Home / All states / Alaska
Alaska title transfer fees
How much is the title fee in Alaska?
$15
In plain English
The Alaska DMV's page on bringing a vehicle from another state lists a title fee of $15. The same page lists $15 for recording a lienholder (a lender with a claim on the vehicle) when a lien is being recorded for the first time.
“Title fee: $15”
The official words for the rest
“Lienholder recording (if you are recording a lien for the first time): $15”
Worked example
Example: a $12,000 used car bought from a private seller in Alaska. Title fee: $15. Tax is left out of this example. Not included: registration and plates, a lien fee, an out-of-state inspection, county or office add-ons, and late fees.
A made-up price; every other figure is from the quotes on this page. It is an illustration, not a bill.
What other fees come with it?
- Lien fee$15not added
“Lienholder recording (if you are recording a lien for the first time): $15”
What are the steps in Alaska, and by when?
In plain English
An Alaska resident who buys a vehicle is required to put it in the buyer's own name within 30 days of the date of sale by getting an Alaska title.
The official words
“As an Alaska resident when you purchase a vehicle, you are required to transfer the vehicle into your name within 30 days of the date of sale by obtaining an Alaska title.”
Without a title or a Manufacturer's Certificate of Origin, a vehicle inspector may need to complete a Verification of Vehicle (Form 811), which is free at a state DMV office.
The official words
“If you do not have a Title or Manufacturer's Certificate of Origin (MCO), you may need to have a vehicle inspector complete Verification of Vehicle (Form 811) which are free at a state DMV office.”
Registration and plate fees vary by vehicle type.
The official words
“Registration and plate fees vary by vehicle type.”
The DMV's registration tax chart says the residence address determines whether taxes are required before a vehicle is registered or renewed in Alaska. The quote gives no rate.
The official words
“the residence address determines whether taxes are required prior to registering (renewing) a vehicle in Alaska”
What if the car comes from another state?
New residents have
10 days
“If you are working in Alaska or establishing residency, you must register your vehicle within 10 days of entering the state or beginning employment.”
In plain English
A person working in Alaska or establishing residency must register the vehicle within 10 days of entering the state or beginning employment.
The official words
“If you are working in Alaska or establishing residency, you must register your vehicle within 10 days of entering the state or beginning employment.”
When the title is already in the owner's name in another state and the lienholder is holding the original title outside Alaska, the DMV issues a 'registration only'.
The official words
“When there is a title that is already in your name in another state, and the lienholder is holding the original title outside of Alaska, we will issue a 'registration only'.”
What about tax on the purchase in Alaska?
Nothing on this in the official pages we read for Alaska. That is about our reading, not about Alaska’s rules.
A calculator on a state or county government site: Vehicle Registration Cost (online.dmv.alaska.gov).
What does a gift or family transfer change in Alaska?
Nothing on this in the official pages we read for Alaska. That is about our reading, not about Alaska’s rules.
What happens if the transfer is late in Alaska?
Nothing on this in the official pages we read for Alaska. That is about our reading, not about Alaska’s rules.
What the pages we read do not cover
The pages we read do not give a sales tax rate for a vehicle purchase.
They do not say what happens when a title is transferred late.
They do not cover gifts or transfers within a family.
How Alaska compares
The title fee quoted for Alaska is $15. Of the other 37 states with a figure, 15 states quote less, 16 states quote more and 6 states quote the same. A title fee is one line, not the whole cost.
LowerHigher
The states whose flat title fee sits closest to Alaska’s. Each figure is copied from the quote at the top of that state’s page, with its source and read date. A title fee is one line, not the whole cost.
Every state in one table · How a title transfer works
Add it up for Alaska
Reference only, not legal or tax advice. Confirm with the agency. Full statement
Sources
8 quoted lines from 5 official sources, each matched word for word on November 12, 2026. The state’s own titling page is dmv.alaska.gov.
- Alaska Division of Motor Vehicles, Transfer My Vehicle From Another State · dmv.alaska.gov
- Alaska Division of Motor Vehicles, Titles · dmv.alaska.gov
- Alaska Division of Motor Vehicles, New Vehicle · dmv.alaska.gov
- Alaska Division of Motor Vehicles, General Vehicle Registration · dmv.alaska.gov
- Alaska Division of Motor Vehicles, Registration fees and biennial motor vehicle registration tax chart (PDF) · dmv.alaska.gov