Bonded Certificate of Title

MOTORBOAT

(If you have a vehicle, please refer to Bonded Certificate of Title – Vehicle)

A Bonded Certificate of Title is available to residents of Nebraska only. It is intended to provide a title for a motorboat when:

• a title has not previously been issued in this or any other state;
• motorboat is homemade;
• the applicant is unable to provide a properly assigned Certificate of Title or Manufacturer’s Statement of Origin (MSO);
• the motorboat currently has a bonded title in another state.

Before you apply for a bonded certificate of title:

• You must submit an Application for Copy of Vehicle Record* to the Department so it can be determined whether a title was ever issued in the State of Nebraska. The fee for this search is $1.00 per record.
• If a Hull Identification Number (HIN) plate is required, you must complete an Assigned ID Number Application* and send it to the Driver and Vehicle Records Division of the Department along with a fee of $20.00. After it is manufactured, the HIN plate will be mailed to you along with an affidavit you must sign verifying that you received the HIN plate and that you attached it to the motorboat in the proper place. This affidavit must be returned to the DMV along with your Application for Bonded Certificate of Title. A Sheriff’s Inspection is not required to obtain a HIN.

To apply for a Bonded Certificate of Title, the following documentation must be submitted to the Department:

• If there is an owner of record, the return receipt from a certified letter to the owner of record at the last known address stating you are the present owner of the motorboat and requesting that they obtain a duplicate title and assign it to you. The owner of record must be allowed thirty (30) days to respond.
• Any written documentation that you received at the time the motorboat was acquired, such as a Bill of Sale* or a cancelled check. An affidavit may also be accepted. You must explain in the affidavit on the application why you are entitled to ownership of the motorboat. The original documents will not be returned to you.
• A photograph, taken at an angle to show the front and one side of the motorboat. The photograph will not be returned.
• An Application for Bonded Certificate of Title for a Motorboat*, completed in full and signed.
• A Certificate of Title Surety Bond for a Motorboat*, from a bonding company licensed to do business in the State of Nebraska. The amount of the bond must be based on one and one half times the current value of the motorboat and must be for three (3) years. If you are uncertain about the value of the motorboat, contact our office. (Note: The surety bond must be submitted to the Department within 30 days of the date of issuance.)
  

  To assist you in locating a bonding company, your insurance company is usually a good reference source. You can also find a bonding company by looking in the yellow pages of the telephone book under “Bond” and then “Surety”.

Include the appropriate fee as indicated below:

• a $20.00 application and title fee if the manufacture date is prior to 1-1-90;
• a $50.00 application and title fee if the manufacture date is after 1-1-90.

(These fees are not refundable)

Once the bonded title is issued, it will contain a Notice of Bonded Title that will read: “Notice: This motorboat may be subject to an undisclosed interest, Bond Number _______”.

A motorboat with bond information on the title may be registered and may be sold. The bond information will be carried forward on the new title. After a three (3) year period, the current owner may submit an Application for Release of Notice on Bonded Title*, along with the appropriate title fee to the Department of Motor Vehicles to request that the Notice of Bonded Title be removed and a new Certificate of Title be issued.

(*Adobe Acrobat PDF document.)

Questions regarding Bonded Certificates of Title for Motorboats may be addressed to E-Mail or by contacting this office at (402) 471-3918.

This page last revised 7/27/2011.