Illinois Reference Card

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General Tips & Reminders

Verify ownership of license plates when performing a transfer of plates
Verify Lessor, Lienholder and Title Mailing details before submission
Paperwork submitted must contain corrections and signatures, when applicable
Verify that VIN on paperwork and vehicle sold is correct before submission
Verify any forms submitted e.g., Natural Disaster Disclosure, Affidavit of Repossession, Affidavit of Correction are filled out completely
Verify odometer readings on title reassignments are in ascending order

Timelines & penalties

Trade Allowance CAP

Effective January 1, 2020 maximum of $10,000.00 for 1st Division Motor Vehicles (most standard passenger vehicles)
PIckup Trucks are classified as a 2nd Division Motor Vehicle and are exempt from the cap

Plate Price Increase Effective January 1, 2020

Passenger and B-plates will now be $151
C-plates and heavier, Farm Trucks, Mileage Weight, Mileage Weight-Trailer, Flat Weight- Farm Trailer, Trailers will now have a $100 increase
Electric Vehicles will now be a 1 year registration for $251 per year

SOS Submission Timeline

All necessary paperwork must be processed within 20 days
All necessary paperwork must be received by SOS within 30 days

SOS Penalties

$20.00 — paperwork received 30 days but less than 60 days after date of sale
$35.00 — paperwork received 60 days but less than 90 days after date of sale
$65.00 — paperwork received 90 days but less than 120 days after date of sale
$100.00 — paperwork received 120 days or more after date of sale

IDOR Submission Timeline

All necessary paperwork submitted within 20 days

Odometer Disclosures

Required for autos and motorcycles twenty (20) model years old and newer, beginning with model year 2010
The same person cannot acknowledge/sign the odometer disclosure statement for both buyer and seller. For example, with leased vehicles, if an authorized employee of the dealership countersigns for the lessor, the same individual cannot countersign as an authorized agent for the dealership
Certification of mileage can be signed by a Secure Power of Attorney
Must be disclosed and acknowledged by both parties with hand-printed names and wet ink signatures of each individual

SOS Affirmation of Correction Form (VSD 393)

Most common statements and errors made during the registration process can be addressed using this form. These include:

Release of interest
Enter the name of the person who will retain ownership of the plates on line one. The person releasing the plates signs and dates the form as the seller while the person retaining the plates signs and dates the form as the buyer.
Statement of non-possession
If a customer purchase has been reversed for any reason and the title has been reassigned, enter the name of the new customer on line three. The customer who did not take possession of the vehicle must sign and date the buyer section.
Sale date correction
If the wrong sale date has been listed on any registration documentation, including the title, use line four to correct the sale date.
Statement of “one and the same”
If a customer has had a name change for any reason (e.g. due to marriage), use line six to indicate both the customer’s previous and new names.

Include all required documentation with bundles.

DO NOT STAPLE WORK — USE PAPERCLIPS OR RUBBER BANDS.

Vanity Plates, Personalized Plates and Electronic Processing

Please note that vanity and personalized registrations cannot be requested via an electronic service provider.

Vanity Plate (First Time Issuance New Plate Fees):

Up to 3 numbers only
1 to 7 letters only

$151.00

Initial Plate Fee

$94.00

Vanity Fee

$245.00

Total

$164.00

Annual Renewal Fee

Personalized Plate (First Time Issuance New Plate Fees):

Contains both letters and numbers
Must have a space between letter and number sequences
Cannot intermix letters and numbers

$151.00

Initial Plate Fee

$47.00

Personalization Fee

$245.00

Total

$164.00

Annual Renewal Fee

Out-of-state purchasers

All vehicle purchases must have a tax form filed with DOR. The following states also must have tax collected that is paid to DOR. Note, your purchaser may still owe tax to their home state beyond what is paid to Illinois. You should always provide the purchaser with a return showing proof of payments to Illinois.

AZ – Arizona

5.60%

CA – California

6.25%

FL – Florida

6.00%

HI – Hawaii

4.00%

IN – Indiana

6.25% (RVs and cargo trailers are exempt)

MA – Massachusetts

6.25%

MI – Michigan

6.00% (up to a maximum of $7000 for trade-in credit or value)

SC – South Carolina

5.00% (up to a maximum of $500)

(Last updated January 2018)

Signatures on documents

Individuals

Individuals should sign with their “usual” signature, which may include less, but not more than their printed name. If the customer is signing as DBA, the signature must be the individual’s and may or may not include the name of the business.

For example:

Scott Smith

Scott Smith DBA Scott Smith Copier Service

Companies

All signatures for business entities must include the name of the entity and an authorized representative’s countersignature. The entity name may be stamped or hand written. SOS does not require proof that the person countersigning is an authorized representative of the business.

For example:

Luxurious Things by Ms. Fields

Lessor/Lessee

SOS does not require a Lessor signature on title and registration documentation. The Lessee should sign his/her name with their usual signature. If there are two Lessees, both signatures are required on title and registration documentation.

Trusts

The signature for a trust must contain both the name of the trust and the countersignature of at least one trustee. If multiple trustees are listed on the registration application, all trustees must sign title and registration documentation.

For example:

Carl Jones Family Trust by Karen S. Jones Trustee

2020 Reference Card

General Tips & Reminders

Timelines & penalties

Trade Allowance CAP

Plate Price Increase Effective January 1, 2020

SOS Submission Timeline

SOS Penalties

IDOR Submission Timeline

Odometer Disclosures

SOS Affirmation of Correction Form (VSD 393)

Vanity Plates, Personalized Plates and Electronic Processing

Vanity Plate (First Time Issuance New Plate Fees):

Personalized Plate (First Time Issuance New Plate Fees):

Out-of-state purchasers

Types of permits

Temporary Registration Permits (TRP)

Drive-Away Permits

Frequently dialed SOS phone numbers

Signatures on documents

Individuals

Companies

Lessor/Lessee

Trusts

Learn More

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