Montana certificate of title bonds.
From $100.
Also known as the Montana bonded title bond.
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. Premiums start from $100; the amount equals the vehicle's value from a national appraisal guide, and your exact price appears at the application.
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How much does a Montana certificate of 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 county or the Motor Vehicle Division. Here is the whole thing:
Apply online
Your details, the vehicle (year, make, model, VIN), and the bond amount (the vehicle's value) — that is the application.
Issued on the spot
Most applications approve instantly with no waiting — the executed bond is generated as soon as you pay.
File with the county / MVD
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.
Getting a bonded title in Montana, step by step.
Montana Department of Justice, Motor Vehicle Division (Vehicle Services Bureau in Helena), or a participating county treasurer's office handles it. The bond amount is Equal to the vehicle's value from a national appraisal guide as of January 1 of the year you apply. The bond lasts 3 years; the state returns the bond 3 years after the title issues, or sooner if the title is surrendered.
Try to find or replace the old title
The Break/Bond Title Application (MV10) asks you to confirm you have tried every step to locate the existing title or get a replacement. If the vehicle was abandoned, you must also confirm 2 unsuccessful tries through the abandoned vehicle process.
Get a law enforcement VIN inspection
A law enforcement officer completes the Stage 1 Vehicle/OHV Identification Number Inspection (MV20), or the MV20V for a vessel. A vehicle 10 years old or newer that is out of state must be inspected in Montana; older vehicles can be inspected by an officer of that state, with photos and a copy of the officer's ID.
Gather proof of purchase and lien papers
Attach a bill of sale, cleared check or invoice. If there is a lien, add Montana Security Interest Processing: New (MV81B); if the vehicle is not in mechanically functional condition, add a notarized Bill of Sale (MV24) to certify its value.
Buy the bond if your vehicle needs one
If the vehicle is under 30 years old and worth $1,000 or more in a national appraisal guide such as J.D. Power, buy a 3-year bond equal to that value from a surety authorized in Montana. Older or lower-value vehicles skip this step.
Complete and sign the MV10
Fill in the vehicle's condition and value on the Break/Bond Title Application (MV10) and sign the certification in Section 7.
File at the county or by mail
To title and register, take the packet to a participating county treasurer's office (call ahead). For a title only, mail the packet and fee to the Vehicle Services Bureau, PO Box 201431, Helena, MT 59620-1431.
Who qualifies
- A bond is needed only for a motor vehicle, trailer, semitrailer or pole trailer under 30 years old and worth $1,000 or more.
- Vehicles 30 years old or older, or worth less than $1,000, need no bond, but you still file the MV10 and show the title was lost.
- Slide-in truck campers, off-highway vehicles not licensed for street use, motorboats, personal watercraft, sailboats and snowmobiles need no bond.
- A manufactured home is valued by the Montana Department of Revenue and needs a bond only if it is worth more than $1,000; its taxes must be paid up.
- Vehicles inspected outside Montana must include photos of most of the vehicle, the public VIN and, for 2011 and newer, the odometer.
State fees
- Title-only fee, light vehicles, trucks and buses 1 ton or less (mailed to Vehicle Services Bureau)paid to Montana MVD Vehicle Services Bureau
- $12.36
- Title-only fee, all other vehicles (mailed to Vehicle Services Bureau)paid to Montana MVD Vehicle Services Bureau
- $10.30
- Security interest or lien filing (MV81B), per lienpaid to Montana MVD
- $8.24
These are the state’s fees. The bond premium is separate and shown in the price card.
After the bond
The bond goes in with your MV10 packet and the state holds it. It is returned 3 years after the title issues, or sooner if the title is surrendered because the vehicle no longer needs a Montana title, unless someone has a pending claim on it.
Checked on 22 October 2026 against Montana Code Annotated 2025, 61-3-208: Affidavit and bond for certificate of title and Montana MVD: Break/Bond Title Application MV10 (7/26). 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, 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.
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 county / MVD. 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.
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 vehicle's value) — the executed title bond is generated instantly, ready to take to the county or MVD.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other Montana bonds.
The same bond in nearby states.
Price and requirements checked on the carrier’s application, . Page updated .
Bonded title, issued today.
Premiums from $100. Enter your amount and take it to the county the same day.