How to Report Your Car as Stolen to the DMV

Report your stolen vehicle to the DMV.

Every year in the United States, millions of vehicles are stolen. You may be surprised to learn that the most common vehicles stolen are not late model vehicles. Thieves target older models because they are after the parts, not the vehicle itself, for resale. According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, car thefts have declined since 2008, but the risk remains. If your car is stolen, you will need to follow your state's DMV policy to assist in recovery and meet documentation requirements in the event your car is not recovered.

Things You'll Need

• Vehicle registration number
• Title number
• Make and model of your vehicle
• License plate number
• Vehicle serial number (if available)

Instructions

1. Make a report to the police. Most state DMV policies dictate the first thing you should do is contact the police and fill out a report. The police will enter your information into both the national and state auto-theft databases, which link with the DMV databases. You car title will be noted, prompting a red flag if someone attempts to request the title or sell the vehicle. You will need to supply the police with your registration and title numbers, make and model of your vehicle, your license plate number and the vehicle serial number, if available.

2. Contact your insurance company and update it on the status of your vehicle as stolen. This is a requirement in most states.

3. Contact your local DMV office to verify the police have entered your information into the national and state databases and have recorded the theft in your DMV records. If not, you will need to visit your local DMV office in person to submit a copy of the police report, so the DMV can update your records.

Tips & Warnings

• If your vehicle is not recovered, you will need to transfer ownership to your insurance company by signing over the title certificate. If you have lost the title certificate, you will need to apply for a duplicate title. The duplicate title will be marked as stolen and only transferable to the insurance company.

• Upon recovery of your vehicle, be sure to cancel the police report, thereby removing the stolen vehicle alert and updating your title record. If you do not, you will have trouble requesting the title or trying to register the vehicle in the future.

References

• New York State Department of Motor Vehicles: What to Do if Your Vehicle is Stolen / Recovered
• National Insurance Crime Bureau: Vehicle Theft Fraud