Rhode Island Motor Vehicle Title Bond

What a Rhode Island title bond does

When you hold a vehicle but cannot produce a properly assigned certificate of title, Rhode Island will not issue a new title on your word alone. Under R.I. Gen. Laws § 31-3.1-9, the state accepts a surety bond in place of the missing proof of ownership. The bond, which Rhode Island calls a title bond, 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 Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles 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. Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles 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 Rhode Island?

Rhode Island 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 as determined by the Division of Motor Vehicles.

How to get a bonded title in Rhode Island

1. The DMV may register the vehicle and either withhold the title until documentation is produced or require a bond (a cash deposit or a Rhode Island-authorized surety).
2. The bond indemnifies prior owners, lienholders, subsequent purchasers and secured parties including attorney fees, with the surety's aggregate liability capped at the bond amount.
3. Rhode Island titles only model year 2001 and newer vehicles; 2000 and older vehicles receive a title law letter instead, so bonded titles apply only to 2001 and newer vehicles.

Once the bond is in hand, file it with the title application at Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles. 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.

Rhode Island 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 →