How to fill out Maine MVT-103

Two forms printed back to back, doing opposite jobs. Part A is the account of a rebuild: every component that went into the vehicle, whether it was new, used or repaired, and where each used part came from. Part B is the notice that a salvage vehicle has been scrapped, dismantled, compressed or destroyed, and is not coming back. Which side you are looking at decides who signs, and a private owner is on the Bureau's side of neither - Part A is signed by the repairer.

Written against MVT-103 (Rev 9-2021), issued under 29-A M.R.S. section 654. A vehicle stops being a motor vehicle in Maine only when the certificate of title or the certificate of salvage has been surrendered to the Secretary of State - the Bureau states that in its own training material, with asterisks around it. Until that happens the paperwork is still live, whatever condition the vehicle is in.

Two documents, and they are not the same thing. Take the blank MVT-103 from the maine.gov copy so you get the revision that is current today, then print our MVT-103 guide and keep it beside you while you fill theirs in.

Every line, in the order you meet it

1. 1
   You fill this in

   Final vehicle owner

   Name, address, telephone, and the vehicle's make, model and identification number with the Bureau's reference number.

   Watch out: Final vehicle owner means whoever will hold the rebuilt title, not the repairer. It is the one block on Part A that is about you.

2. 2
   Somebody else fills this in

   Key each component

   N for new, U for used, R for repaired, beside every part in the list.

   Watch out: Repaired is a real answer and it is the one that keeps the count down. A panel straightened rather than swapped is an R and does not add to the tally.

3. 3
   Somebody else fills this in

   Left or right

   The narrow column beside the part name takes an L or an R.

   Watch out: It matters for fenders, doors and quarters, which is why the column is there. A row that does not say which side is a row the Bureau has to query.

4. 4
   Somebody else fills this in

   Donor details for every used part

   The donor's identification number, title state, title number and the date that title was surrendered.

   Watch out: All four columns. A donor number with no surrender date leaves an open title somewhere in the record and that is exactly what the columns exist to close.

5. 5
   Somebody else fills this in

   The airbag rows

   Serial numbers for each new airbag; the donor identification number for a used one.

   Watch out: The instruction is printed inside the row itself rather than in the notes, which is why it is missed. There are two separate airbag rows for that reason.

6. 6
   Somebody else fills this in

   Clips get their own numbers

   If a full front or rear clip is used, record the identification number of the vehicle it came from.

   Watch out: A clip is the biggest single donor contribution there is, and it carries the donor's own structure and stampings with it.

7. 7
   Somebody else fills this in

   No repairs made

   The line for a totalled vehicle repaired without replacing anything, with a space to explain.

   Watch out: This is how a title gets coded Repaired rather than Rebuilt. It still needs the repairer's signature and it still needs the explanation.

8. 8
   Somebody else fills this in

   The repairer signs

   Date, signature, address and telephone, under a certification given under penalties of false statement.

   Watch out: The certification is that Part A is true and correct. It is the repairer's statement about their own work and not something an owner can sign on their behalf.

What gets this one rejected

• •A used part listed with no donor identification number. Vehicle identification numbers for used parts are required and the Bureau repeats it in its recycler material.
• •A new part listed without a bill of sale. The Part A instructions say bills of sale for new components must accompany this form, and the recycler guidance adds that new parts require receipts.
• •A new airbag with no serial number, or a used airbag with no donor identification number. Both rules are printed inside the airbag rows themselves.
• •A full clip used with no donor identification number recorded, which the two clip rows ask for by name.
• •Part A signed by the owner rather than by the repairer, when the certification is the repairer's own.
• •Part B filed for a rebuilt vehicle. The instruction says if the salvage vehicle has been rebuilt, use Part A on the reverse instead.

Rules that decide whether it is accepted

• •Which brand you end up with is a matter of counting. The Bureau's dealer material states the arithmetic: one to four component parts replaced codes the title Rebuilt; five or more codes it Rebuilt Salvage; and a vehicle declared totalled and repaired with no parts replaced is coded Repaired on the strength of this form completed by the repairer.
• •The donor titles go too. Titles for the vehicles that supplied parts must be surrendered as junk. The four donor columns on Part A exist so the Bureau can match each one.
• •Thirty days on the way out. Part B's own instruction sets the clock: the destruction of the vehicle must be reported to the Secretary of State within thirty days, and the form is only needed where a title or certificate of salvage is not submitted.
• •Put your name on the back of what you surrender. The Bureau's closing note on Part B: make sure your name is on the back of every surrendered title or on a transfer form attached to the title.

Every line here was read off MVT-103 (Rev 9-2021) itself — the PDF is here — and off the Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles pages. This is plain-language help with a form, not legal advice, and where our wording and the agency's differ, theirs governs.

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