When you can't prove ownership of a vehicle, Montana lets you get a bonded title — file a surety bond under MCA 61-3-208 and the Motor Vehicle Division issues the title. We write it at a flat 3% with no credit check; the amount equals the vehicle's value from a national appraisal guide.
















No underwriting queue for the standard title bond — enter your amount, pay, and take the executed bond to the county or the Motor Vehicle Division. Here is the whole thing:
Your details, the vehicle (year, make, model, VIN), and the bond amount (the vehicle's value) — that is the entire application.
No credit check and no waiting — the executed bond is generated as soon as you pay. Larger amounts may get a quick review.
Take the executed bond and your title application to your county treasurer or the Motor Vehicle Division to get your bonded title. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the office insists.
Bond amount × 3% = your premium, one-time, $275 minimum. Bond amount equals the vehicle's value — enter it and the premium updates.
When you buy or inherit a vehicle and the paperwork is missing, lost, or defective, Montana lets you establish ownership with a bonded title under MCA 61-3-208. You file an affidavit and a surety bond, the Motor Vehicle Division issues a certificate of title in your name, and the bond protects anyone with a prior or superior claim to the vehicle.
The bond amount equals the vehicle's value, determined by the applicant from the applicable national appraisal guide (such as NADA) based on the vehicle's condition. The bond is conditioned to indemnify any prior owner, lienholder, or later purchaser harmed by the issuance of the title or by an undisclosed security interest.
Vehicles 30 years old or older generally don't need the bond — an affidavit establishing the loss of the original title can be enough. When a bond is required it runs a three-year term; the department returns it at the earlier of three years or when a regular title is issued. If a valid claim is paid, you repay the surety — it's a guarantee, not insurance for you.
Submit the application with your bond amount (the vehicle's value) — the executed title bond is generated instantly, ready to take to the county or MVD.
Start the application →If yours isn't here, the bond team can usually answer within the hour.
Five-minute application, flat 3%, $275 minimum. Enter your amount and take it to the county the same day.