Lost your Florida car title: how to replace it and then sell or transfer

You cannot sign over a title you do not have. The fix is a duplicate title: one form, your ID, and $75.25, or $85.25 to walk out with it the same day. Then the sale proceeds normally.

✓ Verified against FLHSMV & Florida DOR · 2026-09-06
HSMV 82101Duplicate title
$75.25Fee
$85.25Same-day (fast title)
Lender must releaseLien on record?

Step by step

  1. Check whether the title was electronic all along. Many Florida titles are held electronically (no paper ever printed). If so, nothing is lost: order a paper title ($2.50 mailed, $10 fast) or reassign it electronically at the tax collector with the buyer.
  2. If a paper title existed and is lost, fill HSMV 82101 (Application for Duplicate or Lost in Transit Title). All owners on the title must sign; if joined by "AND", both.
  3. Lien check. If a lienholder is still shown, the duplicate goes to the lienholder unless the lien has been satisfied; get the release first.
  4. Go to the tax collector with the 82101, your Florida driver license, and $75.25 (electronic) or $85.25 for a fast title printed while you wait. A mailed paper title is $77.75.
  5. Then transfer normally: complete the seller section on the new title, do the bill of sale (HSMV 82050), and the buyer applies within 30 days.
  6. If you are the buyer and the seller lost the title: do not pay in full until the seller has the duplicate. A bill of sale alone does not transfer a Florida-titled vehicle.

What to bring to the tax collector

What gets applications rejected

Official forms for this situation

HSMV 82101Application for Duplicate or Lost in Transit/Reassignment Title (HSMV 82101)
Official PDF ↗
HSMV 82050Notice of Sale and/or Bill of Sale for a Motor Vehicle, Mobile Home, Off-Highway Vehicle or Vessel (HSMV 82050)
Official PDF ↗
HSMV 82040Application for Certificate of Motor Vehicle Title (HSMV 82040 MV)
Official PDF ↗

Everything filled in, ready to sign

The kit for this exact situation: the right HSMV forms pre-filled with your details, the bill of sale ready to print, the counter checklist with the things that get applications rejected, and the fee total for your county.

Build my kit now — free preview

Answer five short steps; the official forms come back filled in.

Money-back guarantee if the tax collector rejects the paperwork because of an error in the kit. Verified 2026-09-06.

Fees in Florida (electronic title)

Fee schedule: FLHSMV FEES-01 Rev. 04/26 · source

Questions

How much is a duplicate car title in Florida?

$75.25 for an electronic duplicate, $77.75 with the paper title mailed, or $85.25 for a fast title printed the same day (FLHSMV fee schedule FEES-01, Rev. 04/26).

Can I sell a car in Florida without the title?

Not a Florida-titled vehicle. The seller's name must appear as owner on the face of the title (F.S. 319.22(3)). Get the duplicate first.

How long does a duplicate title take?

A fast title is printed while you wait at the tax collector ($10 extra). A mailed paper title takes longer; the electronic record is updated immediately.

Other Florida situations

Buying a car from a private sellerSelling your car to a private buyerReceiving or giving a car as a giftTransferring a car to a spouse, parent or childTransferring a car after the owner diedBringing a car from another state (new Florida resident)Car still has a loan (lien on the title)Seller has an electronic title (no paper)

Sources read on 2026-09-06: FLHSMV Schedule of Title and Lien Fees, Rev. 04/26; FLHSMV Procedure TL-11 Transfer of Florida Certificate of Title, Rev. 06/26; HSMV 82040 MV form; FLHSMV Buying from a Private Sale. Florida rules change; we re-check these pages against the official documents and update the date above.