Tennessee Certificate of Title Bond

Certificating a motor vehicle with a defective title or without a title may be accomplished with an Tennesse title bond. Tennessee Code 55-3-103 states, "an owner of a motor vehicle subject to registration under state law, for which no certificate of title has ever been issued by the department, shall make application to the county clerk of the county where the vehicle is to be registered, or directly to the registrar of motor vehicles.

Pursuant to section (b), "If the Department of Motor Vehicles is not satisfied as to the ownership of the vehicle or that there are no hidden security interests in the same, the Department may register the vehicle conditioned upon the applicant filing a Tennessee title bond. The surety bond must be issued by an insurer licensed to conduct business in the state and in the penal sum (amount) equal to one and one half (1½) times the value of the vehicle, as determined by the Department. Any person prejudiced by issue of a certificate of title may recover on the title bond for any breach of its conditions. The bond must be valid for a period of three (3) years and is returned to the surety at expiration. Application materials may be sent or inquiries made to:

Tennessee Vehicle Services Division
44 Vantage Way, Suite 160
Nashville, TN 37243-8050

As part of the certificate of title bond underwriting process we must request some evidence that the applicant legally possesses the motor vehicle. Examples of "ownership evidence" can be a bill of sale, power of attorney, receipt, canceled check or money order, temporary registration/maker, affidavit of legal possession or endorsed copy of at title. Need a bill of sale format? See "What We Need From You" on this page for a template.

Tennessee surety bond leader, Surety One, Inc. is a specialist in the bonding needs of motor vehicle dealers and private parties with a title defect. We offer same-day issue of vehicle title bonds. Questions about this or another surety bond? Call us at (800) 373-2804, email us at Underwriting@SuretyOne.com or click here for live chat about your Tennessee certificate of title bond requirement.

Surety bond application review and quoting are free of charge. There is no obligation to purchase.

What We Need From You