VT motor vehicle dealer bonds.
Flat 3%. Soft pull.
Vermont requires every motor vehicle dealer to file a surety bond with the Department of Motor Vehicles before registering as a dealer, under 23 V.S.A. § 453(g). The amount runs $20,000 to $35,000 based on your prior-year sales — we issue it at a flat 3% with one soft credit pull.
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Three steps to registered.
Your dealer registration is waiting on this bond. Here's the entire process — no broker phone tag:
Apply once, online
Business details, owner information, the bond amount the DMV set, and an effective date. That is the application — the only extra step is a one-time consent to a soft credit pull.
Reviewed & approved
Most of these clear quickly; if underwriting needs anything, you hear from an underwriter within 48 hours. The credit check is a soft pull that never affects your score.
E-sign & file with the DMV
Pay online and receive the executed bond ready to file with your dealer registration. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the state insists.
The whole pricing page.
Bond amount × 3% = your premium, one-time per term, $275 minimum. Enter the figure the DMV set and the premium updates.
What it is and who needs it.
What the bond actually guarantees
Vermont licenses motor vehicle dealers through the Department of Motor Vehicles, and conditions dealer registration on a surety bond under 23 V.S.A. § 453(g). The bond is a State-and-buyer protection guarantee: it stands behind the registration fees and sales taxes you collect on the vehicles you sell.
It's a three-party arrangement: you (the principal), the surety carrier standing behind you, and the State of Vermont together with vehicle purchasers (the protected parties). If a dealer fails to remit registration fees collected under Title 23 or sales tax collected under 32 V.S.A. chapter 219, the State or a harmed buyer can recover against the bond — the surety's liability is limited to the fees or tax collected and not remitted.
The amount is set by the Commissioner from your prior-year unit sales, generally $20,000 for lower-volume dealers up to $35,000, and can be written as a two-year or continuous bond. It is not insurance for you — if the surety pays a claim, you repay the surety.
You need this bond if you're
Five minutes. The whole thing.
These are the actual underwriting fields, including a one-time consent to a soft credit pull. Submit once and your bond is typically issued within 1–2 business days.
Start the application →Common questions.
If yours isn't here, the bond team can usually answer within the hour.
How much is the Vermont motor vehicle dealer bond? +
What bond amount do I need? +
What does the bond guarantee? +
Is there a credit check? +
When does it renew? +
Other New York bonds.
The DMV is waiting on one document.
Flat 3%, five-minute application, e-signed bond in 1–2 business days. Free until issued.