Transfer Vehicle from One Immediate Family Member to Another
If you are registering a vehicle that was previously registered and titled to an immediate family member (mother, father, wife, husband, civil union partner, daughter, son, sister, brother), you must make an appointment at a DMV office and provide the following:
- Connecticut Certificate of Title showing assignment of ownership and indicating release of all liens (if any). A title is not required on vehicles with a model year over 20 years prior to the current year. In this case, a Supplemental Assignment of Ownership form (Form Q-1) can be used. You would be designated as the purchaser, and your immediate family member designated as the seller.
- Provide the old registration certificate (if available).
- Provide a current Connecticut Insurance Card, in your name, for the vehicle.
- Completed Application for Registration and Title (form H-13B). Download the form, fill out online, and print to bring with you. You would be designated as the purchaser, and your immediate family member designated as the seller.
- Identification is required to register a vehicle. Please see list of Acceptable Forms of Identification.
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A permission letter from the immediate family member is required to keep the same plates.
Emissions - If the vehicle was previously registered in Connecticut and is not in compliance with emissions testing, you may register it first, however you will need to have the vehicle Emissions tested within 30 days of the date of registration or you will accrue a late fee. You will not receive a notice for testing. To find out if the vehicle you are buying is in compliance, check the date online. Please have Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) ready.
If the vehicle was previously registered out of state, please see Purchase of a Used Vehicle Previously Registered Out of State for additional requirements.
Transferring 2, 3 or 4-Digit (Low Digit) Plates to Immediate Family: If you plan to transfer a low-digit plate at a DMV branch office, please make your appointment at a DMV office on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday.
Note:
The vehicle must have been registered in the previous immediate family members name for at least sixty days in order to qualify for the Sales Tax Exemption. Section 7 on the Application for Registration and Title (form H-13B) must be completed.
A vehicle exempt from sales tax by a family or business relationship cannot be registered if delinquent property tax is owed or if the registration is under suspension.
Important Notice on Passport to the Parks Fee
Connecticut offers all residents with Connecticut license plates on their vehicles free parking at all state parks and beaches. Connecticut wants to make state parks, forests, trails, historic sites and beaches more available to our residents so they can enjoy the many attractions and beauty they offer.
A $15 fee, which amounts to $5 per year, will be included in all two-year non-commercial vehicles with new registrations, renewals and plate transfers. These are passenger cars and vehicles with combination plates as well as motorcycles, campers/motor homes and vehicles with antique car plates.
In addition, seniors 65 years old and older with a one-year registration renewal will have only an additional $5 fee each year.
The program allows the State of Connecticut to give more to the public that has now invested in our park system: Increased lifeguards, improved park maintenance, shoulder season camping for opening day of fishing and into the fall foliage, and longer hours at our museums and nature centers. When people visit our state parks and other sites they visit local restaurants, shops and local farms. This program brings many economic benefits for our state.
For more information about Connecticut state parks, visit www.ct.gov/deep/stateparks