Montana Car Dealer Forms
These are the Montana MVD forms a licensed dealer needs to buy, sell, and title vehicles in Montana. From the Montana title and registration application to the bill of sale, odometer disclosure, title reassignment, and temporary tag paperwork, each links to the official source where available. Download the current version straight from the Montana Motor Vehicle Division (MVD), Vehicle Services Bureau, Department of Justice or the federal agency, never a copy that's gone stale.
Which Montana form goes with which deal
A form list on its own does not tell you what to grab on a Saturday afternoon. Here is the same set arranged by the deal in front of you.
- Retail sale to a customer in state
- Application for Certificate of Title for a Motor Vehicle (Form MV1), Odometer Disclosure Statement (Form MV90A), the FTC Buyers Guide, and a bill of sale. This is the stack behind almost every deal jacket you build.
- Retail sale to an out-of-state buyer
- Same paperwork, but the buyer titles in their home state, so the Montana title has to be assigned cleanly and the odometer reading has to match on every document. A correction later means a duplicate title and a delayed deal.
- Wholesale to another licensed dealer
- No Buyers Guide is required on a dealer-to-dealer sale, but the title assignment and odometer disclosure still are. Keep the invoice with the jacket, it is what proves the unit left your inventory.
- Taking a trade-in
- You need the customer's signed title assignment and odometer disclosure, plus a lien payoff quote in writing if the trade is financed. Take the trade in your books at actual cash value, not at the number you allowed on the deal.
- Title is not in hand at signing
- Power of Attorney (Form MV65) covers the assignment and mileage disclosure until the title arrives. Track the promise: an unresolved title is the single most common reason a deal unwinds.
- Customer pays more than $10,000 in cash
- IRS Form 8300 is federal and applies in Montana like everywhere else. It covers cash and cash equivalents in one transaction or in related transactions, and it is due within 15 days.
Montana state forms
| Form | What it's for | When |
|---|---|---|
| Application for Certificate of Title for a Motor Vehicle (Form MV1) ↗ | Applies for Montana title and registration on each sale. | Every deal |
| Power of Attorney (Form MV65) ↗ | Title assignment / reassignment and odometer disclosure when the title isn't present at sale. | As needed |
| Dealer Plate Order and Certification of Sales (Form MV35P) ↗ | Orders dealer plates and certifies sales (buyer temp tags are electronic TRPs, not a paper form). | As needed |
Federal forms (every state)
| Form | What it's for | When |
|---|---|---|
| Odometer Disclosure Statement (Form MV90A) ↗ | Federally required mileage disclosure at transfer. | Every deal |
| Buyers Guide (FTC) ↗ | As-is vs. warranty window sticker required on every used vehicle offered for sale. | Every deal |
| IRS Form 8300 ↗ | Report cash payments over $10,000 in a single transaction (Montana has no sales-tax form, no statewide sales tax). | As needed |
Temporary tags and dealer plates in Montana
Licensed dealers issue electronic Temporary Registration Permits (TRPs) to buyers through the state system (MCA 61-3-224), which is why the premises must have a computer, printer, and internet. Wholesalers, brokers, and manufactured-home dealers cannot issue TRPs; a separate Transit Permit (Form MV69) covers moving unregistered vehicles.
Where Montana dealer forms come from
Most dealers search for Montana DMV forms, and in Montana there is no DMV. The forms come from the Montana MVD. Same paperwork, different letterhead, which is worth knowing before you spend an afternoon on the wrong website.
- Montana MVD, Dealer Forms ↗
- Montana MVD, Title & Registration Forms ↗
- Montana Dealer Statutes (MCA Title 61, Ch. 4) ↗
Paperwork mistakes that cost dealers money
None of these are exotic. They are the four that turn up again and again in audits and in unwound deals.
- Assuming an older car is odometer exempt. The federal rule changed for model year 2011 and newer: those vehicles carry a 20 year disclosure window, not 10. Dealers who learned the old rule skip disclosures they still owe.
- A Buyers Guide that is not on the car. The Used Car Rule wants it displayed on the vehicle while it is offered for sale, not produced at signing. It also has to match what you actually agreed to sell, and the copy the buyer takes home governs over the contract if the two disagree.
- A title assigned in the wrong hand. Reassignments are limited, the signature has to match the name printed on the title, and a correction fluid fix voids it. That is a duplicate title application and weeks of delay.
- Paperwork that lives in a drawer. A form you filed but cannot find is a form you did not file, as far as an auditor is concerned. Store documents against the VIN, not in a filing cabinet by month.
Montana dealer forms FAQ
What forms do car dealers need in Montana?+
Montana dealers use Application for Certificate of Title for a Motor Vehicle (Form MV1), Power of Attorney (Form MV65), Dealer Plate Order and Certification of Sales (Form MV35P), plus federal forms every dealer needs like the FTC Buyers Guide and the odometer disclosure. Each is listed below with its purpose and official link.
Where do I get official Montana dealer forms?+
Download current forms directly from the Montana Motor Vehicle Division (MVD), Vehicle Services Bureau, Department of Justice. Third-party copies go out of date, always pull the latest version from the official source linked on this page.
Is it the Montana DMV that handles dealer forms?+
Not exactly, and this trips up new dealers. Montana does not call it the DMV: the agency is the Montana MVD. Searching for "Montana DMV forms" is how most dealers look for them, but the official source is the Montana MVD.
Do I need an FTC Buyers Guide on every used car in Montana?+
Yes. The federal Used Car Rule requires an as-is/warranty Buyers Guide displayed on every used vehicle offered for sale, in Montana and every other state.
Does an old car still need an odometer disclosure?+
Usually, yes. The federal exemption changed for model year 2011 and newer vehicles, which now require disclosure for 20 model years instead of 10. A 2011 model still needs a disclosure through 2031, so treat "it's an old car" as a reason to check, not to skip.
How long should I keep Montana deal paperwork?+
Keep the complete deal jacket, not just the forms you filed. State record-retention rules run for years and an audit or a customer dispute can land long after the sale. Loturn stores every document against the VIN so the jacket rebuilds itself.
Let the paperwork build itself
Loturn fills and stores your deal documents against each vehicle and customer, a complete, audit-ready deal jacket without the filing cabinet.
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