Getting back titles of my Florida-registered cars after registering in RI | Ask the RI DMV

Chuck Hollis
·2 min read

Q: I recently registered two Florida vehicles in Rhode Island. My Florida titles were taken at that time. How do I get my titles back?

— Phyllis D.

A: Your out-of-state titles cannot be returned to you. When a vehicle is registered at the RI DMV with an out-of-state title, and is a model year 2001 and newer, the RI DMV will make a Rhode Island title.

If your vehicle is 2000 and older, and you present a title for proof of ownership, then we will scan the title and return it to you.

If there is no loan/lien on the vehicle, then the title will be mailed to the registered owner(s). This generally takes four weeks.

If there is a loan/lien on the vehicle, then the title will be mailed to the institution until the loan is paid off. At this time, the loan/lien institution should mail back to the owner(s) the title stamped that it is paid in full with a Lien Release Letter.

Notes on liens and lienholders:

  • Rhode Island does not require a person to apply for a new title once the lien has been satisfied. RI only requires the lien to be released by your lien holder signing off on the title and/or providing you with a letter of lien release to attach to the title.

  • You can only apply for a duplicate title if you are the owner listed on the original title. If you still have a lien on the vehicle, the lienholder can apply.

  • If your title has a lienholder listed on it but you've paid off the loan, you will need an original lien release from the lienholder and present it with your TR-2/TR-9 application.

Chuck Hollis
Chuck Hollis

Chuck Hollis is assistant administrator of the Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles. Please email your questions to cars@providencejournal.com with “Ask the DMV” in the subject field.http://www.dmv.ri.gov/

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Ask the RI DMV: How do I get my titles back?