Maine motor vehicle dealer bonds.
From $100.
Also known as the Maine auto dealer bond or car dealer bond.
Maine requires every motor vehicle dealer to file a continuous bond with the Secretary of State, sized to last year’s sales. The amount steps from $25,000 to $100,000 by volume — file it on form MVD-390. The premium is 1% of your bond amount, $100 minimum — your exact price is in the on-page calculator.
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How much does a Maine motor vehicle dealer bond cost?
1% of the bond amount, from $100. Enter your amount in the calculator for the exact price.
Three steps to licensed.
Your dealer license is waiting on this bond. Here is the whole thing — no broker phone tag:
Apply once, online
Business details, your dealership name, the bond amount your sales tier requires, and the effective date — plus 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 with the Secretary of State
Pay online and receive the executed bond (form MVD-390) 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
Maine licenses motor vehicle dealers through the Secretary of State, Bureau of Motor Vehicles, and conditions the license on a continuous surety bond under 29-A M.R.S. §901(4). The bond is a consumer-and-public-protection guarantee: it stands behind clear title on the vehicles you sell and your compliance with Maine motor vehicle sales law.
The amount is tiered to your prior calendar year’s sales: $25,000 for 0–50 sales, $50,000 for 51–100, $75,000 for 101–150, and $100,000 for 151 or more. A new dealer bonds on projected sales, and most first-year applicants start at the $25,000 tier.
It's a three-party arrangement: you (the principal), the surety, and the Secretary of State together with harmed buyers. If a dealer fails to deliver clear title or misapplies a customer's money, the harmed party can recover against the bond — and if the surety pays, you repay the surety.
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 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.
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 Secretary of State. Pay online and receive the executed bond (form MVD-390) ready to file with your dealer license application. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the state insists.
What sets the price
The premium is 1% of the bond amount, $100 minimum: the amount the obligee sets moves the price, not 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 the bond amount your sales tier requires and 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 Maine bonds.
The same bond in nearby states.
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
The Secretary of State is waiting on one document.
From $100, short application, bond issued when you pay. Free until issued.