If you bought a vehicle from a car dealer or private party out of state and want to register it in Illinois, you must pay Illinois car sales tax and submit the original title for transfer to the Illinois Secretary of State.

If you buy a car out of state but want to register it in Illinois, you’ll need to pay Illinois sales tax and submit the necessary forms to the Secretary of State within seven days of purchase.
If you don’t have a physical title for the car, you’ll need to request one from the DMV in the state where it was purchased.
When buying a car out of state, there are several steps you’ll need to follow to ensure the process is completed legally, and all taxes are paid.

How to buy a car out of state as an Illinois resident

If you’ve just purchased a new vehicle in Indiana, Missouri, or another state, you can still register it in Illinois—but you’ll have to pay Illinois sales tax and submit a number of forms to the Secretary of State. It’s a fairly straightforward process, but it can’t be completed electronically.

The first form you’ll need is the Application for Vehicle Transaction(s), or VSD 190: Illinois’s

Electronic Registration and Title (ERT)

system is designed to help you fill out and print a VSD 190, but you’ll need to submit it to the Secretary of State within seven days, either in person at a local office or through the mail. Be sure to have your vehicle identification number (VIN), driver’s license, and other key vehicle and personal information ready when you fill out the form.

Along with the completed form, you should include:

Car title

(hard copy only)

Completed bill of sale signed by all owners as proof of purchase price

Proof of Illinois residency

Proof of insurance

Check or money order for $155

title transfer

fee

Check or money order for $151 registration fee

If you’re mailing your application, send it to:

Secretary of State

Vehicle Services Department

ERT Section, Rm. 424 (Rm. 629 for expedited titles)

501 S. Second St.

Springfield, IL. 62756

You’ll also need to bring

Form RUT-25

, or a Vehicle Use Tax Transaction Return: This tax form helps you calculate and pay the local sales tax due to the Illinois Secretary of State for your new car. Remember—when you buy a car out of state, you pay sales taxes to the state where you live, not the state where you made the purchase.

If you’re leasing a car from out of state, you’ll fill out

Form RUT-25-LSE

, and if you bought a new or used car from a private party, you’ll need

Form RUT-50

. You can find copies of these tax forms at your

local Secretary of State office

, and you should be able to fill out and submit them along with your VSD 190 form.

Once all of your documents are in, you’ll be issued an Illinois title and a set of

Illinois license plates

MORE:

Illinois car sales tax

How to buy a car in Illinois if you live out of state

You can buy a car in Illinois if you live outside of the state lines, but the process varies based on where you plan to register the vehicle. In most cases, though, you’ll need to:

Obtain a valid

bill of sale

for both new and used vehicle purchases (some states will require a notary stamp on the bill of sale)

Bring the bill of sale to your local Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) along with photo ID, proof of insurance, proof of residency, odometer disclosure, and any other documents required

Complete your

vehicle registration

in your state of residency

You may need to pay local sales tax, or the difference between the sales tax in Illinois and the state where you plan to register the car.

What to do if you don’t have a physical title

Illinois requires a paper copy of your out-of-state car’s certificate of title before you can register the vehicle. In some other states, an electronic vehicle title is the default—so if you purchase a car in one of those states and want to register it in Illinois, you’ll need to request a physical copy of the original title from the DMV!

This process gets more complicated if you’re financing the vehicle, as the title request will need to go through your lender as the lienholder. This can be a bit of a hassle, but you may be able to get

a temporary registration

and car insurance that allows you to drive the car home while the paperwork is being processed.

MORE:

Title transfer in Illinois

Tips for buying a vehicle out of state

Buying a car from a different state can be a smart move if it allows you to purchase a vehicle that isn’t available elsewhere, or if you’re able to take advantage of lower sales prices in another location. But the process comes with some complications, so keep these tips in mind:

Always get a vehicle history report on a used vehicle: This is especially important if you’re buying from a private owner.

CARFAX

and other services provide vehicle history reports that will alert you to any accidents or other issues in the car’s history.

Schedule your vehicle inspection at home: Your vehicle must meet the inspection requirements of the state you’ll live, drive, and register the vehicle in—not the state where you bought it. You can brush up on

Illinois’s car inspection requirements

here.

Don’t forget an emissions test: For some Illinois residents,

emissions testing

is a part of the process of buying a car!

Research your home state’s vehicle sales tax laws: When you buy a car out of state, you pay taxes based on your home state, not the state of purchase.

Buy car insurance before you leave the dealership: If you plan to drive the car back to your home state, don’t set out without

car insurance

! Even if your other paperwork is still in flux, you’ll need to carry insurance that meets

Illinois state minimum requirements

MORE:

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