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Minnesota title transfer fees

How much is the title fee in Minnesota?

$8.25

In plain English

The agency's fee page lists a title fee of $8.25, due on all initial applications for title and title transfers. It also lists a $12 filing fee due with each title transaction, and a $2.25 technology surcharge due with each title transaction except when the only change is adding or removing a lien holder.

“Title fee $8.25 Due on all initial applications for title and title transfers”

The official words for the rest

“Filing fee $12 Due with each title transaction.”

“Technology surcharge $2.25 These funds are used to develop and maintain the driver and vehicle services information systems. Due with each title transaction except when the only change is the addition or removal of a lien holder.”

Worked example

Example: a $12,000 used car bought from a private seller in Minnesota. Title fee: $8.25. Filing fee: $12. Technology surcharge: $2.25. All the quoted flat fees due on a title transfer: $22.50. 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?

What are the steps in Minnesota, and by when?

In plain English

  1. The fee page lists a $10 transfer tax that is not due when transferring from joint to single ownership, titling in a licensed dealer’s name for resale, titling in a government entity’s name, or titling in the name of the owner listed on the out-of-state title or registration card.

    The official words

    “Transfer tax $10 Not due on these applications: To transfer from joint to single ownership (the fee is due to transfer from single to joint ownership) In a licensed dealer name (if held for resale) In the name of a government entity In the owner’s name listed on the out-of-state title or registration card”

  2. Recording a lender's claim (a lien) costs $2 for each one recorded.

    The official words

    “$2 Due for each security interest (lien) recorded.”

  3. The fee page lists a Public Safety Vehicle fee of $3.50, which is not due on transfers of non-titled trailers.

    The official words

    “Public Safety Vehicle (PSV) fee $3.50 Not due on transfers of non-titled trailers.”

  4. A transaction processed at a deputy registrar carries a $1 local office surcharge.

    The official words

    “Local office surcharge $1 Charge for transactions processed at a deputy registrar.”

  5. The transfer is to be submitted within 20 calendar days of the sale date.

    The official words

    “Late transfer penalty $2 Due if a transfer is not submitted within 20 calendar days of the sale date.”

  6. Every motor vehicle driven on public streets and highways must pay an annual registration tax.

    The official words

    “All motor vehicles operated on public streets and highways must pay annual registration tax.”

What if the car comes from another state?

New residents have

60 days

“New residents have 60 days to register their passenger vehicle, motorcycle, utility trailer or house trailer.”

In plain English

New residents have 60 days to register a passenger vehicle, motorcycle, utility trailer or house trailer.

The official words

“New residents have 60 days to register their passenger vehicle, motorcycle, utility trailer or house trailer.”

The $10 transfer tax is not due when the title is issued in the name of the owner listed on the out-of-state title or registration card.

The official words

“Transfer tax $10 Not due on these applications: To transfer from joint to single ownership (the fee is due to transfer from single to joint ownership) In a licensed dealer name (if held for resale) In the name of a government entity In the owner’s name listed on the out-of-state title or registration card”

The 6.875 percent excise tax covers vehicles bought or acquired outside Minnesota as well as inside it, when they have to be registered in the state.

The official words

“There is imposed an excise tax of 6.875 percent on the purchase price of any motor vehicle purchased or acquired, either in or outside of the state of Minnesota, which is required to be registered under the laws of this state.”

What about tax on the purchase in Minnesota?

In plain English

The statute puts an excise tax of 6.875 percent on the purchase price of any motor vehicle that has to be registered in Minnesota. A flat $10 tax is collected in its place on passenger vehicles that are 10 years old or older, have a purchase price under $3,000, and whose similar vehicles have an average value of less than $3,000.

The official words

“There is imposed an excise tax of 6.875 percent on the purchase price of any motor vehicle purchased or acquired, either in or outside of the state of Minnesota, which is required to be registered under the laws of this state.”

“The $10 in-lieu sales tax is collected on passenger vehicles that meet all the following criteria: • The model year of the vehicle must be 10 years old or older • Purchase price must be under $3,000 • The average value of similar motor vehicles is less than $3,000”

We don’t work out tax for Minnesota.

A calculator on a state or county government site: Estimate My Vehicle Registration Tax (onlineservices.dps.mn.gov).

What does a gift or family transfer change in Minnesota?

In plain English

When a vehicle is given as a gift or bought for a minimal amount of money, the sales tax is figured on the average value of similar vehicles (fair market value).

The official words

“When a vehicle is acquired for a minimal amount of money or gifted, the sales tax is collected based on the average value of similar motor vehicles (fair market value).”

What happens if the transfer is late in Minnesota?

In plain English

This is about a late title transfer: a late transfer penalty of $2 is due if the transfer is not submitted within 20 calendar days of the sale date.

The official words

“Late transfer penalty $2 Due if a transfer is not submitted within 20 calendar days of the sale date.”

What the pages we read do not cover

The pages we read do not say what papers to bring to a title transfer.

They do not mention an inspection for a vehicle coming from another state.

They do not say which relatives, if any, are exempt from tax on a gift.

How Minnesota compares

The title fee quoted for Minnesota is $8.25. Of the other 37 states with a figure, 3 states quote less and 34 states quote more. A title fee is one line, not the whole cost.

LowerHigher

The states whose flat title fee sits closest to Minnesota’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.

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Add it up for Minnesota

Anything else?

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

Sources

13 quoted lines from 6 official sources, each matched word for word on November 12, 2026. The state’s own titling page is dps.mn.gov.

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