How to fill out Michigan TR-205

The cheap way out of owning a vehicle with no ownership document, and it has a hard ceiling. Michigan lets you certify ownership yourself instead of buying a surety bond, but only for a vehicle that is ten or more calendar years old, worth $2,500 or less, and bought in Michigan. Over either line and the bond is compulsory.

Written against TR-205 (01/2026), issued under MCL 257.217(1)(d), the subsection that lets the Secretary of State take a certification instead of a bond. The value box is not a negotiation. An appraisal that comes back over the ceiling ends the self-certification route, and the alternative - a bond for twice the vehicle's value, running three years - costs a great deal more than the difference.

Two documents, and they are not the same thing. Take the blank TR-205 from the michigan.gov copy so you get the revision that is current today.

Step 1 · the form itself Blank TR-205 — Self-Certification of Vehicle Ownership PDF at michigan.gov · new tab

Filled in

What a completed one looks like

This is all 2 pages of the actual TR-205, rendered from the PDF the Michigan Department of State publishes and completed end to end: letterhead, every field, and the blocks at the foot.

Amber — you write it
Grey — not yours to fill
Numbered — explained below

A Michigan TR-205 filled in: the Vehicle box ticked, acquired 14 June 2015 in Gwinn, Marquette County from Theodore R. Lachance, an explanation that the title was never posted, a record of two telephone attempts and a returned letter, a 2004 Pontiac Grand Am with VIN 1G2NF52E14M508913 valued at 1,850 dollars, applicant Marguerite T. Boisvert of Marquette, signed and dated 08/19/2026. — Page 1 of 2. The instructions. The three eligibility conditions at the top - ten or more calendar years old, a value of $2,500 or less, purchased in Michigan - decide whether the rest of the form is available at all.

Field by field

Every line, in the order you meet it

1
You fill this in
Type of item acquired
Seven tick boxes across two rows. Vehicle is the first of them.
Watch out: The eligibility limits change with the box. A moped follows the vehicle rule, an ORV has to be six or more calendar years old and worth $1,500 or less, and watercraft has no age limit at all.
2
You fill this in
When, where and who from
Three single-line boxes recording the acquisition.
Watch out: Give a real date and a real place. This is the first thing an examiner reads and a vague answer sets the tone for the rest of the form.
3
You fill this in
Why is there not a properly assigned ownership document?
The first of three deep boxes, and the reason the application exists.
Watch out: Say which of the two situations you are in - never given one, or given one and lost it. The form's own instructions distinguish them and so will the reviewer.
4
You fill this in
When and how did you attempt to contact the owner of record?
Dates and methods - phone, e-mail, letter.
Watch out: This is the box that gets applications refused. Two dated phone calls and a returned letter is evidence; 'I tried to reach him' is not.
5
You fill this in
VIN/HIN
The identification number, under the vehicle's year, make and body style.
Watch out: You certify at the foot of the form that you have inspected it on the item itself and entered it above. Read it off the car, not off an old insurance document.
6
You fill this in
Value
The appraised value, in its own box under the VIN.
Watch out: It has to be backed by an appraisal from a licensed Michigan dealer or a printed online valuation, and it has to come in at $2,500 or less. Use tax is then charged on that value or the purchase price, whichever is higher.
7
You fill this in
Signature of applicant
One signature under four printed certifications, with the date beside it.
Watch out: Read the four lines above it. The third one - that you have exhausted all possible options - is the one the department will hold you to.

At a glance

What goes where

On the form	What to put in it
Type of item acquired	Seven tick boxes: vehicle, trailer coach, titled trailer, ORV, moped, watercraft, snowmobile. The eligibility limits differ for each - an ORV has to be six or more calendar years old and worth $1,500 or less.
When was the item acquired, where, and from whom	Three one-line boxes. The department is establishing a chain of possession, so approximate answers read as an incomplete form.
Why is there not a properly assigned ownership document?	A deep free-text box, and the substance of the application. The form recognises two situations: you were never given one and cannot reach the previous owner, or you had one and lost it and cannot reach them.
When and how did you attempt to contact the owner of record?	Another deep box, with the methods listed in the label: phone, e-mail, letter. The instructions say an applicant cannot use this procedure unless all possible options of contacting the owner of record have been exhausted.
Additional information about the acquisition of the item	The deepest box on the form, for anything that helps the department make sense of the history.
Information about the vehicle	Year, make, body style, VIN or HIN, and value - and value is the box the whole application turns on.
Information about the applicant	Printed name, address, phone number and e-mail.
Applicant's certification	Four printed certifications above a signature: that you are the rightful owner, that you are entitled to title or register it in Michigan, that you have exhausted all possible options to acquire a properly assigned ownership document, and that you have inspected the VIN or HIN on the item and entered it above.

What gets this one rejected

•A vehicle worth more than $2,500, or less than ten calendar years old. Either one puts you on the surety bond route instead, and the form is not a way round it.
•No appraisal. All non-dealer applicants must submit an appraisal showing the value is $2,500 or less - either from a licensed Michigan dealer or a printed page from an online appraisal service.
•A vehicle that was not purchased in Michigan. It is one of the three eligibility conditions, listed alongside the age and the value.
•An incomplete form. The instruction is printed twice: incomplete forms will not be accepted, and forms with insufficient information will not be accepted.
•Treating it as a way to skip finding the seller. The certification you sign says you have exhausted all possible options, and the free-text boxes are where you show your working.

Rules that decide whether it is accepted

•Tax is still due, and on the higher of two numbers. The note under the value box: a 6% use tax is due on the appraisal value or the purchase price, whichever is higher, as required by the Sales and Use Tax Act.
•A registration can be bought at the same time. The last instruction on page one. For a vehicle, proof of Michigan no-fault insurance has to be presented with it.
•Where it goes. Submit the completed form and all supporting documents to a Secretary of State office - it is a counter transaction, not a posting.

Every line here was read off TR-205 (01/2026) itself — the PDF is here — and off the Michigan Department of State pages. This is plain-language help with a form, not legal advice, and where our wording and the agency's differ, theirs governs.

Back to all Michigan seller paperwork, or what selling a car in Michigan involves.

How to fill out Michigan TR-205

What a completed one looks like

Every line, in the order you meet it

Type of item acquired

When, where and who from

Why is there not a properly assigned ownership document?

When and how did you attempt to contact the owner of record?

VIN/HIN

Value

Signature of applicant

What goes where

What gets this one rejected

Rules that decide whether it is accepted

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