Missouri new vehicle & boat dealer bonds.
$500 flat.
Missouri requires every licensed motor vehicle or boat dealer to file a $50,000 bond with the Department of Revenue under RSMo 301.560. Ours is $500 flat — the price you see is the checkout price, identical for every dealer. A quick soft credit check may apply; the bond is issued when you pay.
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How much does a Missouri new vehicle & boat dealer bond cost?
$500 at the $50,000 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. 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 with the Department of Revenue
Pay online and receive the executed bond on the state-approved form, 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
Missouri licenses motor vehicle and boat dealers through the Department of Revenue, and RSMo 301.560 conditions the license on a $50,000 corporate surety bond (or an irrevocable letter of credit). The same $50,000 applies across new and used motor vehicle, powersport, wholesale, trailer, and boat dealers.
The bond is conditioned on the dealer complying with the motor vehicle and boat dealer statutes, and is an indemnity for any loss caused by acts that would be grounds to suspend or revoke the license — clear title, proper handling of customer funds, and honest dealing. Harmed buyers and the state can recover against it.
It is a three-party guarantee, not insurance for you: if the surety pays a claim, you repay the surety. Note that dealers who deliver vehicles before transferring the certificate of ownership must instead post a $100,000 bond — see our $100,000 dealer page if that’s you.
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 $50,000 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 Department of Revenue. Pay online and receive the executed bond on the state-approved form, 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 $500 at the $50,000 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 Missouri 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 Missouri. Each has its own statute and bond amount.
Other Missouri 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 Department of Revenue is waiting on one document.
$500 flat, short application, bond issued when you pay. Free until issued.