What Is a Title Number for a Car, and Where Do You Find It?

What is a vehicle title number?

What's a title number, in plain terms? When a state issues a certificate of title, it gives that certificate a number, the same way a bank numbers each check. That number lets the agency find the exact document in its records and tell one title for the same car from the next. It's sometimes called the title ID, the document number or the certificate number.

The important point is that it belongs to the document, not the vehicle. Your car has one VIN for life, but it can have many title numbers: a new one each time it's sold and retitled, each time a duplicate is issued, and in some states each time a loan is paid off and a clear title is printed. So the title number on an old photocopy may no longer be the current one.

Where is the title number on a title?

Look at the front of the title, near the top. Most states print it in a labeled box, such as "title number," "title no." or "document number," often close to the VIN and the vehicle description. Some titles carry more than one similar number. Ohio's paper titles, for example, have both a title number and a control number, and a form will usually say which one it wants.

If you're looking at a number and aren't sure it's the right one, check its length and position against the VIN. The VIN is always 17 characters on any car from the 1981 model year on and appears in the vehicle section; the title number sits apart from it and is usually a different length. We don't show images of real titles, because a clear copy of one is exactly what title fraud starts with, but your state agency's site often describes its title layout.

Title number vs VIN vs plate vs registration number

When a form asks for "the number on your title," it almost always means the title number. When it asks for the vehicle identification number, it means the VIN, which also appears on the title but in a different box. Our VIN location guide shows where the VIN is on the car itself.

Where to find my car title number without the title

The title is often exactly the thing you don't have, because you need the number to replace it. Fortunately, several states let you look it up:

• Ohio online title inquiry: the BMV's title search lets you search by VIN, title number, hull number or manufactured home number. A VIN search lists the Ohio title numbers for that vehicle and their status, and the BMV itself suggests using it to find a title number before applying for a duplicate. It only covers Ohio-issued titles.
• North Carolina: log in to NCDMV's MyDMV portal, which shows your vehicle's registration details including the title number.
• Idaho title status: the Idaho DMV's free online title status check takes a VIN and shows whether a title has been issued or is in progress, the issue date, and whether a lienholder is recorded, without showing personal information.
• Wisconsin: WisDOT's online title search shows the date it last processed a title when the VIN and an owner identifier match.
• Georgia and Arizona: both offer online title status checks; Georgia's through the Department of Revenue, Arizona's on AZ MVD Now under Title.

If your state has no lookup, call or visit the agency with your ID and the VIN; as the owner, you're entitled to your own record. If the car is financed, the lender holds the title and can read you the number.

How to find the title number without registration

You don't need the registration card for most lookups; the VIN is the key. You can read the VIN from the windshield plate, the driver's door label or your insurance card, then use it in your state's title search or give it to the agency. In states without an online search, the agency can still find your title by VIN once you've shown who you are.

How do I get my car title number if the title is lost?

Start with the duplicate title application itself. Many state forms let you leave the title number blank if you provide the VIN, plate number and your ID, and the agency fills in the rest from its records. Where a number is required, use one of the lookups above. Our guide to how to replace a lost car title lists the form and fee for 24 states.

When the title number changes

• After a sale: the buyer's new title gets a new number.
• After a duplicate: the replacement has its own number, and the old title stops being valid.
• After a loan payoff: some states print a clear title with a new number. North Carolina says a new title number is issued after a loan is paid off, so when two numbers conflict, use the newer one.
• After moving states: your new state issues its own title with its own numbering.

That's why it's worth writing the current title number in a safe place, such as a password manager or with your other important papers, each time a new title arrives.

Electronic titles still have numbers

More and more titles exist only as electronic records, especially while a loan is open. Arizona keeps most titles electronically unless the owner asks for paper, Pennsylvania runs an electronic lien and title program, and Wisconsin sends liened titles to the lender. An electronic title still has a title number in the state's system; you just can't read it off a piece of paper. Use the state's online lookup, your account with the agency or your lender to find it, and when the loan is paid, the paper title that's printed will carry its own number.

Keep the title number safe

A title number isn't secret the way a password is, but together with the VIN and your name it's part of what someone needs to impersonate you on a title application. Don't post photos of your title online, even when selling a car, and black out the number if a buyer asks for a picture before meeting. If someone you don't know calls asking for your title number "to process a transfer," hang up and call the agency on its published number instead. Legitimate agencies already have your title on file.

Title status: what the results mean

Online title searches usually show one of a few statuses, and some also list brands such as salvage or rebuilt; see what is a clean car title for what those mean. "Issued" or "active" means a title exists and is current. "In progress" or "pending" means an application has been received but the title hasn't printed yet, which is normal for a few days to a few weeks after a sale. A lien notation means a lender is still recorded; if you've paid the loan off, ask the lender to release it, and in Ohio check whether the lien's cancel date is filled in. An old title number showing as "surrendered" or "cancelled" just means a newer title replaced it.

Need an official record instead?

If you need proof of a title's history for court, an estate or an insurance claim, a lookup screen isn't enough; request a certified title record. Ohio, for example, sells a certified record through the county Clerk of Courts on form BMV 1174 for $5 per record. Other states have similar requests, and personal details on them are protected by federal privacy law.

Title number FAQ