The Dealer - Some Massachusetts dealerships are on the "Drive Program". They are allowed to fax the necessary paperwork to us to be stamped and certified, we fax it back to them, and they issue your plates and registration right from the dealership. Please remember we need your permission before we can do anything, so please call us.

Page Insurance - If dealership is not in MA, is not on the Drive Program, or you are buying the vehicle from a private person, you will need to bring the paperwork into our office to be stamped and certified before it goes to the Registry.

If you are going to have a loan on the vehicle, the bank will require proof of insurance before they issue you the check to pay for the car. This is called a Binder. You need to call us with the year, make, model, and VIN number of the vehicle so that we can issue the binder. We will also need the name and address of the bank you are using.

Once the bank gets the binder, they will give you the check to purchase the car. You give the seller the check and they give you the Title to the car. You also need a Bill of Sale, unless the Title has a space on the back to write down the sale price of the car.

We will need the Title to the new vehicle, and the bill of sale if applicable. If the vehicle is new, we need the window sticker. We also need the registration of your prior vehicle if you are transferring the plates from that vehicle. After we check the paperwork and stamp and certify it, you can bring the paperwork to the Registry yourself, or our runner can take it for you for a $12 fee.

You can transfer your plates from one vehicle to another if the new vehicle is going to be registered in exactly the same way as the prior one.

For Example:
If Mr. and Mrs. Smith owns the old car and they trade it in for a new car, they can do a transfer the plates if the new car is titled and registered as Mr. and Mrs. Smith. If the new car is bought in just Mrs. Smith's name, the plates can not be transferred, as the names are not exactly the same. They would have to turn in the plates registered to both of them, and get new plates and registration in just the wife's name.

You have 7 days from the day you relinquish ownership of the old car, to put the plates on the new car before the paperwork must be processed at the Registry of Motor Vehicles.

If you still own the old car, you can NOT put the plates onto the new car until the paperwork is processed at the Registry of Motor Vehicles.

(Remember: if you are going to sell the old vehicle yourself, you may want to get new plates on the new car so that people can "test drive" the old vehicle. Once you sell the old vehicle, you would then turn those plates in to the Registry.)

*Once your vehicle is registered, you have 7 days to get a Massachusetts Safety Inspection Sticker*

Your sales tax will be 6.25% of the purchase price of the car, if you buy it from a dealership that is licensed in the state of Massachusetts.

If the dealership is not licensed, or you purchased the vehicle by private sale, the sales tax will be 5% of book value or 5% of the purchase price - which ever is higher.

For more information about registering vehicles in Massachusetts, please visit the Registry of Motor Vehicles Web Site at www.massrmv.com
Frequently Asked Homeowners Insurance Related Questions

Your policy will pay for any damages, less the deductible.