A missing vehicle title doesn’t require guessing through several Missouri forms. For a Missouri title replacement, file Form 108 marked “DUPLICATE,” have it notarized, and submit the required fees. You can mail it to Jefferson City or visit any Missouri license office.
The form, and the word you have to write on it
Missouri uses Form 108 for a lost car title request. Mark the form “DUPLICATE” and have it notarized before filing it. Those are the two verified instructions that matter most for this request.
Start with the current Form 108 from the Missouri Department of Revenue Motor Vehicle section. Don’t rely on an old copy saved from another transaction. Forms and their printed instructions can change. The department’s current version should control if it differs from an older copy.
The word “DUPLICATE” identifies this as a replacement request. Don’t leave that part to inference. A completed Form 108 without that marking doesn’t follow the verified duplicate-title instruction provided by Missouri.
This use of Form 108 is specific. It applies when you’re replacing a lost Missouri title. It shouldn’t be presented as the confirmed application form for junking a vehicle. Missouri’s ordinary junking process requires the purchaser to apply to the Department of Revenue, but the specific application form for that use couldn’t be confirmed from a primary Department of Revenue statement.
That distinction matters if your end goal is scrapping the vehicle. The duplicate-title request and the junking transaction are separate steps with different rules. Our guide to junking a car in Missouri explains the approved salvage and junking process without treating Form 108 as the confirmed junking application.
Before submitting anything, check three points: you have the current Form 108, it’s marked “DUPLICATE,” and the required notarization is complete. Follow the form’s current instructions for every remaining field.
What it costs and where it goes
The verified cost for a duplicate Missouri title is $17.50. That total consists of an $8.50 title fee and a $9.00 processing fee.
Don’t substitute a towing charge, junk-car offer, or license-office service for that amount. The $17.50 figure applies to the state duplicate-title request described here. It doesn’t set any price for towing, storage, salvage, or vehicle removal.
For a mailed application, use this address exactly:
Motor Vehicle Bureau
301 West High Street, Room 370
PO Box 100
Jefferson City, MO 65105-0100
The approved state guidance confirms the address and the two fees. It doesn’t confirm a mailing turnaround time for this page. It also doesn’t confirm which payment methods the Motor Vehicle Bureau currently accepts by mail. Check the current Form 108 instructions or ask the Department of Revenue before sending your packet.
That check is especially useful when the title is needed for another transaction. A missing item or an outdated payment method can delay the next step. Don’t estimate the processing period around a sale, tow-yard release, or scheduled removal.
Keep a copy of what you submit for your records. That’s a practical safeguard, not a substitute for the title itself. If the Department of Revenue requests a correction, your copy can help you see what was originally sent.
The mailing address includes both a street line and a post-office box. Copy each line as published. Don’t replace it with a Springfield, Greene County, or local license-office address unless you’ve chosen the in-person option instead.
In person versus by mail
Missouri allows two filing routes for a duplicate title. You can mail the notarized Form 108 to the Motor Vehicle Bureau address above. You can also file in person at any Missouri license office.
That statewide in-person option gives Springfield-area drivers some flexibility. Someone in Springfield, Nixa, Ozark, Republic, or another nearby community isn’t limited to one named office. Use the Department of Revenue’s current office information to choose a location and confirm its hours before leaving.
Mailing avoids a license-office visit, but it adds transit time before state processing begins. No verified completion time is available for this page, so don’t build an urgent vehicle transaction around an assumed delivery date. If timing matters, ask the Department of Revenue what its current process allows.
An in-person filing doesn’t remove the core requirements. Bring Form 108 marked “DUPLICATE” and complete the notarization requirement. The approved information doesn’t confirm whether every office provides notary service, which identification each office may request, or whether a duplicate title is delivered during that visit. Confirm those details with the office you plan to use.
A missing title can feel urgent when Springfield police have ordered a vehicle towed. The city’s release process is separate from Missouri’s duplicate-title process. Springfield accepts several forms of ownership proof for a release, including a title, bill of sale, Missouri title application, notarized power of attorney, lien proof, repossession paperwork, or certificate of origin.
That means a duplicate title isn’t the only listed document in the city process. Read our guide to finding a towed car in Springfield and follow the city’s current release instructions. The city requires the release form in person before payment is made directly to its contracted towing company.
Why the notary step trips people up
Marking “DUPLICATE” and getting the form notarized are separate requirements. Completing one doesn’t replace the other. Missouri’s approved instruction for a lost title includes both.
Treat the notarization as part of the application, not a later cleanup step. Review the current form before meeting the notary. Follow its printed directions about where signatures and notarization belong. Don’t guess based on another Missouri form or an application from another state.
The verified $17.50 total covers the $8.50 title fee and $9.00 processing fee. It doesn’t confirm whether a notary may charge a separate amount. Ask your chosen notary about any charge before the appointment rather than assuming it’s included in the state total.
The approved information also doesn’t identify which documents a notary will require from you. Notaries and filing offices can explain their current identification procedures. That’s safer than arriving with a document that hasn’t been confirmed as acceptable.
If you signed in the wrong place or completed the form before reading its notary instructions, pause before mailing it. Ask the Department of Revenue or the notary whether you need a fresh form. Don’t add a second signature or make an unconfirmed correction that could create another problem.
A simple final review can prevent the obvious misses:
- Confirm that you used the current Form 108.
- Confirm that “DUPLICATE” is marked.
- Confirm that the required notarization is complete.
- Confirm the state fees total $17.50.
- Confirm the correct mailing address or chosen license office.
That review won’t predict state processing time. It does keep the verified requirements together before the application leaves your hands.
When you need the title at all
A duplicate title replaces a lost Missouri title document. Whether you need that replacement before the vehicle’s next step depends on what you’re doing with the car.
Springfield’s police-tow release process illustrates one difference. A title is accepted as proof of ownership, but it isn’t the only listed option. The city also identifies a bill of sale, Missouri title application, notarized power of attorney, lien proof, repossession paperwork, and a certificate of origin. Check the current city process before waiting on a duplicate title solely for an impound release.
Junking has another set of rules. When a vehicle is sold for salvage, dismantling, or rebuilding, the purchaser must forward the title or existing salvage certificate to the Missouri Director of Revenue within 10 days. The purchaser also submits a completed application and an $8.50 fee. The seller doesn’t make that filing.
Missouri has one narrow no-title exception. A scrap metal operator may buy an inoperable vehicle without a title when it’s at least 10 years old. The exception also covers parts from such a vehicle. Don’t treat that rule as a shortcut for a newer car or a vehicle that doesn’t meet the stated conditions.
Other age rules also apply to the resulting document. A salvage title is mandatory when the vehicle’s model year is six years old or newer at purchase. For a vehicle more than six years old, the purchaser may instead go directly to a junking certificate.
A junking certificate is permanent once issued. Missouri can’t later issue a certificate of title or salvage title for that vehicle. A limited rescission is available within 90 days when the vehicle hadn’t previously been classified as junk. The applicant must surrender the junking certificate and apply for a salvage title within that window.
The buyer must also complete Form SHP-498B before a notary in a junk, salvage, or rebuilding sale. The seller keeps that notarized affidavit. If you’re arranging junk car and abandoned vehicle removal, settle the title question before the operator arrives.
Missouri sellers must remove the plates before a buyer takes possession. Plates don’t transfer with ownership. They may be transferred to another vehicle the seller owns, surrendered at any Missouri license office, or mailed to:
Missouri Department of Revenue
ATTN: License Plate Surrender
301 West High Street, Room 370
Jefferson City, MO 65105-0100
Missouri doesn’t provide a refund for unexpired registration after surrender.
When to call us
Once the paperwork is clear and the vehicle needs physical removal, we can line up an independent local operator. The line takes calls 24 hours a day, and calls are recorded after a notice. Call us at (417) 221-8911.