Indiana vehicle dealer bonds.
$250 flat.
Also known as the Indiana auto dealer bond or car dealer bond.
Indiana requires every licensed vehicle dealer to file a $25,000 bond with the Secretary of State, Auto Dealer Services Division. Ours is $250 flat, the checkout price, identical for every dealer. A quick soft credit check may apply — never a hard inquiry; the bond is issued when you pay.
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How much does an Indiana vehicle dealer bond cost?
$250 at the $25,000 amount, the same for every applicant.
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. A quick soft credit check may run to confirm approval — never a hard inquiry.
Approved
Most are approved as soon as you apply. Any credit check is a soft pull that never affects your score. If it needs a second look, one to two business days at most.
E-sign & file with the Auto Dealer Services Division
Pay online and receive the executed bond (State Form 53966) ready to file with your dealer license application. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the state insists.
What it is and who needs it.
What the bond actually guarantees
Indiana licenses vehicle dealers through the Secretary of State's Auto Dealer Services Division, and conditions the license on a $25,000 surety bond running in favor of the State. The bond is a consumer-and-public-protection guarantee standing behind clear title and your compliance with the dealer licensing law.
It's a three-party arrangement: you (the principal), the surety carrier, and the State of Indiana together with harmed buyers, sellers, financing agencies, and government agencies (the protected parties). If a dealer commits fraud, fails to deliver clear title, or fails to pay required taxes and fees, the harmed party can recover against the bond.
It is not insurance for you — if the surety pays a claim, you repay the surety. Dealers who deliver clean title and keep good records 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 with the Auto Dealer Services Division. Pay online and receive the executed bond (State Form 53966) ready to file with your dealer license application. 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. A quick soft credit check may run to confirm approval — never a hard inquiry. Submit once and your bond is issued when you pay.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other Indiana motor vehicle dealer bonds.
Not sure this is the one your license calls for? These are the other motor vehicle dealer bonds we write in Indiana. Each has its own statute and bond amount.
Other Indiana bonds.
The same bond in nearby states.
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.