PA Duplicate Title Online, by Mail, and Car Title Search

By Mohamed SkhiriUpdated November 10, 2026Checked against PennDOT's duplicate title page, form MV-38O, fee fact sheet and form DL-135

Is there a PA duplicate title online?

Not as a fully online transaction for owners. PennDOT's "Get a Duplicate Title" page tells owners whose lien is satisfied to complete form MV-38O, the Application for Duplicate Certificate of Title by Owner, and mail it to the address on the form with a check or money order payable to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The online part is the form itself, which you download from PennDOT's site. So the closest thing to a PA duplicate title online is downloading the form. Authorized PennDOT agents, such as tag and title services, also carry the MV-38O and can help you complete it.

The fee, and when it's free

PennDOT's July 2025 fact sheet on title and lien fees lists $72 for a duplicate title by owner. Don't send cash. Two timing rules matter:

• Lost in the mail: if a new title never arrived, there's no fee when you file within 90 days of the date it was issued.
• Wait 10 days: PennDOT can't issue a duplicate until 10 days after a title was processed or an electronic lien was released.

The PA Dept of Transportation duplicate title fee changes from time to time, so check the current fee schedule before writing the check.

Electronic liens

Pennsylvania runs an electronic lien and title program. If your lender holds the lien electronically, don't mail an MV-38O; the lienholder releases the lien electronically, and the title is handled from there. Once a paper title exists in your name with the lien satisfied, the MV-38O is the right form if it goes missing.

PA car title search and vehicle title lookup

For a PA vehicle title lookup, PennDOT uses form DL-135, Request for Vehicle Information. A title history costs $15 per title record, or $47 certified, payable to "Commonwealth of PA" and mailed to Vehicle Record Services in Harrisburg. A few rules shape what you get:

• Your own vehicle: complete sections A, C and D; no notary needed. For a title history of a vehicle you own or owned, complete section F and have the form notarized.
• Someone else's vehicle: you need the owner's signed release or a notarized statement of a permitted use under the federal Driver's Privacy Protection Act.
• Not by plate alone: PennDOT won't process a PA car title lookup based only on a tag number. Include the VIN or title number.
• Ten years back: vehicle record information is available for the past 10 years only.

Our Pennsylvania plate lookup guide covers the DL-135's privacy rules in more depth.

Selling with a replacement title

In Pennsylvania the seller and buyer complete the title transfer at an authorized agent, usually with a notary, so you'll need the duplicate in hand before the sale. Our Pennsylvania bill of sale page explains the paperwork that goes with it. If a buyer wants to check the car first, the DL-135 PA car title search is the official route.

Pennsylvania title FAQ