Minnesota Motor Vehicle Title Bond

What a Minnesota title bond does

When you hold a vehicle but cannot produce a properly assigned certificate of title, Minnesota will not issue a new title on your word alone. Under Minn. Stat. § 168A.07, subds. 1, 1a and 1b, the state accepts a surety bond in place of the missing proof of ownership. The bond, which Minnesota calls a bonded certificate of title, promises that anyone who later proves a better claim to the vehicle (a prior owner, a lienholder, a subsequent purchaser) will be paid their loss up to the bond amount. On the strength of that promise Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Driver and Vehicle Services issues a title in your name. It is a real title: you can register, insure, drive and sell the vehicle. The only difference is a brand on the face of the title that lapses when the bond term runs without a claim.

Three parties sign on. You are the principal. Minnesota Department of Public Safety and every potential claimant are the obligees. Surety One, Inc. is the surety that guarantees your claim. If the surety ever pays, it looks to you under the indemnity agreement in the application, which is why we ask for evidence of how you came to possess the vehicle before issuing.

How much bond do you need in Minnesota?

Minnesota fixes the penal sum at 1.5× vehicle value. We round up to the next $1,000 because sureties issue in whole thousands and the DMV never objects to a bond that exceeds the requirement.

At $20 per $1,000 that $13,000 bond carries a premium of $260.00, plus the $85 administrative fee, for a total of $345.00 covering the full 3-year term. Nothing renews and nothing is refunded; the premium is fully earned when the bond is executed.

Where the value comes from. The value of the vehicle as determined by Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS), which tells the applicant the amount after reviewing the application.

How to get a bonded title in Minnesota

1. Used when no title exists, the applicant lacks the current title, or a lien release or required signatures cannot be obtained.
2. The bonded title route under subd. 1a is for vehicles whose model year is more than 5 years before the application year, where the owner, prior owner or lienholder cannot be found after due diligence; it requires an affidavit (make, model year, VIN, possession and the due-diligence statement) plus the bond, taxes and fees.
3. DVS checks NMVTIS and the required documents depend on whether a record exists.
4. The title is branded BONDED.
5. Manufactured homes follow a separate process.

Once the bond is in hand, file it with the title application at Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Driver and Vehicle Services. The executed bond carries the surety's power of attorney, is signed and witnessed as the state requires, and matches the vehicle description on your application exactly. Any discrepancy between the bond and the application (a transposed VIN digit, a name that does not match your ID) is the most common reason a bonded title is rejected.

Minnesota title bond FAQ

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Written and reviewed by C. Constantin Poindexter, MA, JD, CPCU, AFSB, ASLI, ARe, AINS, AIS, CPLP, founder of Surety One, Inc. and CEO of Janus Assurance Re, with more than thirty years of surety and reinsurance underwriting experience. Author of The Contractor's Guide to Surety Bonds. Reflects state law and DMV practice as of November 5, 2026. More about the author →