Reviewed and updated October 14, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. Every fact on this page was read that day from the Texas agency that publishes it, the Department of Public Safety for driver licenses and the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles for titles and registration, and the official page each fact came from is linked where it appears.
Bringing a vehicle into Texas from another state or another country: the out-of-state purchase with its two 30-day deadlines, documents and fees, the four steps for an imported vehicle from federal standards to the VIN inspection, the title brands that may follow a vehicle from another state, and the military exemptions. A move with a vehicle already owned is on the new to Texas guide.
In this guide: A vehicle bought outside Texas, A vehicle bought outside the United States, Brands that follow a vehicle from another state, Service members, Questions about out-of-state and imported vehicles
A vehicle bought outside Texas
The TxDMV's out of state and imported vehicles page sets two deadlines: title in the buyer's name within 30 days of the date of sale, to avoid delinquent transfer penalties, and registration within 30 days of bringing the vehicle to Texas. A commercial vehicle first passes a safety inspection whatever the county; a non-commercial vehicle in one of the 17 emissions counties (Brazoria, Collin, Dallas, Denton, El Paso, Ellis, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Johnson, Kaufman, Montgomery, Parker, Rockwall, Tarrant, Travis and Williamson) first passes an emissions inspection. Then the county tax office takes the Vehicle Inspection Report where an inspection applied, proof of liability insurance at the Texas minimums, the odometer reading if required, the original out-of-state title or other valid ownership evidence, proof of sales tax payment or the current foreign or military ownership document, and the Application for Texas Title and/or Registration (Form 130-U), with the VIN self-certified on the form when no commercial or emissions inspection applies.
The fees the TxDMV lists: the registration base fee of $50.75 for a passenger vehicle or light truck, the title application fee of $28 or $33 depending on the county, the state portion of the vehicle inspection fee up to $30.75, local county fees up to $31.50, the 6.25 percent vehicle sales tax, the $1 insurance verification fee, and the $4.75 processing and handling fee. The TxDMV's instructions for Form 130-U accompany the form, and the county office for each county is on the Texas DMV offices list.
A vehicle bought outside the United States
The vehicle must meet every federal and state importation requirement before Texas titles or registers it, in four steps on the same TxDMV page. Import it properly. It must meet the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, with customs matters handled by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Pass the applicable Texas inspection. A commercial safety inspection, or an emissions inspection in the 17 emissions counties, at a Texas certified station with proof of insurance, which issues an original Vehicle Inspection Report signed by the inspector. Get a VIN inspection. A trained auto theft investigator who is a law enforcement officer of Texas or a political subdivision, found through local law enforcement or a Motor Vehicle Crime Prevention Authority grantee at txdmv.gov/mvcpa-grantees, or an authorized employee of the National Insurance Crime Bureau, inspects the vehicle and signs the Law Enforcement Identification Number Inspection (VTR-68-A). Apply at the county tax office. With proof of insurance: U.S. Department of Transportation form HS-7 or another document establishing customs entry and compliance with or exemption from federal safety standards; an original bond release letter from the DOT if the vehicle entered under bond; the Vehicle Inspection Report if applicable; the completed VTR-68-A; Form 130-U; the odometer reading if required; and the ownership document, with a certified English translation of anything printed in another language. U.S. military personnel and their immediate family returning to Texas bases are exempt from the VTR-68-A, under the TxDMV's military packet.
Brands that follow a vehicle from another state
When the TxDMV finds a brand applied to the title by another state, it sends a letter. The owner who believes the information wrong contacts that state (the TxDMV's out-of-state DMV list has the agencies), obtains a written statement from a state official on official letterhead that the brand is not in its record or was applied in error, and mails the statement, the Texas title if already received, and a request to remove the brand to Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, Vehicle Titles and Registration Division, PO Box 26420, Austin, Texas 78755-0420; the TxDMV reviews it and says whether a new title without the brand will issue. The brands themselves, salvage, rebuilt, junk, flood, odometer, manufacturer buyback, gray market and custom or replica, are on the title brands guide. A gray market vehicle, built for use outside the United States and not in compliance with federal standards, cannot be registered or titled in Texas.
Service members
A non-resident serving in Texas may register a vehicle with the county but is not required to; a member who makes Texas home follows the TxDMV's troops page, which asks for the inspection where required, insurance meeting the Texas minimums with the declarations page, proof of military service or a Leave and Earnings Statement with a government ID, and Form 130-U, marked Registration Purposes Only with the out-of-state registration receipt when no Texas title is wanted. A vehicle imported by a service member skips the VIN inspection. The military vehicle guide has the fees, the plates and the out-of-state renewal.
Questions about out-of-state and imported vehicles
I bought a car in another state. What are the deadlines?
Two: the vehicle must be titled in your name within 30 days of the sale to avoid delinquent transfer penalties, and registered within 30 days of bringing it to Texas.
What do I pay at the county?
The TxDMV lists the base registration fee of $50.75 for a passenger vehicle or light truck, a title application fee of $28 or $33 by county, the state portion of the inspection fee up to $30.75, local county fees up to $31.50, the 6.25 percent vehicle sales tax, the $1 insurance verification fee and the $4.75 processing and handling fee. A new resident who already paid sales tax elsewhere pays the $90 new resident tax or the tax difference instead.
Do I need an inspection on a car from another state?
A commercial vehicle needs a passing safety inspection before registration; a non-commercial vehicle in one of the 17 emissions counties needs an emissions inspection; elsewhere no inspection is required and the owner self-certifies the VIN on Form 130-U.
What is a VIN inspection and who does it?
A visual verification of the vehicle identification number for a vehicle imported from another country, done by a trained auto theft investigator who is a Texas law enforcement officer or works for an MVCPA grantee, or by an authorized National Insurance Crime Bureau employee, recorded on form VTR-68-A. Military personnel and their families returning to a Texas base are exempt.
What is a gray market vehicle?
A vehicle manufactured for use outside the United States and brought in without meeting the federal standards; the TxDMV says it cannot be registered or titled in Texas, and NMVTIS reports carry a gray market brand.
My title from another state shows a brand I dispute.
Contact that state (the TxDMV keeps a list of out-of-state motor vehicle agencies), obtain its written statement on official letterhead that the brand is not in its record or was applied in error, and mail it with the Texas title and a request to remove the brand to the Vehicle Titles and Registration Division, PO Box 26420, Austin, Texas 78755-0420.
Written by SearchSystems.net from the TxDMV's out of state and imported vehicles, Title Check, For Our Troops and New to Texas pages, read on October 14, 2026.