Wisconsin Form MV1 — Application for Title/Registration

About MV1

Official name: Wisconsin Form MV1 — Application for Title/Registration

Issued by: Wisconsin Department of Transportation — Division of Motor Vehicles

Purpose: MV1 is Wisconsin's title/registration application. A bill of sale (optional) documents the sale price for the 5%+county tax and the odometer.

When required: If the vehicle will be operated, WisDOT says the buyer should title and register within two business days after purchase (Wis. Stat. §341.04(1)(bm)2). File via eMV Public online or at a DMV service center. Title fee $214.50.

What MV1 is

MV1 (10/2025) is the Wisconsin Title & License Plate Application from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. You complete Sections A through F as they apply, and include the original certificate of title (not a copy) for a used vehicle.

You may be able to apply online through eMV Public instead. A replacement title uses a different form, MV2119. WisDOT's electronic record is the official title record.

The sections, in order

• A, owners: the names for the new title. "And" between names means every owner must sign to sell later; "Or" means one owner can. Individuals give a Social Security number or a Wisconsin driver license number; businesses give an FEIN.
• B, vehicle: VIN, the plate you are transferring or a temporary plate number, year, make, type, color, the date you first drove it in Wisconsin, and where it is kept. Plates can move only between spouses or domestic partners, not other relatives.
• Brands: check salvage, flood-damaged or hail-damaged if they apply. Salvage and hail brands cover vehicles under 7 years old whose repairs would cost more than 70% of fair market value.
• C, non-operation: dates the vehicle was not driven, if any.
• D, loans: a new lien. A title with a lien goes to the lender; you receive a Confirmation of Ownership until the loan is paid.
• E and F: fees and the plate type. The owners in Section A sign; for an owner under 18, a parent or guardian completes Section H.

Fees and tax (Section E)

• Title fee: $214.50 when the owner changes or the vehicle is titled in Wisconsin for the first time.
• Tax: 5% state sales tax on the purchase price minus any trade-in, plus local sales tax. The form warns that understating the purchase price is a crime.
• Plates: $85 for a passenger vehicle; $100 or $116.60 for a light truck, by weight; plus a $12 plate issuance fee ($6 per plate).
• Other fees that may apply: $10 for each loan, an electric or hybrid surcharge, a local wheel tax, a $3 temporary plate at an agent, and a $5 counter fee if you apply in person at WisDOT.

Getting on the road

• To drive a car, light truck or autocycle legally, you must display plates within two business days of purchase.
• A title-only application does not let you drive the vehicle on Wisconsin roads.
• No plate to transfer? A DMV service center or authorized agent can issue a temporary plate valid for 90 days ($3, and the agent may add a service fee).
• By mail: send the original title, the MV1 and a check payable to "Registration Fee Trust" to WI Dept. of Transportation, P.O. Box 7949, Madison WI 53707-7949.

What to Include in a Wisconsin Bill of Sale

A complete bill of sale usually includes:

• Seller name, address
• Buyer name, address
• Year, make, model
• VIN
• Odometer
• Sale price
• Date of sale
• Both signatures