Indiana converter manufacturer bonds.
$250 flat.
A converter manufacturer — a business that modifies or up-fits completed vehicles before retail sale — must be licensed by the Indiana Secretary of State, Auto Dealer Services Division and post a $25,000 vehicle merchandising bond. Ours is $250 flat — the price you see is the checkout price — with a quick soft credit check that may apply.
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How much does an Indiana converter manufacturer bond cost?
$250 at the $25,000 amount, the same for every applicant.
Three steps to licensed.
Your converter manufacturer 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.
Approved
Most are approved as soon as you apply. One soft credit pull, never a hard inquiry, and it never affects your score. If it needs a second look, one to two business days at most.
E-sign & file on State Form 53966
Pay online and receive the executed bond (State Form 53966) ready to file through the Auto Dealer Services Division Dealer Portal. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the state insists.
What it is and who needs it.
What the bond actually guarantees
Indiana licenses converter manufacturers — businesses that take a completed or incomplete vehicle and convert, modify, or add equipment to it before it reaches the retail buyer — through the Secretary of State's Auto Dealer Services Division under IC 9-32. The license is conditioned on a $25,000 surety bond.
The bond is a consumer-and-public-protection guarantee: it stands behind your compliance with vehicle merchandising law and protects buyers, sellers, financing agencies, and government agencies from loss caused by fraud, misrepresentation, noncompliance, or unpaid taxes and fees.
It is not insurance for you — if the surety pays a claim, you repay the surety. Manufacturers who keep clean records and follow the rules treat the bond as a license formality, not a risk.
You need this bond if you're
Claims, renewal, filing, and what sets the price.
If a claim is made
A claim comes from the party the bond protects, the obligee named on the form, when the duty the bond guarantees is not met.
The surety investigates and pays a valid claim, up to the $25,000 bond amount. You then repay the surety: a surety bond is a guarantee of your performance, not insurance for you.
Renewal and term
The premium covers a one-year term from the effective date you choose; a longer term is the same price per year, chosen at checkout.
Renew before the expiry date to keep the bond in force: the license, permit or contract it backs expects continuous coverage.
How to file it
E-sign & file on State Form 53966. Pay online and receive the executed bond (State Form 53966) ready to file through the Auto Dealer Services Division Dealer Portal. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the state insists.
What sets the price
The premium is fixed at $250 at the $25,000 amount for every applicant: the carrier’s rate book prices this bond by the form, not by your credit or your business profile.
One soft credit pull, never a hard inquiry, and it never affects your score.
Where a check runs, it decides approval; the rate is the same for everyone approved.
One application, issued instantly.
These are the actual underwriting fields, including a one-time consent to a soft credit pull. Submit once and your bond is issued when you pay.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other Indiana bonds.
Been told you need a different amount?
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
The Auto Dealer Services Division is waiting on one document.
$250 flat, short application, bond issued when you pay. Free until issued.