🚗 Fax a Car Title Lien Release Online

Fax your lien release papers, $2.99

Who Releases the Lien

When you pay off a car loan, the lender, also called the lienholder, is the one who must release the lien. How that happens depends on how your state keeps titles. In an electronic lien state, the lender sends the release to the DMV electronically and there is usually nothing for you to do except wait for the new title. In a paper title state, the lender signs the release section of the title or writes a lien release letter, and you then take the papers to the titling office or mail them.

Several states set a deadline for the lender. In Virginia, the lender has 10 days to notify you and must send you the title showing the lien as satisfied, and the DMV asks you to call if you do not receive your title within seven business days of paying off the loan. In Texas, the lienholder has 10 days after receiving payment to release the lien. New York law requires release immediately upon clearance of payment, and the state's Department of Financial Services has told the institutions it regulates to release liens no later than three business days after the payment clears.

Can You Fax a Title or Release to the DMV?

In most states, no. The DMV pages for Virginia, Texas, California, Nevada and Connecticut list no fax for a title or a lien release. When a paper title exists, the DMV needs the signed title itself, delivered in person or by mail.

In Virginia, the lender signs the title release and you take it to a DMV customer service center for a substitute title, which costs $15. In Texas, you bring the title, the release of lien letter and Form 130-U to your county tax office, and the title fee is $28 or $33 depending on the county. In California, the legal owner signs line 2 of the title, or, for vehicles three model years and older, a notarized REG 166 may be used instead, and you submit it with the transfer fee to the DMV. In Nevada, loans made after July 1, 2017 are electronic and the DMV mails a clear title. For older loans the lender signs the title, and if there is no title the lienholder notarizes a Lien Release (VP 186), which you send with a duplicate title application (VP 012) in person or by registered or certified mail to Nevada DMV, Title Processing, 555 Wright Way, Carson City, NV 89711.

Indiana is the exception found. The BMV accepts the release on the title or a lienholder letter on letterhead showing the owner's name, the release date, the year, make and VIN, and the signer's name and title, and it says that a copied, emailed or faxed lien release letter may be accepted. In Connecticut, the release letter must be on the lender's letterhead with the owner's name, year, make, VIN and a statement that the loan is paid in full, and it must be signed.

Fax your lien release papers, $2.99

Faxing Your Request to the Lender

The most common use of fax here is to ask the lender for the release, or to follow up on a late one. Use the fax number printed on your payoff letter, your final statement or the lender's own website, and confirm it with the lender's title or lien department if you can. Send a short signed letter asking for the lien release, with proof of your final payment, and say where the title or release letter should be mailed.

If you live in Indiana, you can also ask the lender to fax the release letter to you, so you can take it to the BMV sooner. For payoff letters, 10-day letters and other paperwork that goes to an auto lender, see faxing your auto loan company.

Entering the Lender Fax Number

Select United States as the country, then type all 10 digits of the lender fax number, with no leading 1, no spaces and no dashes. The +1 is added for you, and if you type a 1 at the start, the box removes it. A number written as (800) XXX-XXXX is entered as 800XXXXXXX.

The pay button turns on only when all 10 digits are in, so a missing digit is caught before you pay. If the number is in Canada, select Canada and enter it the same way. For more help with the number box, see how to fax to a US number online.

Fax your lien release papers, $2.99

What to Put on Each Page

Start with a cover page addressed to the lender's lien release or title department. Put your full name as it appears on the loan, your loan account number, the vehicle's year, make and VIN, the date you made the final payment, your phone and email, and the address where the title should go. Add the page count, such as "3 pages including this one."

Write your name, account number and VIN at the top of every page, and number the pages. Then add your signed request letter and the proof of payment, such as the final statement or a bank record showing the payoff. Scan to PDF so the VIN and account number are sharp.

When the Lender Is Late or No Longer in Business

If the lender misses its deadline, contact it in writing and keep your confirmation email. In Virginia, call the DMV if your title has not arrived within seven business days of payoff.

When the lender no longer exists, each state has its own route. Virginia accepts a letter from the State Corporation Commission or the Motor Vehicle Dealer Board, with proof of payment, a notarized statement and the certified mail that was returned to you. Indiana requires a court order directing the BMV to release the lien. In Connecticut, if the loan is more than ten years old and no release can be obtained, section 2 of Form H-6B can be used, or the Form H-115 Motor Vehicle Ownership Affidavit can be used in place of the release.

Fax your lien release papers, $2.99

Cost and Your Record

A cover page, a signed request letter and two pages of payoff proof is 4 pages, which costs $2.99 + $0.99 = $3.98.

There is no account to create, and nothing is printed on your document, so it arrives exactly as you uploaded it. Delivery usually takes a few minutes. If the fax cannot be delivered, the full amount goes back to your card automatically, and you can check the number and send again. When the fax goes through, you get a confirmation email that shows the destination number, the page count and the time it was sent, in US Eastern Time. Keep that email, because it is your record of exactly when it was sent and to which number.

OverseasFax only sends faxes. If the lender may fax something back to you, our sister service GetAFax.com gives you a private US fax number for 24 hours for $5, for up to 30 pages, and each fax arrives in your email as a PDF.

For a car that belonged to someone who has died, see faxing estate documents, and for other topics, the US fax guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

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