Missouri lost title bonds.
From $100.
When you can't prove ownership of a vehicle, Missouri lets you get a bonded title — file a surety bond under §301.192 RSMo with the Department of Revenue, and it issues a certificate of ownership marked "BONDED VEHICLE." The premium is 0.9% of the bond amount, $100 minimum; the amount is generally twice the vehicle's value.
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How much does a Missouri lost title bond cost?
0.9% of the bond amount, from $100. Enter your amount in the calculator for the exact price.
Apply to bonded title in one sitting.
No underwriting queue for the standard title bond — enter your amount, pay, and take the executed bond to the license office. Here is the whole thing:
Apply online
Your details, the vehicle, and the bond amount (generally twice the vehicle's value) — that is the application.
Issued on the spot
No credit check up to $100,000.
File with the Department of Revenue
Take the executed bond, your ownership affidavit, and supporting documents to a Missouri license office to get your bonded title. Wet-ink originals mailed on request.
Getting a bonded title in Missouri, step by step.
Missouri Department of Revenue (DOR), Motor Vehicle Bureau handles it. The bond amount is 2 times the vehicle's value from Kelley Blue Book, NADA, or 2 licensed-dealer appraisals; at least $100. The bond lasts 3 years; the bond is released then unless the DOR has been told a claim is pending.
Check that your vehicle qualifies
Missouri's bonded title is only for a vehicle or trailer at least 7 years old and worth $3,000 or less. The DOR must have no title record for it, or its records must show missing or conflicting ownership papers.
Schedule the Form 551 vehicle examination
Book a Vehicle Examination Certificate (Form 551) with the Missouri State Highway Patrol or the St. Louis City or County Auto Theft Unit at least 4 weeks ahead. The officer checks the VIN and confirms the vehicle is not reported stolen.
Set the value and buy the bond
Value the vehicle with Kelley Blue Book, the NADA guide, or 2 appraisals from Missouri-licensed dealers. Buy the bond for 2 times that value, at least $100, from a surety authorized in Missouri; the bond sample in the Missouri Titling Manual (Exhibit A) may be used.
Write your statement and gather papers
Write a statement explaining how you got the vehicle and why you cannot provide a valid title, and collect all ownership papers you have and a notarized lien release from any lienholder of record. Add an Odometer Disclosure Statement (Form 3019) unless the vehicle is exempt, and a title check from the last state that titled it if Missouri has no record.
File Form 108 with the Motor Vehicle Bureau
Complete the Application for Missouri Title and License (Form 108) and send it to the DOR Motor Vehicle Bureau with the bond, Form 551, your statement and papers. Include the title and processing fees and the state and local tax, figured on the value shown in the bond.
Wait for the BONDED VEHICLE title
The DOR issues a new title no sooner than 30 days after it receives your complete application. The title is branded BONDED VEHICLE.
Who qualifies
- The vehicle or trailer must be at least 7 years old.
- Its value cannot be more than $3,000.
- The DOR must have no earlier title application on record, or its records must show incomplete or conflicting ownership papers.
- Every lienholder of record must give you a notarized lien release.
- Vehicles under 20 years old need an odometer statement.
State fees
- Title feepaid to Missouri DOR
- $8.50
- Title processing feepaid to Missouri DOR
- $9
- Vehicle examination certificate (Form 551)paid to Missouri DOR
- $25
- State sales tax plus local taxpaid to Missouri DOR
- 4.225% state rate plus local tax, on the value shown in the bond
These are the state’s fees. The bond premium is separate and shown in the price card.
After the bond
File the original bond with your Form 108 packet at the DOR Motor Vehicle Bureau. The DOR issues a title branded BONDED VEHICLE at least 30 days after it has everything, and the bond is released after 3 years unless a claim is pending.
Checked on 22 October 2026 against RSMo 301.192, Bonded vehicle certificates of ownership and Missouri DOR: Missouri Titling Manual (revised August 2025). Rules and fees change; the agency’s own page has the final word.
What it is and who needs it.
What the bonded title actually does
When you buy or inherit a vehicle and the paperwork is missing, lost, or defective, Missouri lets you establish ownership with a bonded title under §301.192 RSMo. You post a surety bond, the Department of Revenue issues a certificate of ownership in your name marked "BONDED VEHICLE," and the bond protects anyone who later proves a superior claim.
The application goes in with an affidavit explaining how you acquired the vehicle and why you can't furnish a valid title, plus all the ownership evidence you have. The bond is conditioned to indemnify any prior owner, lienholder, or later purchaser against loss from the issuance of the title or an undisclosed defect — including reasonable attorney's fees.
The statutory minimum bond is just $100, but in practice Missouri sizes it to roughly twice the vehicle's value. The bond runs a three-year term, after which it is released and a clean title can issue — unless the Department has been notified of a pending action to recover on it.
You need this bond if you are
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 carrier issues this bond for a single three-year term; the term cannot be changed 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
File with the Department of Revenue. Take the executed bond, your ownership affidavit, and supporting documents to a Missouri license office to get your bonded title. Wet-ink originals mailed on request.
What sets the price
The premium is 0.9% of the bond amount, $100 minimum: the amount the obligee sets moves the price, not your business profile.
No credit check up to $100,000. Above that, the carrier may run a soft pull, which never affects your score.
Where a check runs, it decides approval; the rate is the same for everyone approved.
One application, issued on the spot.
Submit the application with your bond amount — the executed title bond is generated instantly, ready to take to the license office.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other Missouri bonds.
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
Bonded title, issued today.
From $100. Enter your amount and take it to the license office the same day.