Articles within Step 2: Your Vehicle
Jump to → 2a: Vehicle details · 2b: Registration application · 2c: Sign your prior title · 2d: Optional upgrades · 2e: Send your prior title to visitor.us
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Will you physically sign your vehicle's prior title?
In the visitor.us dashboard, Step 2c asks: "Are you able to physically sign your vehicle's prior title?"
Answer Yes if the title will pass through your hands and you can sign it yourself - for example, if you're collecting the vehicle from the seller and the seller is handing you the title at the same time.
Answer No if the title will go directly from the seller to visitor.us without passing through your hands - for example, if you're buying remotely and having the seller ship the title to us for registration, or if you're buying from a dealership that will mail the title to us after the sale.
You can change your answer at any time. If your plans change, toggle Yes or No in the dashboard and the step will update accordingly.
Yes — you'll sign the title yourself
If you can physically sign the title yourself, select Yes. Step 2c is complete.
Before you write anything on the title, please review our Prior Title Assignment Guide carefully, along with the title guide for the state that issued your vehicle's title.
Errors on a title can cause delays and additional costs.
I signed a dealer reassignment form, not the title itself. What do I answer?
If the dealership had you sign a dealer reassignment form, your signature in the buyer's section of the title is not required. Answer Yes on this step.
This comes up often: a dealership has you sign paperwork at purchase time even though the title itself is still in transit, for example from a bank, another dealership, or the seller. The reassignment form substitutes for a buyer signature on the title.
New vehicles: Manufacturer's Statement / Certificate of Origin (MCO / MSO)
If you bought a brand-new vehicle from a dealership, your ownership document is typically a Manufacturer's Certificate of Origin (MCO) or Manufacturer's Statement of Origin (MSO) rather than a title. An MCO/MSO is equivalent to a title for the purpose of registering your vehicle, with two differences that affect signing:
No buyer signature field. You don't sign the MCO/MSO as the buyer — only the seller (dealer) signs to release ownership. So for the question above, you can answer Yes: there's no buyer's section for you to sign.
No odometer disclosure section. For new vehicles model year 2011 or newer (excluding trailers), U.S. federal law still requires an odometer disclosure, but it comes from the dealership as a separate document that you sign alongside the MCO/MSO. Be sure to receive and sign that separate odometer disclosure at purchase.
When you're ready to send everything in, ship the MCO/MSO as-is along with your signed odometer disclosure (see Step 2e: Send your prior title to visitor.us). If you're not sure whether your vehicle's documents are correct, email a photo to [email protected] before sending the originals.
No - visitor.us will sign the title on your behalf, or you'll submit a bill of sale
If you won't physically hold the title yourself, select No. You'll see three options in the dashboard. You can choose whichever fits your situation best.
Order online notarization - visitor.us arranges remote notarization of a power of attorney (POA) that authorizes us to sign the buyer's section of your vehicle's title on your behalf.
Download populated POA document - you print, physically notarize, and ship the POA to us.
Bill of sale - a bill of sale signed by both you and the seller can be submitted to Montana, substituting for signatures on the title itself.
Each option is explained below. Our Notarize Power of Attorney article covers the POA options in more depth if you want additional context.
Option 1: Bill of sale (easiest for most customers)
In situations where the buyer and seller can't both sign a vehicle's title, the vehicle's title, accompanied by a bill of sale signed by both parties, can substitute for a signed title.
This option is useful whether the seller hasn't signed the seller's section, or you can't physically sign the buyer's section yourself, or both.
To submit a bill of sale, email a clear image to [email protected]. A visitor.us admin will review it and, if it contains all required elements, upload it to your dashboard and send you an email confirmation. Once uploaded, your bill of sale appears in Step 2c:
Before emailing, please review our Bill of Sale for Registration article, which covers the required elements, the signature notarization rules, and the odometer-disclosure requirement for vehicles model year 2011 and newer.
Option 2: Order online notarization
Click the Order online notarization button in the dashboard to begin.
visitor.us has partnered with NotaryCam for this service. Within about one business day of ordering your online notarization, NotaryCam will contact you to schedule a video conference at a time that works for you.
During the session, a licensed notary witnesses you electronically sign your pre-populated POA and electronically countersigns and stamps it. When the session is complete, NotaryCam sends the notarized POA to visitor.us automatically - you don't need to ship anything.
The fee for remote online notarization is $95.
Option 3: Physical notarization
If you'd prefer to notarize in person, click Download populated POA document. You'll receive a PDF of your POA pre-filled with your vehicle's details.
Print the POA.
Visit a notary public or other official authorized to notarize documents. Banks, UPS Stores, shipping centers, and many other locations have notaries on staff — call ahead to confirm a notary will be present and that the notary will accept the identification document you have. Notarization typically takes less than five minutes and costs $5–10.
Ship the notarized POA to visitor.us at the address below
visitor.us LLC
544 E Main St, Suite B
Bozeman, MT 59715
United States
Only an authentic, physically notarized document is accepted. A photo, scan, or copy of a notarized POA is not sufficient. You're responsible for arranging the shipment — we recommend a trackable method such as FedEx or DHL. Customers shipping internationally will usually need to complete a customs form for the carrier — typically a Commercial Invoice. Describe the contents as a legal document with no commercial value and declare a nominal value (e.g. $1); the carrier's staff can help you complete it.
When we receive your notarized POA, we'll upload it to your dashboard within one business day and send you an email notification. Step 2c then shows your notarized POA on file:
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