $25,000 per person, $50,000 per accident, and $25,000 property damage. A lapse can suspend the registration and possibly the license. See insurance proof before registration.

Can I drive it before it is registered?

The new-resident section does not describe a trip permit or a temporary plate for the days before the license office visit. The one-year registration is what you receive when the lienholder still holds the title, not a permit to postpone the application. Confirm with the Department of Revenue before you drive an untitled car. See temporary tags and trip permits.

What fees does the agency list?

On the titling page, opened November 10, 2026, a new resident pays an $8.50 title fee and a $9 processing fee. A $2 electronic transmission fee may be collected. License plate and processing fees are based on taxable horsepower or vehicle weight. The page does not print one statewide plate price. Tax, if any, is additional, as described above.

What special cases does the agency describe?

Military members who do not claim Missouri residency use a leave and earnings statement instead of the non-assessment statement. An import that does not meet U.S. standards is a different file, using Form 551, and can be branded Non-USA Standard.

Confirm the ten-year safety exemption against the VIN inspection at the license office.

What if the car arrives on a truck?

The 30 days run from the day you become a resident. The VIN inspection is still done in Missouri. Car shipping in Missouri covers the haul. RideShipper does not title 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 registering a car after you move.

By rideshipper-editorial

Questions

What if the lienholder will not release the out-of-state title?

Send the lienholder Form 5834. If the lienholder refuses, you can apply with a written refusal plus a copy of the title, an out-of-state title receipt from an electronic-title state, or a statement that an electronic-title state holds the title. You get a one-year registration. It cannot be renewed, and you do not get a Missouri title, until the out-of-state title arrives.

Do I always need a safety inspection?

You always need the VIN and odometer inspection, and a safety inspection satisfies it. A separate safety inspection not more than 60 days old is also listed, with exemptions. Since August 28, 2019, a vehicle in the first ten years after its model year, with under 150,000 miles, is exempt from the safety inspection. Even model years are inspected in even calendar years, and odd model years in odd years, unless exempt.

When is sales tax waived?

If you owned and operated the vehicle in another state for at least 90 days before you title it in Missouri, no additional sales tax is due. Under 90 days, you show the tax you paid and pay the difference if Missouri state tax of 4.225 percent plus local tax is more.

What insurance do I show?

The title page asks for a current insurance identification card, original, copy, or a legible electronic card, or other proof of financial responsibility. The Department of Insurance says the required liability amounts are at least $25,000 per person, $50,000 per accident, and $25,000 for property damage.

Where are emissions tests required?

The title page says an emissions inspection not more than 60 days old applies if you reside in St. Louis City or Jefferson, St. Charles, or St. Louis County, if the vehicle is not exempt. The same even-year and odd-year pattern applies unless an exemption fits.

Sources

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

See price range