Vehicle registration in the United States involves several documents that sound similar but mean different things. If you're new to registering a vehicle - or new to the U.S. vehicle ownership system - this article explains the terms you'll encounter when working with visitor.us.
Prior title
Your vehicle's prior title is the official ownership document issued to the seller before you bought the vehicle.
The prior title is in the seller's name, and it's the document that establishes the chain of ownership that Montana needs in order to issue you a new title.
When you buy a vehicle, the seller signs the prior title over to you. You then send the prior title to visitor.us, and visitor.us submits it to Montana in order to obtain your Montana license plates, registration document, and title.
Temporary registration permit
A temporary registration permit (also known as a temp tag, one-trip permit, in-transit tag, or drive-away tag) is a "paper license plate" that you display on the rear of your vehicle while your full Montana registration is being processed. It tells law enforcement that your registration is in process.
visitor.us provides a 40-day printable Montana temporary registration permit to visitor.us customers upon request. The temp tag is valid in the United States, Canada, and Mexico's free zones.
License plates
License plates are the physical metal plates issued by the state of registration - for visitor.us customers, that's Montana. The plates are attached to your vehicle and remain with you (not the vehicle) when you sell. (Other US states allow buyers to use the seller's license plates.)
Registration document
The registration document is the paper issued by the state of registration showing your vehicle's details (year, make, model, VIN), the owner's details, and the license plate number. This is what you show law enforcement if you're stopped while driving.
The registration document is separate from the title. Registration proves the vehicle is currently registered (and registered to you); the title proves you own the vehicle.
Montana title
Your Montana title is the official ownership document that Montana issues after you complete registration through visitor.us. It replaces the prior title from the previous owner.
The Montana title is your official ownership record going forward. You'll need the authentic Montana title (not a scan or photo) to sell the vehicle later, or to export it from the United States.
How they fit together
You buy a vehicle. The seller gives you the signed prior title.
You send the prior title to visitor.us.
visitor.us issues you a temporary registration permit (the 40-day temp tag) so that you can drive while we register your vehicle.
visitor.us registers your vehicle in Montana, and Montana issues your license plates and registration document. visitor.us ships these to a delivery address you provide.
Within about 30 days of registration, Montana issues your new Montana title, with you listed as the vehicle's owner. visitor.us receives it, scans it to your dashboard, and ships the authentic document to a delivery address that you provide.