Maryland Department of Transportation, Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) Edition VR-005 (07-26) 2 pages Maryland

Form VR-005 — Application for Certificate of Title (Maryland)

The Maryland MVA form for putting a vehicle's title in your name and, at the same time, getting new plates or transferring your old ones.

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Form VR-005 · Application for Certificate of Title (Maryland)
The official Maryland Department of Transportation, Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) form, edition VR-005 (07-26) — blank
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Form VR-005 (2026) Application for Certificate of Title (Maryland) — page 1 of 2
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Form VR-005 (2026) Application for Certificate of Title (Maryland) — page 2 of 2
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Fill this form online Blank PDF from Maryland Department of Transportation, Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA)

What is Form VR-005?

When you buy a vehicle from a private seller, bring a vehicle into Maryland from another state, or otherwise need a Maryland title in your name, the Motor Vehicle Administration asks for Form VR-005, the Application for Certificate of Title. A dealer usually handles it for a new car. In a private sale or a move, you fill it in yourself and take it to the MVA with the title or certificate of origin and the other documents the MVA asks for. The current edition is VR-005 (07-26).

Page 1 covers who will own the vehicle (an applicant and an optional co-applicant, joint tenants or tenants by the entireties, or a business or trust with its FEIN) and the vehicle itself: new or used, year, make, model, body style, VIN, fuel, cylinders, and the extra details for trucks, buses, motorcycles and trailers. It ends with any lien. Page 2 has the purchase price for Maryland's 6.5% excise tax, an excise tax credit section for tax already paid in another state, the odometer disclosure, the plates you want (new tags, a transfer, a 30-day inspection plate or title only), insurance, and the signatures.

FileIt lets you fill in the application online, with your name and date of birth pre-filled from People in your vault, and prints each answer in its box on the MVA's own PDF. With no lien, FileIt writes "NONE" in the lien box as the form asks. The dealer and title service boxes stay blank for them. The finished form is saved in your vault and can be sent for e-signature. FileIt never submits anything to the MVA.

Who fills it
The applicant (the new owner), plus any co-applicant and co-signer.
Submitted to
The Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA), or through a dealer or licensed tag and title service.
Tax
Maryland excise tax of 6.5% of the full purchase price, as printed on the form. Form VR-005A explains credits and exemptions.
Signatures
The applicant and co-applicant sign; a co-signer signs with their Maryland driver license number if one is needed.
Edition
VR-005 (07-26)
Questions
MVA customer service at 410-768-7000, TTY 800-735-2258, the numbers printed on the form.

Who needs to fill out Form VR-005?

  • People who bought a vehicle from a private seller and need it titled in Maryland.
  • New Maryland residents titling a vehicle they bring from another state.
  • Couples titling a car together as joint tenants or tenants by the entireties.
  • Businesses and trusts titling a vehicle in the entity's name.
  • Owners of trucks, buses, motorcycles, trailers and two-stage vehicles such as motorhomes.
  • Anyone who received a vehicle as a gift or inheritance and needs a title in their own name.

When to use Form VR-005

  • After buying a vehicle, to title it in your name and pay the excise tax.
  • When you move to Maryland and title an out-of-state vehicle; the excise tax credit part covers tax already paid elsewhere.
  • When you want new plates, a 30-day inspection plate, or to transfer plates from a vehicle you no longer have.
  • When you only need the title and not registration, by choosing Title Only.
  • When a lien must be recorded on the title, together with form VR-217 and the lien filing fee.

What you need before you start

  • Each applicant's full name, driver's license or MDID number, date of birth, address, email and phone.
  • For a business or trust: its FEIN and type of entity.
  • The vehicle's model year, make, model, body style and VIN, plus fuel type and cylinders.
  • For commercial vehicles and trailers: weights (G.V.W., G.C.W.), axles, seats, engine number and size, motor carrier and unit numbers.
  • Lien details if there is a loan: the lender's name and address, type, code, date and amount.
  • The full purchase price, the odometer reading, and for plates your insurance company, NAIC code, policy or binder number and agent.

What’s on Form VR-005

The 2026 edition has 2 pages. FileIt asks for it in 11 parts, and it is signed by Applicant and Co-applicant and Co-signer:

  1. ApplicantApplicant
  2. Co-applicantApplicant
  3. Business or trustApplicant
  4. Vehicle descriptionApplicant
  5. LiensApplicant
  6. Purchase information for tax purposesApplicant
  7. Excise tax creditApplicant
  8. OdometerApplicant
  9. Registration platesApplicant
  10. Certification and signaturesApplicant
  11. Co-signerCo-signer

How to fill out Form VR-005, step by step

1 Applicant and co-applicant

Enter the applicant's full name, driver's license or MDID number, date of birth, street address, city, county, state, ZIP, email and phone. Tick MDID Needed if the applicant doesn't have a license or MDID number. Add a co-applicant if two people will own the vehicle, and say whether the title should read joint tenants or tenants by the entireties.

2 Business or trust

If the name above is a business or trust, give its FEIN and tick the type of entity: trust, professional association, sole proprietorship, corporation, LLC, partnership, joint venture or other, with a description for other.

3 Vehicle description

Tick new or used and enter the model year, make, model, body style and VIN, the fuel type and number of cylinders. For a two-stage vehicle give the second stage's make and year. Trucks, truck tractors, construction vehicles, buses, motorcycles and trailers have extra boxes for weights, axles, seats, engine number and CCs, and trailer type.

4 Liens

If the vehicle is subject to a lien, give the secured party's name, the type of lien, lien code, date and amount, and the secured party's address, and attach form VR-217 with the lien filing fee. If there's no lien, the form says to write NONE, which FileIt does for you.

5 Purchase price and excise tax

Enter the full purchase price that the 6.5% Maryland excise tax applies to, and the VIN and state of any trade-in. If you qualify for an excise tax credit, complete that part in full: how long you've lived in Maryland, where the vehicle was last registered, and the percent tax paid there, or NONE. Tick the military box if you are returning or active-duty military.

6 Odometer, plates and insurance

Give the odometer reading without tenths, and tick a statement only if the mileage exceeds the odometer's mechanical limits or isn't the actual mileage. Choose new tags, a transfer, a 30-day inspection plate or title only, and any class of tags. Say whether the vehicle will be used for short term rental. For a plate transfer, give the tag and sticker numbers. For plates, add the insurance company, NAIC, policy or binder number and agent.

7 Certification and signatures

Print each applicant's name, add the date, and sign. By signing you certify that the VIN matches the vehicle, the liens are as shown, the insurance is in place for plates, and the statements are true under penalty of perjury. A co-signer adds their Maryland driver license number, relationship and date of birth.

Common mistakes to avoid

  • Leaving the lien section blank when there's no lien, instead of writing NONE.
  • Forgetting form VR-217 and the lien filing fee when there is a lien.
  • Mistyping the VIN, which you certify you have compared with the vehicle.
  • Entering the odometer reading with tenths, or ticking an odometer statement that doesn't apply.
  • Asking for plates without insurance details, which you certify are in place.
  • Filling in only part of the excise tax credit section, which the form asks you to complete in its entirety.
  • Writing in the Dealer's Certification or Dealers Only boxes, which are for the dealer.

After you fill it out

Sign the application (each applicant, and a co-signer if needed) and take it to the MVA, or to a licensed tag and title service, with the title or certificate of origin, proof of insurance and any other documents the MVA asks for. FileIt keeps the filled PDF in your vault.

Expect to pay the 6.5% excise tax and the title and registration fees. Form VR-005A explains the excise tax and its credits, and the MVA lists current fees.

If you asked for a 30-day inspection plate, get the vehicle inspected before it expires. Keep your new title in a safe place, and FileIt can hold a scan of it in the vault.

Fill out Form VR-005 online with FileIt

  1. Pick the person. Choose someone from People and FileIt fills in their name, date of birth, address and other details it already knows.
  2. Answer plain-language questions. One part of the form at a time, with the official help text beside each question — 89 fields in all. Your answers save as you go.
  3. Check the live preview. Watch your answers land on the real Maryland Department of Transportation, Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) form, and let FileIt do any worksheet arithmetic.
  4. Generate the official PDF. FileIt prints your answers into the agency’s own PDF and files it in that person’s folder in your vault. Sign it, or send it for e-signature.

FileIt fills the form — it never files or submits anything for you. Deliver the finished form to whoever asked for it, the way the form’s instructions say.

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Form VR-005: frequently asked questions

What is Maryland Form VR-005?

It's the MVA's Application for Certificate of Title, used to title a vehicle in Maryland and, if you want, to apply for new plates or transfer existing ones.

How much is Maryland's vehicle excise tax?

The form prints 6.5% of the full purchase price. Form VR-005A has the details, including credits for tax paid in another state.

What do I write if there's no lien?

The form says to write the word NONE in the lien section. FileIt does this automatically when you say there's no lien.

What's the difference between joint tenants and tenants by the entireties?

Both are ways for two people to own the vehicle together. Tenants by the entireties is a form of joint ownership available to married couples. The MVA can explain how each works.

Can I apply for the title only, without plates?

Yes. The plates part of the form has a Title Only box.

Can I fill out Form VR-005 online?

Yes. FileIt guides you through both pages and prints your answers into the MVA's official PDF, saved in your vault. You sign it and take it to the MVA or a tag and title service yourself.

Official sources

FileIt is not affiliated with or endorsed by Maryland Department of Transportation, Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) or any government. This page explains the form in general terms and is not legal, tax or immigration advice. Always read the official instructions, and check that you are using the edition the recipient accepts. Page last reviewed 2026-10-19.

Fill out Form VR-005 online