Tennessee Bonded Title

Check the value and age first. If the Department of Revenue-determined fair market value is $3,000 or less, or your vehicle is at least 30 years old (regardless of value), Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-3-103(e) lets you skip the bond entirely and file a Certification of Ownership instead — a sworn statement under penalty of perjury, not an insurance product. Only vehicles that fail both tests (worth more than $3,000 AND less than 30 years old) go through the surety bond process described on this page.

You don't set the value — the Department does, per Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-3-103(b). In practice, DOR's Special Investigations unit reviews the documentation you submit (purchase price, appraisal, or standard valuation guides) and sets a fair market value. Your bond is then priced at 1.5 times that DOR-set number, not your own estimate or what you think the car is worth. If you disagree with DOR's figure, you'll need to submit supporting documentation (a written dealer appraisal is the strongest evidence) before the approval letter goes out — arguing after the bond is already sized just slows you down.

Most rejections trace back to three things: an incomplete Surety Bond Application (Form RV-F1313201) missing a signature or notarization, a broken chain of ownership on the title assignment (every prior owner in the paper trail has to sign, not just the last one), or an unresolved third-party claim — commonly a towing company or garagekeeper lien nobody cleared first. Fix the specific defect DOR or the surety flags, resubmit, and the corrected packet moves at normal speed. Trying to route around a defect by filing at a different county clerk doesn't work — the underlying DOR approval has to be clean first.

Yes, for the full 3-year term. Under Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-3-103(b), the bond is conditioned to indemnify any prior owner, lienholder, subsequent purchaser, or person acquiring a security interest in the vehicle — and their successors — against loss from the issuance of your title or from an undisclosed security interest. The "BONDED" notation on your title tells everyone, including future buyers, that this claim window is still open. Once 3 years pass without a claim (or the vehicle leaves Tennessee registration, whichever comes first), the bond is returned and you can apply for a standard title.

VT-11 is DOR's guidance for the Certification of Ownership path (no bond, for vehicles at $3,000 or less or 30+ years old). VT-12 is DOR's guidance for the Surety Bond process — the path this page covers, for vehicles that don't qualify for VT-11. Both start with the same first move: mailing your documentation to DOR Special Investigations. DOR tells you which path your vehicle qualifies for based on the value and age criteria in § 55-3-103(e); you don't get to pick the cheaper option if your vehicle doesn't meet it.

Tennessee allows either. Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1320-08-09-.02 permits a bond executed by a corporate surety company licensed to transact business in Tennessee, or a personal bond backed by two solvent personal sureties. In practice, almost every applicant uses the corporate surety route — DOR still requires the attorney-in-fact to sign, stamp the bond with the company seal, and attach an original power of attorney, and a Tennessee resident agent must countersign if the attorney-in-fact isn't licensed in-state. Personal sureties mean finding two individuals willing to personally guarantee your bond amount for three years, which is a much harder ask than paying a one-time premium.

Yes, when a Tennessee vehicle has never been titled: the application may be accompanied by a notarized bill of sale plus a sworn statement certifying why it was never titled, under rule 1320-8-13-.01, filed with your county clerk. This isn't the route for a lost Tennessee title — ask the county clerk about replacing one. The bill of sale has to be notarized. If the prior state had no title law, Tennessee also asks for the next past bill of sale.

Source: Tennessee Rule 1320-08-13

Tennessee sets a defined checklist rather than rating it hard or easy. Under rule 1320-8-9-.02 you file a bond when you cannot otherwise satisfy the Department; the bond is 1.5 times the vehicle's value, stays in force three years, and uses the personal-surety form RS-51 or a corporate surety. The eligibility thresholds come from the Surety Bond Application (RV-F1313201): a Tennessee resident with a vehicle valued over $3,000 and under 30 years old. Lower-value or 30-plus-year-old vehicles use a different, no-bond certification route instead.

Sources: Tennessee Rule 1320-08-09 · Tennessee Department of Revenue: Surety Bond Application (RV-F1313201)

Premium rates aren't set by the state, so there is no official figure. You pay a premium that is a small percentage of the bond amount, not the full $10,000; the surety sets the final price, and any figure is an estimate. In Tennessee the required bond amount itself is set at 1.5 times the vehicle's value (rule 1320-8-9-.02). Eric can give you a free quote by phone or online, and he speaks Spanish if that is easier.

Source: Tennessee Rule 1320-08-09

Tennessee vehicle owners who cannot show a clean title and must post a bond to get one. It is required by Tennessee DOR, filed at the county clerk, under Tenn. Code Ann. § 55-3-103. The bond amount is 1.5x the DOR-assigned value, for a 3-year term. No bond if the value is $3,000 or less or the vehicle is 30+ years old.

Request a quote with the form on this page. A licensed agent submits your application to a Treasury-listed surety carrier; once the carrier issues your bond, file it as the requiring agency directs.

A licensed agent reviews your request and submits it to the carrier; most quotes come back within one business day. The carrier decides approval and the final premium.