How to Register a Car
Registering a vehicle in New Hampshire in its two parts, at your town or city clerk and then for the state, step by step: what to bring for each kind of purchase, how the fees work, and renewing.
Checked against its sources October 17, 2026.
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At a Glance
Registering a vehicle in New Hampshire is a two-part process. You start at the town or city clerk where you live, who confirms that you live there and collects the town’s fee. The second part is the state’s registration, which many clerks can complete for you for an extra fee; otherwise you finish it with the Division of Motor Vehicles.
- Go to the town or city clerk where you live, with your title or bill of sale and photo ID.
- Pay the town’s fee there. The state cannot register the vehicle until it is paid.
Can your clerk do the state part too?
- YesFinish there, for an extra fee.
- NoFinish with the DMV, by appointment or drop box.
Step by Step
Gather what you need
Bring a current government photo ID, and proof that you live in the town if your clerk has not already seen it. What else depends on how you got the vehicle:
- From a New Hampshire dealer: the certificate of title, or the blue copies of the title application.
- From a dealer in another state: the title from the dealer, or the New Hampshire title application from your lender. For a brand-new vehicle, the manufacturer’s statement of origin.
- From a private seller: the title, properly signed over to you.
- A vehicle exempt from titling, from a private seller: a bill of sale with the details the law lists, and proof of the vehicle identification number (VIN): the title or a copy, a past New Hampshire registration or a copy, or the DMV’s VIN verification form.
If the vehicle is leased or financed through a lender in another state, start with the DMV’s page on 60-day temporary plates.
Vehicle registrationsVIN verification formTemporary plates
The law: RSA 261:148
Start at your town or city clerk
Every motor vehicle except a moped starts at the clerk’s office of the town or city where you live. The clerk confirms your residence and issues the town’s permit, which the state needs before it will register the vehicle. The town’s fee is set by law from the maker’s list price, and gets smaller as the vehicle ages.
The law: RSA 261:148, RSA 261:153
Finish the state part
Many clerks are agents of the state and can complete the state registration too, for an extra fee. If you have the title, or the vehicle needs none, you may be able to do everything at the clerk’s office. Otherwise, the DMV completes the state part by appointment or through its drop box service.
The law: RSA 261:74-a
Know what you will pay
You pay fees to both the town and the state, and a plate fee the first time you order plates. The amount differs for each vehicle, so use the DMV’s estimator, or ask your clerk.
The law: RSA 261:141, RSA 261:153
Renew every year
A registration in your own name expires at the end of the month of your birthday. To renew, bring your registration or renewal notice to your town or city and pay the town’s fees first; many towns can take the state’s part as well. Ask your clerk or tax collector whether your town takes renewals online or by mail.
The law: RSA 261:62
Who Can Help
Your town or city clerk is the place to start, and can tell you what your town asks for and whether it does the state’s part. The Division of Motor Vehicles answers questions at 603-227-4000.
In the Record
Chapter 261: Certificates of Title and Registration of Vehicles
Bills now before the General Court that would change it:
Laws that changed it since 2020, newest first:
- HB 649-FN Became Law
- HB 1078-FN Became Law
- HB 1118 Became Law
- HB 1190-FN Became Law
- HB 1287 Became Law
- HB 1415-FN Became Law
- HB 1466-FN Became Law
- HB 1483-FN Became Law