What's The Difference Between A Title And The Registration?

Posted on: 25 October 2017

There are various legal papers that you have to have for your car. Those papers make it so that you can have a valid license plate, a valid insurance policy, and a few other things. You also need to have some of those papers so that you can sell your car, if and when you choose to do that. Two of the legal papers you have to have are your title and registration. What is the difference between the two?

Title

When you buy your car, the current owner signs the title over to you. The title is legal proof that you own the car. After you have purchased the car, you need to submit the title to your state's motor vehicles department. You will then get a title back that has your name as the owner. When you sell the car, then you transfer the title over to the new owner the exact same way. You will need to show your title when you register your car and you may also need to show it when you get your car insurance. Generally, you don't keep the title in your car because if your car were to be stolen, someone would be able to sign it as you and say that you sold it to them. 

Registration

You get your registration the first time you go to get your license plates. It shows what kind of car you have, its VIN, the mileage when you originally registered it, and so forth. You have to prove that you have valid insurance for your car, so you will need to take either insurance papers showing the start date of your insurance or your insurance card. Your registration is something that you will have to renew every year. Your state may allow you to do that online. Instead of getting a new license plate every year, your state will likely just give you new stickers to put on your license plate showing that your registration is current. This paperwork is something that you keep in your car, along with your valid car insurance information. If you were to get pulled over, you would need to show your license, registration, and insurance papers to the police officer. 

You need to make sure that you have the appropriate paperwork for your car, otherwise, you can end up having some trouble later on. Your registration and title are two of those pieces of paperwork. Contact a company like R L Jones Insurance Services Inc for more information and assistance. 

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