Replacing a lost Illinois title before you junk the car

A lost title is a common snag in a junk car sale, and in Illinois it’s usually fixable for $50 and a form. Before you spend the money, though, call the buyer: you may already have papers that work. If you don’t, here’s how the duplicate process goes.

Step by step

1. Confirm the title is really gone. The Secretary of State issues a duplicate only when the original is lost, stolen or mutilated.
2. Get form VSD 190, the Application for Vehicle Transaction(s), and check the box for Duplicate Title in the top section.
3. Pay the $50 fee. The Secretary of State lists it as the fee for a duplicate or corrected title.
4. Send or take it in. The mailing address is the Office of the Secretary of State, Vehicle Records Processing Division, 501 S. 2nd St., Room 424, Springfield, IL 62756-6666; any SOS facility also takes it.
5. Watch the timing limits. A duplicate isn’t issued within 15 days of the original title, or within 30 days of a previous duplicate.

Source: the Secretary of State’s duplicate titles page and basic fees list. If those pages don’t load for you, the SOS can confirm current fees by phone or at a facility.

If there was ever a loan on the car

This is where delays often start. While a lien is on the record, the Secretary of State mails the title to the lienholder, not to you. To get a duplicate without the lender on it, the SOS asks for one of:

• a lien clearance letter from the lender saying the loan is paid in full,
• the lien contract showing it was paid in full, or
• a court order directing the SOS to issue the title without the lienholder.

If the loan isn’t paid off yet, read junking a car with a lien first.

Is the duplicate worth it for a junk car?

Usually, yes, for two reasons:

• Illinois law asks for proof of ownership. A scrap buyer must get documentary proof of ownership, such as a title, salvage certificate or junking certificate, and record two IDs from a private seller (625 ILCS 5/5-401.3). A duplicate title is the cleanest proof there is.
• It keeps the sale simple. With a title, you sign the assignment on the back to the buyer at pickup, which Illinois law requires when ownership changes hands (625 ILCS 5/3-112).

The exception is when what you already have is enough for your car. That’s why we say call first: give us the year, make, model and the papers in your hand, and we’ll tell you on the call whether the sale can go ahead or whether the $50 duplicate is the next step. More on that on our selling without a title page.

Signing the title at pickup

When the duplicate arrives:

• Don’t sign it until the driver is there.
• Fill in the assignment section with the buyer’s details and the odometer reading if it asks for one.
• Keep a photo of the signed title for your records.
• Take the plates off and file the Seller’s Report of Sale (VSD 703) so the state knows you no longer own the car. Our plates and stickers article explains how.

Inherited cars

If the title is in a relative’s name because they passed away, the duplicate route may not be open to you directly. Ask the Secretary of State or the estate’s attorney what’s needed, then call us with what you have.

We buy cars sold on a duplicate title across our area, from Chicago’s East Side down to Sauk Village.