NH retail vehicle dealer bonds.
$250 flat.

New Hampshire requires a retail vehicle dealer to file a $25,000 surety bond under RSA 261:98 before the Division of Motor Vehicles will issue a dealer license — ours is $250 flat, and the price you see is the checkout price. The application includes a credit consent, but it authorizes a soft pull only — a soft inquiry that never affects your score.

✓

Required to license as an NH retail vehicle dealer under RSA 261:98

✓

Fixed price, fixed amount — $25,000 bond, $250, no quote process

✓

Soft pull only — the application authorizes a soft inquiry, never a hard credit check

A-ratedA.M. Best carriersInstantunderwriting processSoft pull onlynever a hard inquiry

Trusted by industry leaders

How it works

Three steps. One sitting.

A dealer bond is about the simplest filing your DMV license needs. Here's the entire process:

NOW · ONLINE

Apply online

Business details, an effective date, and a one-time consent that authorizes a soft credit pull. That is the entire application.

MINUTES, USUALLY

Pay & e-sign

Dealer bonds like this are among the thousands of bond types that issue right after purchase. At most, 1–2 business days.

SAME DAY

File with the DMV

Your executed bond and power of attorney arrive by email, ready to file with your retail vehicle dealer license application or renewal. Wet-ink original mailed on request.

About this bond

What it is and who needs it.

What the bond actually guarantees

New Hampshire licenses retail vehicle dealers through the Division of Motor Vehicles (part of the Department of Safety), and RSA 261:98 conditions that license — along with the licenses of auto wholesale dealers and automotive recycling dealers — on a $25,000 surety bond or equivalent proof of financial responsibility executed by a surety company authorized to transact business in the state.

It's a three-party arrangement: you (the principal), the surety carrier, and the State of New Hampshire (the obligee), with your customers as the protected parties. RSA 261:98 runs the bond to natural persons who buy a vehicle from you and suffer a loss from a dealer default, a failure to deliver clear title, a stolen vehicle, or a mileage-disclosure violation.

It is not insurance for you — if the surety pays a valid claim, you repay the surety. The bond must stay in the business name and business legal address, and it has to stay active for the life of your license, so we track it and send renewal reminders ahead of your DMV renewal date.

RSA 261:98New Hampshire RSA 261:98 requires every retail vehicle dealer defined under RSA 259:89-a, every auto wholesale dealer under RSA 259:5-a, every automotive recycling dealer under RSA 261:123, and certain utility dealers under RSA 259:121 (if required by rule of the commissioner) to obtain a $25,000 bond or equivalent proof of financial responsibility executed by a surety company authorized to transact business in New Hampshire. The statute allows the department to accept collateral — a certificate of deposit or an irrevocable letter of credit — in lieu of the bond, in the same $25,000 face amount. The bond is issued as required under N.H. Admin. Code Saf-C 2003.06 as part of the dealer license application.

You need this bond if you're

✓

Licensing as a new NH retail vehicle dealer with the Division of Motor Vehicles

✓

Renewing your dealer license and your current bond is expiring or non-renewing

✓

An auto wholesale or automotive recycling dealer whose license is conditioned on this same $25,000 filing

✓

Moving your dealership into New Hampshire from another state

One application, issued instantly.

These are the actual issuing fields, including a one-time consent that authorizes a soft credit pull only — never a hard inquiry.

Start the application →

FAQ

Common questions.

How much is the New Hampshire retail vehicle dealer bond?The premium is $250 flat — set by our carrier's rate book for this bond, the same for every retail vehicle dealer. The $25,000 bond amount is set by RSA 261:98, so there is no quote process.

Do I pay the $25,000?No. You pay $250. The $25,000 is the surety's maximum liability if a valid claim is made against the bond — not a deposit, and nobody holds your money.

How fast will I have the bond?Dealer bonds like this are among the thousands of bond types that issue right after purchase — many dealers finish the application and have the bond in the same sitting. At most, 1–2 business days.

Is there a credit check?The application includes a credit consent, but it authorizes a soft credit pull only — a soft inquiry that never affects your score. No hard inquiry ever runs on this bond.

Does this bond cover wholesale and recycling dealers too?Yes. RSA 261:98 sets the same $25,000 bond for auto wholesale dealers and automotive recycling dealers as it does for retail vehicle dealers. We issue whichever license type applies to you at the same $250 price.

Related bonds

Other New Hampshire bonds.

Finish your NH DMV dealer license today.

$250 flat, soft pull only, bond often issued in the same sitting. Free until issued.

Start application

Your price$250

Apply now →