Whether you are thinking about signing up, or have already signed up for visitor.us, this guide is a high level overview of the steps involved in the visitor.us process.
The sign-up process
When you're ready to move forward with visitor.us, click any of the 'Get Started' buttons on visitor.us, or the button below:
Account info
After clicking the Get Started button, you'll be prompted to provide the information required to set up your account, including name, email, phone number, and your password choice.
US resident?
US resident?
If you reside in a U.S. state, you are generally required to register any vehicle you keep in that state, unless you qualify for an exemption, such as being a full-time student.
Vehicles kept outside of your state of residence - for example, if you live in the US, but keep your vehicle in Baja, Mexico - generally fall outside of in-state registration requirements.
If you are a resident of any US state, you will be reminded of this requirement.
Payment
visitor.us processes payments securely through Stripe, our trusted payment provider. We accept credit and debit card payments from anywhere in the world.
For your security:
visitor.us never sees your full credit card details.
We cannot charge your card without your authorization.
If your payment is declined or you encounter any issues, please contact your bank or card issuer to check for any holds, blocks, or restrictions that may be preventing the transaction.
You can learn more about pricing at our pricing page.
What you'll need after signing up
Your passport
After signing up, you will verify your identity using Stripe Identity. You will need to provide:
An image of your passport, and
A selfie for identity verification
visitor.us does not store your identity documents. Instead, a printed copy is submitted to the state of Montana, as required for vehicle registration.
Timeline
Because your name and Montana address will be required to complete your vehicle's purchase paperwork, you should sign up for visitor.us before purchasing your vehicle.
Your Montana presence (a lease at visitor.us' office) can be established in 24 hours or less after you sign up.
Your 40-day Montana temporary registration will be available for download and printing from the visitor.us dashboard within 1 business day of your request.
Your Montana license plates and registration document will be available within 10 days of receiving your vehicle's properly signed authentic prior title.
Your Montana title will be available 4-6 weeks after registration.
Buying your vehicle
When you purchase your vehicle, you will be asked to supply the buyer's name and address for the vehicle's paperwork.
Please provide your name as it appears on your passport, and visitor.us' address, which is
544 E Main St. Suite B Bozeman, MT 59715
And sign the vehicle's paperwork as you would sign any other document.
Insuring your vehicle
Take your insurance policy out at your vehicle's 'garaging address,' an address where your vehicle actually spends time.
Using visitor.us' address for insurance purposes without specific instructions from a licensed insurance agent is prohibited by our Terms of Service.
Proof of insurance is not required to register a vehicle in Montana. (But it is required to legally drive your vehicle on public roads.)
Vehicle registration process overview
Below is a high-level overview of the vehicle registration process, which is managed online in the visitor.us dashboard:
Click on any of the links to learn how the step works in detail.
Step 1: Your Montana Presence - Establish your Montana presence with an electronically signed lease, allowing a vehicle to be registered in your name in Montana
Step 1: Your Montana Presence - Establish your Montana presence with an electronically signed lease, allowing a vehicle to be registered in your name in Montana
1a: Verify your identity - Quickly and easily verify your identity with a photo of your passport and a selfie.
1b: Sign lease - Electronically sign the visitor.us vehicle registration lease, which the forms the presence required to register your vehicle in Montana.
1c: Receive Mail (no action required from you) - Montana requires multiple pieces of evidence of your Montana presence. We send mail to you at our address as required evidence.
Neither you nor your vehicle ever have to physically come to Montana.
Step 2: Your Vehicle - Provide the information and documents required to register your vehicle
Step 2: Your Vehicle - Provide the information and documents required to register your vehicle
2a: Vehicle details - provide your vehicle's details (VIN, year, make, model, etc.)
2b: Registration application - electronically sign your Montana vehicle registration application
2c: Signature authorization - Signing (or authorizing visitor.us to sign on your behalf) the buyer's section of your vehicle's prior title
2d: (Optional) Registration upgrades - order charity license plates, personalized license plates, and/or permanent registration
2e: Your vehicle's prior title - Send your vehicle's prior title (authentic document required, scans/copies/images not accepted) to visitor.us for registration
Step 3: Temporary registration - Obtain your printable 40-day Montana temp tag so you can hit the road while your registration is in process.
Step 3: Temporary registration - Obtain your printable 40-day Montana temp tag so you can hit the road while your registration is in process.
Step 3: Temporary registration - Obtain your printable 40-day Montana temp tag so you can hit the road while your registration is in process.
You are welcome to request your temp tag immediately after providing your vehicle's details in Step 2a.
Step 4: License Plates and Registration - visitor.us usually obtains your license plates and registration within 10 days of receiving your vehicle's properly signed authentic prior title.
Step 4: License Plates and Registration - visitor.us usually obtains your license plates and registration within 10 days of receiving your vehicle's properly signed authentic prior title.
4a: License Plates and Registration - visitor.us registers your vehicle in Montana, obtaining Montana license plates and registration document in your name within 10 days of receiving your vehicle's properly signed authentic prior title.
4b: License Plates and Registration by Mail - visitor.us arranges delivery of your license plates and registration document to a location that's convenient to you.
We recognize that you are probably traveling, so the address where you receive your license plates and documents can be different from the address that you used to send your prior title.
We can optionally deliver your items to a Fedex service point, where they will be held for up to 5 business days for pickup.
Step 5: Montana Title - Your Montana title will be available 4-6 weeks after registration.
Step 5: Montana Title - Your Montana title will be available 4-6 weeks after registration.
5a: Montana Title - visitor.us obtains your vehicle's Montana Title, its official ownership document
5b: Montana Title by Mail - visitor.us arranges delivery of your Montana title document to a location that's convenient to you
5c: (Optional) Expedite Montana Title Issuance - Contact the Montana vehicle services bureau directly to speed up the title issuance.
Now, let's get started!
Now that you know how the process works, click the button below to Get Started with visitor.us: