Illinois at a glance
| What | Illinois |
|---|---|
| Form | VSD 190, Application for Vehicle Transaction(s) |
| Fee | $50 |
| How long | About 3 to 4 weeks after the Secretary of State gets your application |
| Faster option | Expedited Title Service, $30 more. Walk in at one of the 33 Secretary of State facilities that offer it: get there by noon and it ships by FedEx that day. Or send it by express carrier to Vehicle Services Department, Attn: Expedited Title Service, 501 S. Second St., Rm. 408, Springfield, IL 62756, and it ships the day after it arrives. |
| Ways to apply | By mail or in person |
| Who can apply | The owner of record, even after moving out of Illinois. Bought the car out of state from an Illinois owner and got no title? The Illinois owner has to apply. |
| ID | The state’s pages don’t say |
| Loan on the car | The duplicate goes to the lender. A paid-off lien comes off with the lender’s lien clearance letter, the lien contract showing it paid in full, or a court order. |
Where Illinois’s $50 fee sits among the 50 states and DC
State fee for a duplicate car title in the 50 states and DC: Under $10, 9; $10 to $19.99, 19; $20 to $39.99, 13; $40 to $59.99, 5; $60 or more, 5. Illinois charges $50.
Step by step
Find the VIN
You don’t need the lost title to find the 17-character VIN: it’s on the lower left of the windshield and on your registration card, and it may be on your insurance card. Form VSD 190 asks for: reason (lost, stolen or mutilated); exact VIN; last license plate number; current odometer reading and odometer status box; owner name and address; lienholder name and address; mail-to address; signature.Check for a loan on the car
Paid off the loan? Send the lender’s lien clearance letter with Form VSD 190 to take the lien off. Still paying? Put the lender’s full name and address on the form. Lenders with five or more Illinois liens a year now hold the title electronically until the loan is paid, and then the Secretary of State mails a paper title.Fill in Form VSD 190
The form is the Application for Vehicle Transaction(s).Send it with the fee
- By mail: Send the VSD 190 to Office of the Secretary of State, Vehicle Records Processing Division, 501 South Second Street, Room 424, Springfield, IL 62756-6666.
- In person: Any Secretary of State (DMV) facility.
Good to know in Illinois
- You can’t get a duplicate within 15 days of an original title, or within 30 days of a previous duplicate.
- Expedited titles go only to a street address on the title (no PO boxes) or to a dealer, remitter or lender. Bond, estate and repo cases don’t qualify. If yours isn’t processed in time, you can ask for the $30 back.
Title from another state?
Apply to the state that issued it. Find yours on the lost car title page for every state, or go straight to Alabama, New York, Texas or Wisconsin.