Lost Indiana title: getting a duplicate before you sell

Apply to the Indiana BMV for a duplicate certificate of title. It costs $15, you need an unexpired photo ID, and the moment the duplicate is issued, the lost original stops counting.¹² You can do it without leaving the house if you have a myBMV account.

That’s the whole answer for most people. The rest of this page covers the ways to apply, the two things a duplicate can’t do, and what to do when the car isn’t titled to you.

How do I replace a lost car title in Indiana?

The owner applies to the Indiana BMV for a duplicate title. It is available when the original is lost, stolen, mutilated, destroyed or unreadable. The fee is $15, or $40 with the speed title option, and you need an unexpired photo ID. Once the duplicate is issued, the original title is void.

1. Find your VIN and have your photo ID ready.
2. Apply online through myBMV, at a branch or kiosk, at a partial service provider, or by mail.
3. Pay the $15 fee and keep the duplicate somewhere you’ll find it.

Five ways to apply

The BMV lists these on its duplicate-title page:¹

• Online through a myBMV account.
• At any BMV branch, with photo ID.
• At any BMV Connect kiosk, by scanning your ID.
• At a partial service provider (PSP).
• By mail, sending the Application for Certificate of Title for a Vehicle (State Form 205) to the BMV in Indianapolis.

Check in.gov/bmv for current branch locations and hours before you drive over.

On ID, the BMV is fairly flexible: its examples include a driver’s license, a state ID, a passport, a military ID and even a work ID or bank card, as long as it has your photo and isn’t expired.¹

What a duplicate can’t do

Two limits catch sellers out.

It can’t change owners or liens. The BMV says plainly that a duplicate title transaction “cannot change any information (owners or liens).” If a paid-off loan still shows on the title, you need an amendment to remove the lien, not a duplicate.¹ Our guide to selling a car that still has a lien explains how the lender’s release works.

It doesn’t exist for electronic titles. If your title is held electronically, the BMV can’t process a duplicate on it.¹

If the car isn’t in your name

Indiana Code 9-17-3-2 gives the application to “the person that owns the vehicle,” or that person’s “legal representative or legal successor in interest,” as shown by the BMV’s records.² So if the title shows someone else, such as the person who sold you the car and never signed it over, you can’t file a duplicate as if it were yours.

What’s left:

• Get the owner of record to apply, then sign the duplicate over to you.
• A court order. When none of the BMV’s title processes can establish ownership, the BMV’s own guidance is to go to court.³
• For scrap only: the BMV’s certificate of authority, which an owner with a lost title can use to sell the car to a salvage recycler without a new title.⁴ Our guide on whether you can junk a car without a title in Indiana covers who qualifies.

Duplicate title or certificate of authority?

If you only want the car gone for scrap, you have a choice.

	Duplicate title	Certificate of authority
Fee	$15	$4
Who applies	The owner	The owner, or a salvage recycler on your behalf
What it’s good for	Any sale, any buyer	Selling to a salvage recycler for scrap
Lien on the car	Stays on the title	Needs a lien release first

Sources: BMV duplicate-title page, BMV certificate of authority packet, IC 9-22-5-3.¹⁴⁵

A duplicate costs more and keeps every option open. The certificate is cheaper and does one job.

Selling to us while you wait on the paperwork

You don’t have to have the duplicate in hand to ask what your car is worth. No title yet? We can still help while you sort it out. Whether you take the $15 duplicate route above or apply for the $4 certificate of authority with your registration as proof, tell us which papers you have now and we’ll confirm on the call which route fits your car. For anything under 15 model years old, one of those two documents is a legal requirement. Get an offer when you’re ready; towing is free.

If you’d rather talk to a Hammond junk car buyer before deciding which route to take, start from the front page.

Footnotes

1. Indiana BMV, Duplicate Title Application: fee, ID, ways to apply, void original, no changes to owners or liens, no duplicates on electronic titles. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶

2. Indiana Code 9-17-3-2, duplicate certificate of title, including the $15 fee for duplicates issued after December 31, 2016. Text read on FindLaw, current as of January 1, 2026. ↩ ↩²

3. Indiana BMV, Special Titling Circumstances, court order titles. ↩

4. Indiana BMV, Certificate of Authority application checklist (PDF). ↩ ↩²

5. Indiana Code 9-22-5-3, certificate of authority fee. FindLaw, current as of January 1, 2026. ↩

Questions

Can I file for a lost title if the car isn't in my name?

Indiana Code gives the duplicate application to the owner shown in BMV records, or that owner's legal representative or legal successor in interest. If you can't establish ownership through any BMV title process, the BMV says the route is a court order.

How fast can you get a duplicate title in Indiana?

The BMV offers a speed title for an extra $25 on top of the $15 fee. Its duplicate-title page doesn't give a standard turnaround, so ask when you apply.

Can I sell a car in Indiana without a title?

For scrap, yes, with a certificate of authority from the BMV in place of the title. For any other sale, get the duplicate first.

What happens to my old title once the duplicate is issued?

It becomes void. If the original turns up later, the BMV says to destroy it so nobody can use it.