VIN inspection

What it means

Before issuing a title in certain circumstances, a state will require somebody to look at the vehicle and confirm that the number on it matches the number on the documents. The check is usually done by a law enforcement officer, an agency inspector or an authorized inspection station, and it is recorded on a form.

It is triggered by the situations where the paper record is weakest: a vehicle titled in another state, a vehicle with no title or a lost one, a rebuilt vehicle, a homemade or imported vehicle, and sometimes a transfer where the owner cannot sign.

That last one is what makes it relevant after a death. Several states require an inspection where the title is being transferred on an affidavit rather than on a signature, precisely because the usual proof — the owner signing — is unavailable.

Practically it means the vehicle has to be physically present and, in many states, has to be able to get there. A car that has not started in two years is a problem the paperwork cannot solve.

Why it matters

It is the step that turns a postal transaction into one requiring the vehicle, a driver and an appointment.

It is also the step most often discovered late, after the forms have been filled in and the family has arrived at the counter.

When you are likely to meet it

• When a vehicle is being titled in a state other than the one that titled it.
• When the title is missing and a duplicate has to be applied for.
• When a transfer is being made on an affidavit after a death.

How this varies by state

When an inspection is required, who may perform it, and what it costs vary by state, and several states require none at all.

Related terms

• Branded titleA permanent mark on a title recording that the vehicle was once written off or badly damaged.
• Certificate of titleThe state-issued document that proves who owns a vehicle — and whose issuing state decides the procedure after a death.
• Duplicate titleA replacement certificate of title, issued when the original is lost, destroyed or was never received.
• Salvage titleA title branded to record that a vehicle was declared a total loss. The brand stays with the vehicle permanently.
• Title applicationThe form that asks a state to issue a certificate of title in a new name. It is the central document in almost every vehicle transfer.
• Vehicle identification numberThe unique code identifying a specific vehicle. Every title, registration and transfer form is matched against it.

Sahvelo guidance that uses this

• Vehicle title transfer