Texas at a glance
| What | Texas |
|---|---|
| Form | VTR-34, Application for a Certified Copy of Title |
| Fee | $2 by mail, $5.45 in person |
| How long | Allow at least 15 days by mail |
| Faster option | None listed |
| Ways to apply | By mail or in person |
| Who can apply | The owner or lienholder on TxDMV’s record, or an agent for either. An agent brings a letter of signature authority, a business card or an employee ID. |
| ID | A copy of a government photo ID for each owner on record and any agent: a U.S. state driver’s license or ID card, Texas handgun license, U.S. or foreign passport, U.S. military ID or some federal IDs. An ID that expired in the last 12 months still counts. |
| Loan on the car | If TxDMV still lists a lien, even for a loan you’ve paid off, the lienholder can apply, or you can send the original signed lien release (on the lender’s letterhead or Form VTR-266). Copies, scans, faxes and emails aren’t accepted. |
Where Texas’s $2 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. Texas charges $2.
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. The title number is printed on the title you lost. No copy? Leave that box blank. Form VTR-34 asks for: VIN; year, make, model and body style; title/document number (optional); Texas license plate number (optional).Check for a loan on the car
Still paying off the car? Ask the lender first. If the lender holds an electronic title (a Texas e-Title), there’s no paper title to replace: TxDMV mails one when the lender releases the lien. If the loan is paid off but the lien is still on record, get the lender’s original signed release before you apply.Fill in Form VTR-34
The form is the Application for a Certified Copy of Title. Notary: Not needed. Every owner on record signs in black or blue ink, or signs electronically.Send it with the fee
- By mail: Make a check, cashier’s check or money order payable to TxDMV and send it with the form to the Wichita Falls Regional Service Center, Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, 1601-A Southwest Parkway, Wichita Falls, TX 76302. It’s the only office that takes mail applications.
- In person: Any of the 16 TxDMV Regional Service Centers, not your county tax office. Book an appointment if you can, though walk-ins are served. Pay by cash, check, money order or card (cards add a convenience fee).
Good to know in Texas
- You can’t apply again until 30 days after the last certified copy was issued.
- The certified copy replaces the original title and any earlier copy, so those are no longer valid.
- Once you mail the application, you can’t check its status, and TxDMV won’t send back anything you include.
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, Illinois, New York or Wisconsin.