What do I need to remember?
- Registration certificate: Must be on board when operating your boat.
- Purchasing a new boat: You have 30 days to apply for registration and title. During this grace period, keep proof of purchase date on board.
- Penalty: Operating an unregistered boat after 30 days is a second-degree misdemeanor.
Helpful resources:
Boat Title Transactions
To title a new boat (never before titled), bring the following to any Tax Collector office:
- A Manufacturer’s Statement of Origin properly completed, signed and either notarized or the perjury clause statement must be signed by the selling dealer/store. If the boat was purchased in a state or country which does not require the issuance of a manufacturer’s certificate of origin, the original copy of the executed bill of sale or dealer’s invoice with a complete description of the boat will serve as proof of ownership. If recording a lien, the lien holder’s name, address and the date of lien are required.
- Bill of sale or invoice listing the boat purchase price, sales tax paid and any trade-in allowance. Additional taxes equivalent to Florida’s sales tax and local sales tax may be due.
- Each applicant, or their appointed power of attorney, must be present to sign a new application for title. Bring personal identification in the form of a driver license or identification card issued by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, a passport or a U.S. Military I.D. card. If you are the appointed power of attorney, the original or certified copy of the original signed appointment must be presented at time of application. Applicant’s date of birth and Florida driver license number are recorded as part of the application.
Title and registration fees are due upon application.
Only the registered owner or lien holder on record may make application for duplicate Florida title. If there is an outstanding lien, only the lien holder can apply for a duplicate title. If the lien has been satisfied, a lien satisfaction form must be submitted with the Application for Duplicate Florida Title, Form HSMV 82101 (PDF).
Duplicate title fees start at $6.50.
Need help filling out the title form 82040 VS? Watch our step-by-step video tutorial in English or Spanish.
To transfer ownership of a boat previously titled in Florida, purchased from a dealer or individual you must bring the following to any Tax Collector’s office:
- The Florida title properly completed by both the buyer and seller, including signatures, purchase price and date of sale. If the used boat is purchased through a dealer, the dealer reassignment must be completed. If recording a lien, the lien holder’s name, address and the date of lien are required.
- Bill of sale or invoice listing the boat purchase price, sales tax paid and any trade-in allowance. Additional taxes equivalent to Florida’s sales tax and local sales tax may be due.
- Each applicant, or their appointed power of attorney, must be present to sign a new application for title. Bring personal identification in the form of a driver license or identification card issued by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, a passport or a U.S. Military I.D. card. If you are the appointed power of attorney, the original or a certified copy of the original signed appointment must be presented at time of application. Applicant’s date of birth and Florida driver license number are recorded as part of the application
Title and registration fees are due upon application.
Need help filling out the title form 82040 VS? Watch our step-by-step video tutorial in English or Spanish.
To transfer ownership of a used boat not previously titled in Florida, you must present the following to any Tax Collector’s office:
- The out-of-state certificate of title, if a title state, or the original registration if not a title state, a bill of sale, or other evidence of ownership required by the law of the state or country from which the boat was brought into this state. If recording a lien, the lien holder’s name, address and the date of lien are required.
- Bill of sale or invoice listing the boat purchase price, sales tax paid and any trade-in allowance. Additional taxes equivalent to Florida’s sales tax and local sales tax may be due.
- Each applicant, or their appointed power of attorney, must be present to sign a new application for title. Bring personal identification in the form of a driver license or identification card issued by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, a passport or a U.S. Military I.D. card. If you are the appointed power of attorney, the original or certified copy of the original signed appointment must be presented at time of application. Applicant’s date of birth and Florida driver license number are recorded as part of the application.
Title and registration fees are due upon application.
The following boats are exempt from titling:
- Non-motor-powered boats less than 16 feet in length
- Boats owned by the United States Government
- Federally documented boats
- Boats used exclusively on private lakes and ponds
- Boats used solely for demonstration, testing or sales promotional purposes by a dealer or manufacturer
- Boats owned and operated by the state or its political subdivisions
- Boats from a country other than the U.S., temporarily using the waters of this state for not more than 90 days
- Boats already covered by registration numbers awarded according to a federally approved numbering system of another state or by the US Coast Guard in a state without a federally approved numbering system, provided that the boats are not operated in Florida waters more than 90 consecutive days.