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Rhode Island title transfer fees

How much is the title fee in Rhode Island?

$50

In plain English

State law sets a fee of fifty dollars ($50.00) for a certificate of title. A separate section says one way for a lender to secure its claim on the vehicle is a security lien statement with the required fee of $50.00 and the registration card.

“shall issue, upon payment of a fee of fifty dollars ($50.00), a certificate of title of the vehicle.”

The official words for the rest

“A security interest may also be perfected by the execution of a security lien statement and the required fee of fifty dollars ($50.00) and registration card.”

Worked example

Example: a $12,000 used car bought from a private seller in Rhode Island. Title fee: $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 Rhode Island, and by when?

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

What if the car comes from another state?

In plain English

A vehicle registered elsewhere that is parked or garaged overnight in Rhode Island for more than thirty (30) days in total in any one year, and is owned or operated by a Rhode Island resident, must be registered. The fee is the same as for like vehicles owned by residents.

The official words

“Any foreign vehicle(s) parked or garaged overnight in this state for more than thirty (30) days in the aggregate in any one year that is owned and/or operated by a resident of this state as defined in § 31-1-18 shall register the vehicle(s) and pay the same fee that is required with reference to like vehicle(s) owned by residents of this state.”

What about tax on the purchase in Rhode Island?

In plain English

The statute sets the use tax rate at seven percent (7%) for the period commencing July 1, 1990. An excise tax is imposed on the storage, use or other consumption in the state of a motor vehicle bought from someone other than a licensed dealer. For a used motor vehicle, the tax is never less than the retail dollar value at the time of purchase multiplied by the applicable rate.

The official words

“The use tax imposed under this section for the period commencing July 1, 1990, is at the rate of seven percent (7%).”

“An excise tax is imposed on the storage, use, or other consumption in this state of a motor vehicle, a boat, an airplane, or a trailer purchased from other than a licensed motor vehicle dealer”

“In no case is the tax imposed under the provisions of subsections (a) and (b) of this section on the storage, use, or other consumption in this state of a used motor vehicle less than the product obtained by multiplying the amount of the retail dollar value at the time of purchase of the motor vehicle by the applicable tax rate”

We don’t work out tax for Rhode Island.

What does a gift or family transfer change in Rhode Island?

In plain English

In a casual sale, no tax is payable when the person receiving the vehicle is the spouse, mother, father, brother, sister or child of the person transferring it.

The official words

“no tax is payable in any casual sale: (1) When the transferee or purchaser is the spouse, mother, father, brother, sister, or child of the transferor or seller;”

What happens if the transfer is late in Rhode Island?

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

What the pages we read do not cover

The statutes we read give no deadline for a buyer to apply for a title and no late penalty.

The quotes we hold do not say what papers to bring or where to apply.

The quotes we hold do not mention an inspection for a vehicle from another state.

How Rhode Island compares

The title fee quoted for Rhode Island is $50. Of the other 37 states with a figure, 31 states quote less, 5 states quote more and 1 state quotes the same. A title fee is one line, not the whole cost.

LowerHigher

The states whose flat title fee sits closest to Rhode Island’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 Rhode Island

Anything else?

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

More from Rhode Island’s official pages

Registration and plates

“For the registration of every automobile, when equipped with pneumatic tires, the gross weight of which is not more than four thousand pounds (4,000 lbs.): thirty dollars ($30.00).”

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

8 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 dmv.ri.gov.

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