Personal Registration is how visitor.us registers vehicles for international visitors: the car, RV or motorcycle is titled and registered in Montana in your own name, not in a company's. There is no LLC to form, no US driver's license or Social Security number to produce, and the vehicle never has to be in Montana. It works because Montana law lets a nonresident with an interest in real property in the state register a vehicle there, and a lease counts.
Why not register in the state where I buy the vehicle?
In the United States, vehicles are registered by each state, not by the federal government, and most states only register vehicles for their own residents. Depending on the state, you may be asked for a state driver's license, a Social Security number, a state tax return, utility bills at a local address or an in-state inspection. Most visitors cannot produce these, so the state where you buy the vehicle is often not an option.
Our state-by-state registration guide lists the requirements for every state.
Why Montana?
Montana combines four things that matter to international visitors:
No US Social Security number or US driver's license required. You can title and register a vehicle in Montana with your passport or other government ID from your home country.
Light proof of presence. A lease is enough to show your connection to Montana. Many other states ask for a utility bill, a bank statement or a state tax return at a local address.
No inspection. Montana has no safety or emissions inspection, so neither you nor your vehicle ever has to come to Montana.
0% sales tax. Montana has no general sales tax, and in most situations you pay sales tax in the state where you register the vehicle, not the state where you buy it. Registering in Montana can save you hundreds or thousands of dollars. There are exceptions, especially when buying from a dealer in California, Washington or Arizona: see Do I have to pay sales tax when I buy from a U.S. dealer?
The lease works because Montana's vehicle code has a provision written for people who live elsewhere but have a place in Montana, such as a cabin, a condo or a lease:
"A nonresident who has an interest in real property in Montana may register in the county where the real property is located a motor vehicle, trailer, semitrailer, or pole trailer operated or driven upon the public highways of this state."
Montana Code Annotated 61-3-303(1), added in 2013
An interest in real property does not have to be ownership. A lease is also an interest in real property. When you register with visitor.us, you sign a lease on our premises in Montana, and that lease is the legal basis on which the county titles and registers the vehicle in your name.
Why in your own name, and not in an LLC?
Most Montana registration services form a Montana limited liability company (LLC) and register the vehicle to the company. That structure was built for Americans who want to avoid sales tax in their home state. Personal Registration gives you the same Montana registration, with the same 0% sales tax, in your own name, so for a visitor the LLC adds nothing.
It can also create a problem: a US company owned by a non-US person must file IRS Form 5472 for each year in which it has reportable transactions with its owner, for example when the owner puts in the money to buy the vehicle, and the penalty for missing it can be up to $25,000.
With Personal Registration, the Montana title and registration show your name, exactly as it appears on your passport or other ID. There is no company to maintain, no annual report to file and no one else's name on your vehicle's papers.
visitor.us retired the LLC route in early 2025. Every vehicle we register is now registered in the owner's own name, through Personal Registration. If your vehicle was registered through an LLC with us before then and you have questions, message us and we will help.
What about South Dakota?
South Dakota is often suggested as another option for nonresidents. In practice it is difficult for international visitors: South Dakota's title application asks for a South Dakota driver's license or ID number, or a Social Security number, for each owner, and a South Dakota license or ID generally requires a Social Security number or documentation showing you are not eligible for one. Many visitors cannot meet that requirement.
What you sign and what you receive
You sign: a lease with visitor.us, electronically, from anywhere in the world (see Step 1b: Sign Lease), and your Montana registration application.
Within one business day of your request: a 40-day temporary registration, as a PDF, so you can drive while your registration is processed.
About one week after we receive your clean prior title: license plates and registration, shipped to wherever you are.
Four to six weeks after registration: your Montana title, by mail.
The lease runs until the last day of the month one year after your first vehicle registration. Renewing your registration later does not require a new lease, and the lease ending has no effect on your ownership of the vehicle, which is recorded on your Montana title.
Is this legal?
Yes. Personal Registration relies on the Montana provision quoted above, which the legislature added in 2013 for exactly this situation: people with a lease, condo or cabin in Montana who live elsewhere. The county treasurer's office issues your title and registration under that provision.
visitor.us is a private service, not a government agency.
Learn more
Personal Registration: how it works, what it costs and who it is for
Getting Started: the step-by-step guide to registering with visitor.us