North Carolina Bonded Title: The Indemnity Bond Under G.S. 20-76

Two separate numbers. The bond amount is set by NCDMV: 1.5 times the Value Schedule figure, with a $100 minimum. The premium you pay for the bond is a separate charge the carrier sets individually, so a bond written for a given amount does not cost that amount. NCDMV also collects the title fee and highway use tax at titling; confirm current amounts with NCDMV. Request a quote through the form on this page for an estimate, or size the bond with the calculator.

Follow MVR-92A's order: (1) complete the MVR-92H affidavit before a notary and attach your evidence of ownership; (2) have the vehicle inspected by the SHP Investigative Services Unit (LT-270), bringing your MVR-92H and your MVR-1 title application (NCDMV requires both at the inspection); (3) get the NCDMV value; (4) buy and file the 1.5× bond on MVR-92D; (5) file the MVR-1 with the bond (MVR-92A requires it signed before a notary); (6) pay the title fee and highway use tax. MVR-92A is explicit: do not obtain the bond before completing steps 1–3. See the full steps above.

NCDMV does not publish a processing time for a bonded title in North Carolina, so confirm the current timeline with NCDMV. The bond comes only after you complete steps 1 through 3. Work the steps in order (SHP is the State Highway Patrol): step 1 the affidavit (MVR-92H, signed before a notary), step 2 the SHP inspection (bring the MVR-92H and your MVR-1), report LT-270, step 3 valuation, then obtain the bond. Do not obtain the bond before finishing steps 1 through 3. Any omissions or incomplete answers could delay or deny the title.

Sources: NCDMV Form MVR-92A · NCDMV Form MVR-92D

Getting a bonded title in North Carolina follows a fixed order set by NCDMV on the MVR-92A: the MVR-92H affidavit, a State Highway Patrol inspection (LT-270), and DMV valuation, then the Indemnity Bond for one and one-half times the vehicle's value, minimum $100. Do not obtain the bond before completing those first three steps. Note the Division can reject any bond, and bonds are not accepted on abandoned vehicles or mechanic's and storage liens.

Sources: NCDMV Form MVR-92A · NCDMV Form MVR-92H

You file the Indemnity Bond with the NCDMV Division under N.C.G.S. 20-76(b); North Carolina titles are processed at license plate agency offices, where the Value Schedule is also available. The surety bond itself comes from a Treasury-listed carrier; the agency shops that for you, then you file it with the Division once the MVR-92H affidavit, SHP inspection, and valuation are done.

Sources: N.C.G.S. 20-76 · NCDMV: Title and registration special cases · NCDMV Form MVR-92H

A North Carolina bonded title is an Indemnity Bond (MVR-92A/92D/92H) under N.C.G.S. 20-76(b) that lets you obtain a new certificate of title when you cannot otherwise satisfy DMV of your entitlement. The bond is one and one-half times the vehicle's value (minimum $100) and stays on file three years; anyone damaged by the title's issuance has a right of action against it.

Sources: N.C.G.S. 20-76 · NCDMV Form MVR-92A

The forms are MVR-92A (instructions), MVR-92H (the notarized affidavit), MVR-92D (the Indemnity Bond), and MVR-1 (the notarized title application), all through NCDMV. Read the MVR-92A instructions first; it sets the order. The MVR-92H and MVR-1 both need notarization, and the SHP inspection report (LT-270) comes from the State Highway Patrol.

Sources: NCDMV Form MVR-92A · NCDMV Form MVR-92H

File the title application with NCDMV; if the original is a North Carolina title, it must be notarized, and the title application is the MVR-1. The notarization catches people out, so get the signature notarized before you turn the paperwork in. For an out-of-state title, NCDMV recognizes that state's requirements, and a state not reporting to NMVTIS calls for extra documents.

Sources: NCDMV: Vehicle titles · NCDMV Form MVR-92H

NC's bonded title is an Indemnity Bond set at one and one-half times the vehicle's value from the Division Value Schedule, with a $100 minimum. The Division decides the value; for mobile homes and vehicles not in the Value Schedule, two appraisals from different North Carolina dealers are required. The bond then stays on file three years.

Sources: NCDMV Form MVR-92A · NCDMV: Title and registration special cases

Under N.C.G.S. 20-76, anyone damaged by the title's issuance has a right of action to recover on the Indemnity Bond for any breach of its conditions, though the surety's aggregate liability cannot exceed the bond amount. The bond stays on file three years. The bond is set at one and one-half times the vehicle's value, minimum $100. It protects prior owners and claimants, so clearing any question about who owns the vehicle up front matters.

Sources: N.C.G.S. 20-76 · NCDMV Form MVR-92A

When you cannot satisfy NCDMV of your entitlement to a title, North Carolina's route is a bonded title (Indemnity Bond) under G.S. 20-76(b). A bill of sale is one of the ownership documents you attach to the MVR-92H affidavit. The bonded-title process runs through the MVR-92A steps: affidavit, SHP inspection, valuation, then the bond. Bonds are not accepted on abandoned vehicles, mechanic's or storage liens, or vehicles not domiciled in NC.

Sources: N.C.G.S. 20-76 · NCDMV Form MVR-92A · NCDMV Form MVR-92H

If the original is a North Carolina title, NCDMV requires it to be notarized. The title page doesn't say whether both parties must be present for the transfer. Plan for notarization of the title, and ask the license plate agency about signing if a party cannot be there.

Source: NCDMV: Vehicle titles

NCDMV's title pages don't list a general processing time. For a duplicate title, NCDMV requires all requests to age 15 days before being processed. The 15-day period applies to duplicates. For a bonded (Indemnity Bond) title, no review time is listed, so ask NCDMV after you file.

Sources: NCDMV: Vehicle titles · NCDMV Form MVR-4

NCDMV's title pages are in English, and your browser's translation tool can render them in Spanish. For the bond request itself, you can work in Spanish directly. Eric speaks Spanish, so you can go through the whole thing with him in Spanish by phone.

Source: NCDMV: Title and registration fees

A vehicle's registered owner orders a copy using the Application for Duplicate Title (MVR-4), with the $25.50 fee shown on the form, after a 15-day waiting period. If the title was never received, the fee can be waived when the original is issued within 60 days of the request. On the 16th day, NCDMV can issue a title for pickup at the same license plate agency.

Sources: NCDMV: Vehicle titles · NCDMV Form MVR-4

The NCDMV lost-title form is the Application for Duplicate Title (MVR-4); the fee printed on the form is $25.50. A registered owner uses the MVR-4 when the original title is lost or was never received. Expect a 15-day waiting period before it is processed.

Sources: NCDMV: Vehicle titles · NCDMV Form MVR-4

NCDMV's duplicate-title instructions point to the Application for Duplicate Title (MVR-4), which must age 15 days before processing. The pages we checked don't list an online ordering route. At the 16th day, NCDMV can issue a title for the customer to pick up at the same license plate agency. The duplicate is issued subject to any liens recorded on the last title unless a release is submitted. Ask NCDMV whether an online option is open to you.

Sources: NCDMV: Vehicle titles · NCDMV Form MVR-4

Order a duplicate first, since you cannot transfer a title you do not hold; the registered owner files the Application for Duplicate Title (MVR-4) with NCDMV. Once the duplicate issues, the original becomes void. Work it in order: request the MVR-4 duplicate, let it age the mandatory 15-day waiting period, then handle the transfer with the duplicate in hand. The fee printed on the MVR-4 is $25.50.

Sources: NCDMV: Vehicle titles · NCDMV Form MVR-4

A registered owner orders a duplicate on the Application for Duplicate Title (MVR-4); the duplicate is issued subject to the liens recorded on the last title unless a lien release is submitted. The MVR-4 lien section has variants for liens as recorded, with assignment, and with removal of lien. There is a 15-day waiting period, and the original title becomes void once the duplicate issues.

Sources: NCDMV: Vehicle titles · NCDMV Form MVR-4

Not right away. A duplicate title application must age the mandatory 15-day waiting period; NCDMV can then have the title ready for pickup at the same license plate agency on the 16th day. Plan around the 15 days: the clock starts when NCDMV receives the request, and the earliest pickup is the day after it clears. The fee on the MVR-4 is $25.50.

Sources: NCDMV: Vehicle titles · NCDMV Form MVR-4

Yes, after you replace it. In North Carolina the registered owner can order a duplicate title (Application for Duplicate Title, MVR-4) when the original is lost, then transfer the vehicle. Order the MVR-4 first; the fee printed on the form is $25.50, and all requests must age 15 days before processing. Once the duplicate is in hand you can complete the transfer.

Sources: NCDMV: Vehicle titles · NCDMV Form MVR-4

Order a duplicate title (MVR-4) if you are the registered owner; if you bought the car and cannot satisfy DMV of entitlement, North Carolina allows a bonded title (Indemnity Bond, MVR-92A) under G.S. 20-76(b). NCDMV describes the duplicate as something the registered owner orders, so a buyer without the title usually takes the bonded-title route. For that route, the affidavit, inspection, and valuation come before the bond.

Sources: NCDMV: Vehicle titles · NCDMV Form MVR-4 · N.C.G.S. 20-76 · NCDMV Form MVR-92A

MVR-92A doesn't describe an online filing route, and the process includes an SHP inspection of the vehicle and two forms signed before a notary (MVR-92H and MVR-1), so confirm with NCDMV whether any part can be done online. You can request your bond quote through the form on this page, but that's the bond, not the NCDMV title application.

A bill of sale is one of the ownership documents NCDMV lists to attach to the MVR-92H affidavit, alongside a title, invoices, a conditional sales contract or out-of-state registrations. It supports your application, but it doesn't decide it: the Division keeps the right to reject any bond and refuse a title. Confirm with NCDMV what your situation needs.

Likely yes. MVR-92A's list of acceptable body-style codes includes MC (motorcycle), and the form sets out one procedure with no separate motorcycle rules. If your motorcycle isn't in NCDMV's Value Schedule, the bond is based on two NC-dealer appraisals instead. Confirm your specific vehicle with NCDMV. Mopeds differ: under G.S. 20-76(c), a moped owner without a certificate of origin registers with an affidavit, and the Division may not require a bond.

No. MVR-92A requires the vehicle to be free of all liens; if a lien cancellation can't be furnished, the bond isn't available. Clear the lien first; a new lien can be added after the bonded title issues.

Not the way a deposit works. Under G.S. 20-76(b), the bond is returned after it has been on file three years, or earlier if the vehicle is no longer registered in North Carolina and the current title is surrendered, unless NCDMV has been notified of a pending action on the bond. Only a cash deposit, if you used one instead of a surety bond, comes back as money. The premium you pay for a surety bond is a separate charge; ask about its terms when you request your quote.

The registered owner files an Application for Duplicate Title (MVR-4); the form shows a $25.50 fee (Rev. 04/26) — confirm the current amount with NCDMV. "All requests for duplicate titles must age 15 days before being processed," and NCDMV offers a title you order and pick up at the same license plate agency on the 16th day. The duplicate carries over any liens recorded on the last title unless a release is submitted, and the original title becomes void once the duplicate issues and must be returned to the Division.

For watercraft, NCDMV says "Boats, jet skis, etc. must be titled and registered with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, not NCDMV." The MVR-92D indemnity bond on this page is an NCDMV process, so confirm titling and any bond steps for a boat with the Wildlife Resources Commission.