Initial Vehicle Registration
Learn the visitor.us vehicle registration process, with details on each step
Introduction
Welcome to your comprehensive guide for using visitor.us to manage the vehicle registration process.
This guide will walk you through each step, from forming your Montana Limited Liability Company, to registering your vehicle, to obtaining your Montana license plates, registration document and title.
These detailed instructions are designed to make the process as smooth and straightforward as possible. Let's get started!
Table of Contents
Step 0: Sign up
Step 1: LLC formation
Your action: Buy vehicle
Your action: Insure vehicle
Step 2: Your vehicle
Step 3: Temporary registration
Step 4: Plates and registration
Step 5: Montana Title
Order Complete!
Step 0: Sign Up
When you’re ready to get started with visitor.us, click this link or any of the Get Started buttons on this site to move forward.
After signing up, you’ll be brought into the app, where you will view and manage the vehicle registration process.
Step 1: LLC Formation
The first step in the visitor.us process is forming your Montana Limited Liability Company (LLC). This LLC is the presence in Montana that permits vehicle registration here.
Step 1a: Verify your identity
Laws and regulations require us to verify the identity of every LLC owner.
We use stripe.com/identity for this - a photo of your passport and a selfie are all that’s required.
Step 1b: Request your LLC
Name Request
You can name your LLC anything that you want, as long as it ends in ‘LLC’ and is already taken by a Montana LLC’s that is active and in good standing.
If your name is already taken, we’ll send you an email and ask for an alternative name.
If you are traveling through Mexico, Central America, and/or South America, it’s best practice to name your LLC after the name in your passport. Read more here.
Proposed owners of the LLC
LLC owners are required to report their true names and true current, or most recent, residential address - i.e., their home address.
Nothing will be mailed to or from the address that you provide at this step - it’s simply required for statutory reporting purposes.
(Optional: Additional owners)
If your LLC will have multiple owners, you will be prompted to provide their true name and home address, and confirm that you have their explicit consent to be added as an LLC owner.
The identities of all LLC owners must be verified before you can request the LLC. You will be prompted to enter your co-owner’s email address, and we will email an identity verification link.
When all LLC owners’ identities are verified, you’ll be able to request your LLC.
visitor.us submits your LLC application to the Montana Secretary of State
After requesting to form your LLC, the visitor.us team will review and submit your LLC application to the Montana Secretary of State’s office.
Your LLC should be approved within one business day, and we’ll send you an email notification when it’s ready.
If any further information is required - if your LLC’s name is already taken, for example - we’ll contact you via email.
You’ll get an email notification when your LLC is formed and ready to use.
Step 1c: Sign Form SS-4
Every US company must file certain statutory reports with the US government. In order to do so, it needs an EIN, a US-issued identifying number. The application for an EIN is Form SS4, which visitor.us will submit for you after you electronically sign it. You can learn more about statutory filing requirements here.
Note: for the best signing experience, please avoid using the Safari browser. We apologize for any inconvenience.
After completing these actions, step 1 is complete.
Your action: Buy your vehicle
visitor.us is responsible for registering your vehicle, leaving you free to buy whatever vehicle you want, from whoever you want, wherever you want.
While buying your vehicle is your action, we have written a number of resources that can help you navigate the vehicle purchase process:
The most important thing to remember about the vehicle purchase step is this: because your Montana LLC will be the registered owner of the vehicle, its name and address should be listed as the vehicle’s buyer.
Your action: Insure your vehicle
When you hire visitor.us to register your vehicle, you’re not locked into our insurance program (in fact, we don’t have one). You get the flexibility to decide what insurance you want.
We wrote the Insuring your vehicle resource that we hope will help you understand and obtain insurance in the US.
The two most important things to remember about the insurance step are the following:
- visitor.us’ terms of service prohibits using our address for insurance purposes without the explicit approval of a licensed insurance agent, and
- you should document your LLC as an Additional Insured Interest on your auto insurance policy (read more about this here)
Step 2: Your Vehicle
After your LLC is formed, it’s time to provide some information about your vehicle.
Vehicle details
The following pieces of information are required to register your vehicle:
Vehicle type
Select your vehicle type.
A vehicle may only be registered as a motorhome if it was previously titled as a motorhome.
Converting a vehicle to a motorhome requires a physical inspection of the vehicle by a law enforcement officer in Montana.
VIN number
Type your vehicle’s VIN. Vehicles manufactured in 1981 and later should have a 17-digit VIN.
If your vehicle is a light vehicle or motorcycle model year 1981 or later, the Autofill button will populate the year, manufacturer, and model fields below.
If your vehicle is a motorhome or trailer, the Autofill button will disappear and you’ll have to enter values in the year, manufacturer, and model fields manually.
Color
Select the color from the dropdown that most closely matches the primary color of your vehicle.
Year
Enter your vehicle’s year of manufacture.
For some motorhomes, the vehicle’s chassis may have been manufactured in one year, and converted to a motorhome in a later year.
Please enter the year printed on the vehicle’s title.
Manufacturer
Enter the name of your vehicle’s manufacturer.
For some motorhomes, the vehicle’s chassis may have been built by one manufacturer, and converted to a motorhome by another manufacturer.
Please enter the manufacturer printed on the vehicle’s title.
Model
Enter the name of your vehicle’s model.
For some motorhomes, the vehicle’s chassis may have one model name, and the motorhome itself may have another.
Please enter the model printed on the vehicle’s title.
Fuel Type
Select the fuel type from the dropdown that most closely matches your vehicle’s fuel type.
Class (Motorhomes only)
Motorhomes have three classes:
- Class A motorhomes look like busses
- Class B motorhomes look like vans
- Class C motorhomes look like trucks with an attached living quarters.
Length (Motorhomes and trailers only)
Provide the length (in feet) of the motorhome.
Weight (Motorhomes and trailers only)
Provide the weight (in pounds) of the motorhome.
Wheelbase (Motorcycles only)
Provide the distance between the wheels (in inches) of the motorcycle.
Wheel diameter (Motorcycles only)
Provide the diameter of the largest wheel (in inches) of the motorcycle.
Odometer reading
US law requires buyers and sellers to provide an odometer disclosure for all powered vehicles model year 2011 and later.
Non-powered vehicles (such as trailers) and vehicles model year 2010 and older are exempt from odometer disclosure requirements.
Authorizations
In order to proceed, we need to capture your authorization on the following two items.
(You can skip to Step 3: Temporary Registration!)
After you have submitted your vehicle’s details, you can request temp tags for your vehicle.
You do not need to wait for us to receive your vehicle’s prior title.
Registration upgrades
Charity license plate
Montana offers a variety of license plates that support Montana non-profits.
For $95, you can support one of these organizations and obtain one of these beautiful plates.
(You will keep your plates at the end of your visit - Montana law requires plates to be removed from a vehicle upon sale.)
While Montana offers dozens of charity plate designs, we offer a selection of five designs at this time.
Personalized license plates
You can choose custom lettering for your license plates for only $95.
Custom plate applicants submit three lettering choices, and the meaning of each. The Montana DMV will check them against existing license plates and issue the first approved one, in order of submitted preference.
Unfortunately, we cannot check the availability of custom lettering ahead of time.
Custom lettering must follow the rules below:
Permanent registration
Registrations for motorcycle and trailer vehicle types are permanent by default, meaning that they never have to be renewed.
All other vehicle registrations are annual by default.
Vehicles 11 years and older may be permanently registered. Because permanent registrations deny Montana and visitor.us future registration revenue for a vehicle, the up-front cost of a permanent registration is higher than an annual registration.
Time limitations on registration upgrades
Registration upgrades will be available until we receive your vehicle’s prior title.
Your vehicle’s prior title
Your vehicle’s prior title assignment
In many situations, assigning your vehicle’s prior title from the seller to your LLC is straight-forward.
However, because each US state has its own form of vehicle title, and because various ownership situations can occur (e.g., multiple owners, a lien on the title), and because title assignment errors can cause delays and extra costs, please please consult our Prior Title Assignment Guide before writing anything on your vehicle’s prior title.
Shipping your vehicle’s prior title to visitor.us for registration
In order to register your vehicle, its authentic title or other ownership documentation (not a scan, photo, or image) is required.
We provide a prepaid shipping label for you to send the vehicle’s title to visitor.us for registration.
Please provide the address from which the title will be sent:
The address that you provide will populate the “from” address on the shipping label.
We understand that you’ll probably be on the road. So we won’t automatically send your Montana plates, registration, and title to this “from” address when they’re ready, a week or so after we receive your vehicle’s prior title.
Instead, we’ll ask for a “to” address when your Montana plates, registration, and title are ready, which can be in a totally different state (or country) from the “from” address provided at this step.
The shipping label that we generate for you does not have an expiration date - it can be used at any time.
Additional charges are applicable to shipments from outside of the United States.
Please avoid creating a shipping label with a “from” address in Country A, and then sending the shipment from Country B.
Submit your own tracking number
If you wish to send your vehicle’s title using your own shipment method, please enter the shipment’s tracking details so that we can follow it.
visitor.us receives your vehicle’s prior title
When we receive your vehicle’s prior title, we’ll upload an image of it to autos.visitor.us
(We’re a small staff, serving a large client base, so it may take up to one business day for us to upload your title image.)
Potential title issues
Because title assignment involves humans, ink, and paper, mistakes do sometimes happen. Luckily, most mistakes can be resolved with an electronically signed document.
Here are some of the solutions that may be required:
Statement of Fact
A statement of fact can correct minor title errors, such as an incorrect spelling, or write-over.
It must be signed by the person who made the error.
If you made the error, we will send a statement of fact to you to sign electronically.
If the seller made the error, we will ask for the seller’s email address, so that we can send a statement of fact to him or her to sign electronically.
Bill of sale
A handful of situations require a bill of sale in order to complete registration.
If the seller didn’t sign the title, or signed it incorrectly, a bill of sale from him or her to your LLC may be required.
If your individual name - not your LLC - was listed as the vehicle’s buyer, a bill of sale from yourself to your LLC may be required.
Odometer disclosure
If a bill of sale is required, and the vehicle is model year 2011 or newer, an odometer disclosure may be required.
Potential fees for title correction
We reserve the right to charge fees to cover additional work that may be required to correct title issues, so please complete your vehicle’s prior title carefully!
Step 3: Temporary Registration
visitor.us provides a 40-day Montana Temporary Registration Permit (a temp tag) upon request, which will allow you to hit the road while your registration is in process.
Note: you can request your temporary registration immediately after your provide your vehicle’s details. We do not need to physically receive your vehicle’s prior title in order to issue your temporary registration.
A Montana temp tag is a PDF file, so you can print it and attach it to the rear of your vehicle.
When requesting your temp tag from visitor.us, please keep the following in mind:
- Your temp tag will be valid for 40 days from the date of issuance - so don’t request one too long before you need it,
- Temp tags are recognized throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico’s free zones (Baja, Sonora, Quintana Roo), but not outside those areas, and,
- If you've been issued a temp tag by another party (e.g., the selling dealer), you should wait until the temp tag that you have been issued is within one week of expiration to request an additional temp tag from visitor.us.
We will generate your temp tag within one business day of your request and upload it to autos.visitor.us - you will receive an email notification when it is ready.
After your vehicle is registered, you will not be able to request a temporary tag.
Step 4: Plates and Registration
Step 4a: License Plates and Registration
We usually complete registration about one week after receiving your vehicle’s prior title (if the title is free of errors).
When we complete registration, we will load images of your Montana license plates and registration document to autos.visitor.us, and we’ll send you an email notification.
Step 4b: License Plates and Registration by Mail
When your Montana license plates and registration are ready, you’ll be prompted to provide an address that’s convenient for you to receive your items.
Note: we know that you’re probably traveling, so the “to” address that you provide here can be different from the address that you provide for the “from” address that you provided to send your vehicle’s prior title.
Mail to Address
You can also have your items shipped to a dealership, the home of a friend or family member, or any other address.
Pickup at Fedex location
If you’re traveling in the US or Canada without a fixed address, you can choose to have your items delivered to a Fedex service location, where they will be held for up to five business days for pickup.
Simply show a photo ID that matches the name of the recipient, and collect your package.
The pickup at Fedex location is only available in the United States and Canada.
Note: while the Fedex location search service works well for most of the US and Canada, it may miss some Fedex locations in certain parts of those countries. If the service is unable to identify a Fedex location in the zip code that you provide, you can enter the address of a Fedex location that holds Express packages for pickup (see below) using the Mail to Address option, and your shipment will be held at that Fedex location for pickup for up to five business days.
Fedex locations that hold Express packages for pickup
You can search for Fedex locations at local.fedex.com.
Make sure that the location that you select lists “Hold Express package for pickup” as a Shipping service. Selecting a location that doesn’t provide this service may result in delays and additional fees.
Shipment timing
We usually ship your items document about one business day after you submit your desired address.
For destinations inside the US, we ship your license plates and registration document second day, meaning that they are expected to arrive two business days after sending.
Therefore, you can expect your shipment to arrive at your selected destination about three business days after you submit your destination, if that destination is inside the US.
For example, if you submit your shipment request on a Monday, you can expect it to arrive that Thursday (three business days after your submission). And if you submit your shipment request on a Friday, you can expect it to arrive the following Wednesday (three business days after your submission).
International Shipments
International shipments can take three to five business days to reach Europe and Australia, and as long as ten to 14 business days to reach Central and South America.
International shipments are subject to a flat surcharge of $50.
Modifying shipments en route
Once a shipment has been sent, changing its destination can be difficult or impossible.
We charge a $100 fee to attempt to update a shipment’s destination, and we cannot guarantee that our attempt will result in a successful update. We do not provide refunds for shipment destination modification fees, even if they are unsuccessful.
Therefore, please take care when entering your shipping destination.
Step 5: Montana Title
Step 5a: Montana Title
We receive your vehicle’s Montana title by mail, usually four to six weeks after registering your vehicle.
When we receive your vehicle’s Montana title, we will load an image of the document autos.visitor.us, and we’ll send you an email notification. (Note: you will need the authentic title document, not an image of it, to sell or export the vehicle.)
Step 5b: Montana Title by mail
Mail to Address
You can also have your items shipped to a dealership, the home of a friend or family member, or any other address.
Pickup at Fedex location
If you’re traveling in the US or Canada without a fixed address, you can choose to have your items delivered to a Fedex service location, where they will be held for up to five business days for pickup.
Simply show a photo ID that matches the name of the recipient, and collect your package.
The pickup at Fedex location is only available in the United States and Canada.
Note: while the Fedex location search service works well for most of the US and Canada, it may miss some Fedex locations in certain parts of those countries. If the service is unable to identify a Fedex location in the zip code that you provide, you can enter the address of a Fedex location that holds Express packages for pickup (see below) using the Mail to Address option, and your shipment will be held at that Fedex location for pickup for up to five business days.
Fedex locations that hold Express packages for pickup
You can search for Fedex locations at local.fedex.com.
Make sure that the location that you select lists “Hold Express package for pickup” as a Shipping service. Selecting a location that doesn’t provide this service may result in delays and additional fees.
Shipment timing
We usually ship your items document about one business day after you submit your desired address.
For destinations inside the US, we ship your Montana title second day, meaning that it is expected to arrive two business days after sending.
Therefore, you can expect your shipment to arrive at your selected destination about three business days after you submit your destination, if that destination is inside the US.
For example, if you submit your shipment request on a Monday, you can expect it to arrive that Thursday (three business days after your submission). And if you submit your shipment request on a Friday, you can expect it to arrive the following Wednesday (three business days after your submission).
International Shipments
International shipments can take three to five business days to reach Europe and Australia, and as long as ten to 14 business days to reach Central and South America.
International shipments are subject to a flat surcharge of $50.
Modifying shipments en route
Once a shipment has been sent, changing its destination can be difficult or impossible.
We charge a $100 fee to attempt to update a shipment’s destination, and we cannot guarantee that our attempt will result in a successful update. We do not provide refunds for shipment destination modification fees, even if they are unsuccessful.
Therefore, please take care when entering your shipping destination.
Order Complete!
When you have received your Montana license plates, registration document, and title, your visitor.us order is complete.
We hope you enjoy your visit!
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Learn more about vehicle purchase, insurance, and sales in general in the US
Checking a vehicle out
Paying for a vehicle
Purchase documentation
Insuring your vehicle
Finding a buyer for your vehicle
Selling your vehicle
