How to Get a Duplicate Title in Texas

So a title that turns up in a drawer after a certified copy has issued is not a title any more. The department also marks the document “certified copy” on its face.

That is the opposite of the Georgia model, where the original is not cancelled and the replacement carries a legend saying so. Georgia’s replacement →

Tex. Transp. Code § 501.134.

“If a printed title is lost or destroyed, the owner or lienholder disclosed on the title may obtain… a certified copy of the lost or destroyed title directly from the department by applying in a manner prescribed by the department.”

An old loan that was paid off but never released therefore moves the right to apply away from you entirely until you produce the release. TxDMV adds that “an original release of lien letter is required if a lien is still on record” and that “a fax or photocopy is not acceptable”.

This is the single most common reason a Texas truck cannot be retitled quickly, and it is worth checking on the record before the truck is advertised.

Tex. Transp. Code § 501.134; TxDMV, Get a Copy of Your Title.

• Every recorded owner signsTxDMV: “All recorded owners must sign the form and provide photo ID (or a copy)”. By mail, a copy of the photo ID for all owners; in person, valid photo ID.
• Thirty days between copies“There is a 30-day waiting period to apply for a certified copy of title after the last one was issued.”
• The form is VTR-34Application for a Certified Copy of Title. It is filed with TxDMV rather than at the county office.

TxDMV, Get a Copy of Your Title (Form VTR-34).

The fee differs between a mailed application and one made in person, and both are published by TxDMV. They are not restated here:

TxDMV — Get a Copy of Your Title →

How duplicate titles work generally → · Texas title rules →