Used vehicle checks in Washington

Washington checks and guidance

1. Official title and transfer guidance

   Official guidance

   Washington motor-vehicle title or transfer process, subject to the authority’s eligibility rules.

   Authority

   Washington State Department of Licensing

   Required inputs

   Vehicle and transaction documents required by the authority

   Cost

   Confirm current fee with authority.

   Access

   Official government guidance; the authority may require an office, county office, or authorized agent transaction.

   Languages

   Confirm available languages with authority.

   Limit: Guidance only. This is not a public VIN-query service and does not return title, lien, or vehicle-history results.

   Continue to Washington State Department of Licensing

Transfer and seller documents

Washington DOL publishes transfer-ownership guidance. Confirm the applicable process and documents before transfer.

• Ask which original title, lien-release, bill-of-sale, odometer, and seller documents apply.
• Confirm whether a safety inspection or emissions test applies to this vehicle and location.
• Confirm current title, registration, tax, and local fees before the transaction.

Confirm current forms, fees, deadlines, and eligibility with Washington State Department of Licensing before a sale or transfer.

National checks

• Exact-VIN recall status

  Check this exact VIN for unrepaired safety recalls on the official NHTSA site.

  Continue to NHTSA

• Theft and salvage records from participating insurers

  NICB describes the limits and participating data sources on its own site.

  Continue to NICB VINCheck

• Approved vehicle-history providers

  Choose a provider from the official directory. Factory VIN does not receive provider results.

  Continue to U.S. Department of Justice NMVTIS directory