Registrations & Titles

*Attention* Important Information Regarding Sales Tax Payments*

Sales tax must be paid at the DMV at the time of registration and/or titling of your vehicle. Sales tax can also be paid prior to registration and/or titling at the Rhode Island Division of Taxation.

Customers are required to remit sales tax payments to the State in a timely manner. If sales tax is not paid by the 20^th of the month following the month in which the sale took place, you may incur additional cost because of interest and penalty charges added to your base sales tax bill. For example, if your bill of sale is dated July 26, 2020, your sales tax would be due on August 20, 2020. If it is not paid on or before that date, interest and penalty charges would accrue.

Sales tax can also be paid prior to registration and/or titling at the Rhode Island Division of Taxation. If you are not able to visit the DMV in a timely manner to get your vehicle registered and remit sales tax to DMV prior to the tax due date, you may contact the Division of Taxation excise tax section to pay your sales tax directly before the tax due date to avoid the assessment of penalties and interest. Excise tax section can be reached at 401-574-8955 or via email tax.excise@tax.ri.gov.

UPDATE ON VIN CHECKS: Beginning on September 1, 2021, A Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) check is required before registering a vehicle if the title is from another state or the vehicle was registered in another state, and the model year of the vehicle is 2001 or newer.
Applicants should bring the original title, or a copy of the title if there is a lien on the vehicle or if this is a leased vehicle, along with the vehicle to a municipal police department for this service.