Instructions for Filing a Lien Holder in California

Lien holders are added to Certificate of Titles of vehicles, such as this convertible.

Adding a lien holder to your Certificate of Title in California takes only a few steps to complete. As the registered owner, there is not much that you have to do. The legal owner of the vehicle is the person who holds a financial interest in it, and once you refinance or apply for a loan against the equity of your vehicle, you will need to add that entity to the title. The majority of the paperwork and filing will be done by the new legal owner, who is the new lien holder.

Instructions

1. Release your interest as the legal owner of the vehicle by signing your name in Line 2 on the back of the Certificate of Title. Leave your information on Line 1 as it is if you are still intending to be the registered owner.

2. Hand deliver or mail the title to the new legal owner of the vehicle, who will add his information to the title and submit it to the Department of Motor Vehicles.

3. Check with your county's revenue office to make sure that the new legal owner of the vehicle has properly added herself as the new lien holder. Contact your closest office by phone or in person by visiting the website in the Resources section to find that office's contact information.

Tips & Warnings

• The California Department of Motor Vehicles will record the change and issue a revised Certificate of Title to the new lien holder.

References

• California Department of Motor Vehicles

Resources

• California Department of Motor Vehicles: DMV Public Offices By Location