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Hawaii title transfer fees

How much is the title fee in Hawaii?

Explained below

In plain English

In Honolulu, the motor vehicle ownership title transfer fee is $10 when the transfer is completed within 30 days of the seller's date of transfer. Kauai's ownership transfer page also refers to a $10 transfer fee.

“The motor vehicle ownership title transfer fee is $10 if you complete the transfer within 30 days of the seller’s date of transfer; if you fail to complete the transfer within 30 days, a $50 penalty will be added to the transfer fee.”

The official words for the rest

“A late transfer fee of $50.00 will be assessed in addition to the $10 transfer fee, if the documents are received after 30 days (60 days if the lien holder does not have an office in the State of Hawaii), from the date of release by the owner.”

Worked example

Example: a $12,000 used car bought from a private seller in Hawaii. The title fee quoted for Hawaii is not one figure, so none is used here. 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 are the steps in Hawaii, and by when?

In plain English

  1. Hawaii does not have a statewide Department of Motor Vehicles. Vehicle registration is managed by each county government.

    The official words

    “Hawaii does not have a statewide Department of Motor Vehicles. Vehicle Registration is managed by each county government.”

  2. In Honolulu, the buyer completes the transfer within 30 days of the seller's date of transfer to pay only the transfer fee.

    The official words

    “The motor vehicle ownership title transfer fee is $10 if you complete the transfer within 30 days of the seller’s date of transfer; if you fail to complete the transfer within 30 days, a $50 penalty will be added to the transfer fee.”

  3. On Kauai, the documents are to be received within 30 days from the date of release by the owner, or within 60 days if the lien holder (the lender with a claim on the title) does not have an office in the State of Hawaii.

    The official words

    “A late transfer fee of $50.00 will be assessed in addition to the $10 transfer fee, if the documents are received after 30 days (60 days if the lien holder does not have an office in the State of Hawaii), from the date of release by the owner.”

  4. Hawaii law requires all motor vehicles, including motorcycles and mopeds, to undergo an annual safety inspection.

    The official words

    “Hawaii law requires all motor vehicles (including motorcycles and mopeds) to undergo an annual safety inspection”

  5. Honolulu's registration page says annual fees are based on the vehicle's weight and usage.

    The official words

    “Annual fees are based on the vehicle weight and usage.”

What if the car comes from another state?

In plain English

Honolulu charges no transfer fee for an out-of-state title transfer on a vehicle that is not registered in Hawaii.

The official words

“There is no transfer fee for an out-of-state title transfer on a vehicle that is not registered in Hawaii.”

Within 30 days of the vehicle's arrival on Oahu, the vehicle must have either an out-of-state permit or a Hawaii vehicle registration.

The official words

“Within 30 days of the arrival of the vehicle on Oahu, the vehicle must obtain with either an out-of-state permit or a Hawaii vehicle registration.”

To register a vehicle imported into Hawaii, the owner must show proof that use tax was paid or that no use tax is due.

The official words

“In order to register a vehicle imported into Hawaii, the owner must show proof that use tax was paid or that no use tax is due”

What about tax on the purchase in Hawaii?

In plain English

Hawaii's tax department says the landed value of a new or used vehicle purchased out-of-state and imported into Hawaii is subject to use tax at the rate of 4.5%. It also says casual sales are not subject to use tax and do not need to be reported on a use tax return.

The official words

“The landed value of a new or used vehicle purchased out-of-state and imported into Hawaii is subject to use tax at the rate of 4.5%.”

“Casual sales are not subject to use tax and do not need to be reported on a use tax return.”

We don’t work out tax for Hawaii.

A calculator on a state or county government site: Honolulu Motor Vehicle Fee Inquiry (mvinquiry.hnl.info).

What does a gift or family transfer change in Hawaii?

Nothing on this in the official pages we read for Hawaii. That is about our reading, not about Hawaii’s rules.

What happens if the transfer is late in Hawaii?

In plain English

This is about late title transfer. In Honolulu, a $50 penalty is added to the transfer fee when the transfer is not completed within 30 days. On Kauai, a late transfer fee of $50.00 is added to the $10 transfer fee when the documents are received after 30 days from the owner's release date, or after 60 days if the lien holder does not have an office in the State of Hawaii.

The official words

“The motor vehicle ownership title transfer fee is $10 if you complete the transfer within 30 days of the seller’s date of transfer; if you fail to complete the transfer within 30 days, a $50 penalty will be added to the transfer fee.”

“A late transfer fee of $50.00 will be assessed in addition to the $10 transfer fee, if the documents are received after 30 days (60 days if the lien holder does not have an office in the State of Hawaii), from the date of release by the owner.”

What the pages we read do not cover

The transfer fee quotes we hold come from the Honolulu and Kauai county pages only, so they do not speak for the other counties.

The pages we read do not say what papers to bring or what a gift transfer changes.

The quotes we hold do not give a fee for recording a lender's claim.

How Hawaii compares

The title fee quoted for Hawaii is not a single figure, so Hawaii is not placed among the other states.

Every state in one table · How a title transfer works

Add it up for Hawaii

Anything else?

Reference only, not legal or tax advice. Confirm with the agency. Full statement

Pages that refused our script

These official pages answered our script with a refusal or a bot check on November 12, 2026. We did not work around it, and nothing here is drawn from them.

Sources

10 quoted lines from 5 official sources, each matched word for word on November 12, 2026. Some official pages refused our script, so these lines could not be compared with them; a figure in a statute can differ from the fee an office posts today. The state’s own titling page is hidot.hawaii.gov.

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