IL dealer designated agent bonds.
$1,500 flat. Soft pull.
Illinois requires licensed motor vehicle dealers to file a $50,000 designated agent bond with the Secretary of State. Ours is $1,500 flat — 3% of the bond amount, identical for every dealer. One soft credit pull, e-signed in 1–2 business days.
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Three steps to licensed.
Your dealer license is waiting on this bond. Here's the entire process — no broker phone tag:
Apply once, online
Business details, owner information, effective date. That is the application — the only extra step is a one-time consent to a soft credit pull.
Reviewed & approved
Most of these clear quickly; if underwriting needs anything, you hear from an underwriter within 48 hours. The credit check is a soft pull that never affects your score.
E-sign & file with the Secretary of State
Pay online and receive the executed designated agent bond ready to file with your dealer license application. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the state insists.
The whole pricing page.
$50,000 bond × 3% = $1,500, one-time per term. Fixed amount, fixed price, multi-year if you want it. The bond carries a statutory 12/31 renewal date.
What it is and who needs it.
What the bond actually guarantees
Illinois licenses motor vehicle dealers through the Secretary of State, Vehicle Services Department, under the Illinois Vehicle Code (625 ILCS 5/5-101 et seq.). A dealer is also a designated agent of the Secretary for collecting and remitting title and registration fees and taxes — and the $50,000 bond stands behind that role and your compliance with the Vehicle Code.
It's a three-party arrangement: you (the principal), the surety carrier standing behind you, and the State of Illinois together with harmed buyers (the protected parties). If a dealer fails to remit fees or taxes, fails to deliver clear title, or otherwise violates dealer law, the harmed party can recover against the bond.
It is not insurance for you — if the surety pays a claim, you repay the surety. The bond is commonly required for the first 60 months of dealer operation and renews on the statutory 12/31 cycle. Dealers who deliver clean title and remit on time treat it as a license formality.
You need this bond if you're
Five minutes. The whole thing.
These are the actual underwriting fields, including a one-time consent to a soft credit pull. Submit once and your bond is typically issued within 1–2 business days.
Start the application →Common questions.
If yours isn't here, the bond team can usually answer within the hour.
Do I pay the $50,000? +
Who requires this bond? +
Why is it called a "designated agent" bond? +
Is there a credit check? +
When does it renew? +
Other New York bonds.
The Secretary of State is waiting on one document.
$1,500 flat, five-minute application, e-signed bond in 1–2 business days. Free until issued.