You must register your vehicle in New York State

• if you move to New York and become a resident. You must register your vehicle here within 30 days of becoming a resident (moving).
• if you are a resident of New York and you get a vehicle from another state you will be driving on New York State roadways. You must register the vehicle here within 30 days.

If you aren’t a resident of New York, the registration from your state of residence is valid here.

You can apply for a New York State registration and a title certificate by mail from outside of New York. 

You will need to mail these items to a local DMV office.

• a completed Vehicle Registration/Title Application (PDF) (MV-82)
• proof of ownership (must be original; we don’t accept photocopies)
• proof of NY State automobile liability insurance
• proof of identity and age (send us photocopies; don’t send us your original documents)
• payment for sales tax (see sales tax information)

Once we process your application, we will send you these items in one package

• your registration documents
• your vehicle plates
• a 10-day Inspection Extension Sticker (VS-1077)

Allow 6 weeks for your registration documents to arrive by mail. Put the 10-day Inspection Sticker on your vehicle when you enter New York State (not before).  Mark the box on the sticker that indicates you entered New York, and write the date you entered.

We will send you your title certificate separately. Allow up to 90 days to receive it from us.

It will take longer to receive your documents if you are outside of the United States. 

To get your registration documents by express mail, enclose a pre-paid, pre-addressed express mail package with your application. Make sure the package can contain vehicle plates.

To have your registration documents mailed to an address that is different from what will be printed on your registration document, include a separate note with your Vehicle Registration/Title Application (PDF) (MV-82), and clearly print the alternate address. Do not write the alternate address on your application. If you do, DMV will prints the alternate address on your registration document and registration record.

You cannot have your new vehicle title mailed to a different address. The DMV sends the title certificate to the mailing address on your registration application. The DMV cannot send the title certificate to another address.
 

For a new vehicle purchased from an out-of-state dealer, provide

• the Manufacturer’s Certificate of Origin (MCO)
• the dealer's bill of sale

For a used vehicle purchased from an out-of-state dealer, provide

• an out-of-state title certificate or transferrable registration transferred to the dealer
• the dealer’s bill of sale that transfers ownership to you

For a vehicle from a private owner, provide

• the bill of sale
• either the title certificate or transferable registration that was transferred to you from the previous owner

If there is a lien on your out-of-state title certificate, the NYS DMV records the lien on your NYS title record and on your NYS title certificate. To remove the lien, you must provide proof that the lien has been satisfied (you paid your vehicle loan off). For more information, see remove or add a lienholder from a title.

If the title is held by the lienholder you must provide the following documents to register it in New York

• a copy of the title certificate with your name on it from the lienholder
• certification from the lienholder that title certificate is a copy of the original certificate - the copy of the title certificate and the certification of the lienholder must be on the same piece of paper
• a statement with the following information on the letterhead of the lienholder
  • the owner, year, make, and VIN
  • that the lienholder holds the original title and knows the owner will use the documents to register in New York State
  • no request to notify the lienholder when the vehicle is registered in New York, as the New York DMV will ignore this request