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"The dog ate my homework" may
have worked once for you in school, but telling
the Department of Motor Vehicles, or a US Customs
official "the dog ate my Title" probably
won't work!
Make no mistake, if you are contemplating
buying a car from America, with no Title, and
you intend to import it to your homeland, you
are, at the very least, in for a severe headache!
Imagine that the United States
is made up of many small countries like Europe,
each country (or State) has it's own set of rules
regarding the registration of a motor vehicle.
In some States it is quite acceptable to transfer
the ownership of a vehicle by a simple 'Bill
of Sale', whilst others will never give you a
license plate unless you can provide a 'clear
Title document'.
Generally speaking, in most States,
PRE 1967 cars with missing Titles, will be issued
with a 'Registration Certificate' by the DMV,
which for all intent and purposes becomes that
vehicle's Title. Providing the car you want to
buy, has at the very least, a 'Registration Certificate'
you should have no problems getting it out of
the country - but getting into yours however,
may be a whole different story!
CHECK WITH
YOUR LOCAL CUSTOMS & EXCISE TO SEE WHAT DOCUMENTS
YOUR COUNTRY REQUIRES, BEFORE YOU BUY!
The real fun begins with cars that
have been sitting in a barn for the past 30 years!
These would not have been registered, and therefore
would not be in the 'system' - which means that
if the original Title is unavailable - there's
NO paperwork! No paper work means no official
proof of ownership - and no proof of ownership,
means you won't get it out of the country, even
if it's in boxes!
The only answer for this type of
situation, is to have someone first 'create'
a paper trail in the States. This means that
someone who resides in America must first buy
the car from the seller, thus creating a 'Bill
of Sale', then they take that to the DMV and
register the car, thus creating a 'Registration
Certificate', they can then resell the car to
you complete with official paper work!
One final hurdle you may encounter
is this. Some States require the vehicle pass
a safety inspection before they'll issue you
with a Registration Certificate, - can you imagine
having to get a vehicle that's been sitting in
a barn for 30 years, in roadworthy condition
at short notice!
So, think long and hard about buying
a 'Barn Find' - but if you REALLY have to have
it, we can suggest two things:
- Use a company like Buyer Services
International - you are going to need all the
help you an get!
- If not, try contacting one
of these companies below to help you get a
'Title' created.
| Companies
that can Replace Lost Titles |
The Broadway
Title Company
P.O. Box 130303
Birmingham, AL 35213 USA
Tel: 205-323-3256
Fax: 205 326 1152
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International
Title Service
3342 S. Sandhill Road
Suite 9-445
Las Vegas, NV 89121 USA
Tel: 702 456 4027
Fax: 702 456 4040
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Florida Fast
Title
6718 N. Nebraska Ave
Tampa, FL 33604 USA
Tel: 813 237 5805
Fax: 813 237 5709
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Maine-ly Titles, Inc.
P.O. Box 1189
Bangor, ME 04402 USA
Tel: 877 886 8848
Fax: 207 989 5770
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