How to fill out the Form 78-002 in Mississippi
A field-by-field walkthrough of the Mississippi Form 78-002 (Application for Mississippi Certificate of Title) for licensed used car dealers — what goes in every section, who signs what, and the documents you attach. Verified against the official form as of September 2026.
Filing these every week? DealerVLO builds the Form 78-002 worksheet from the deal you already entered, $29/month flat. See pricing
Filling out the MS Form 78-002 after a sale:
- What it is
- Mississippi's application for certificate of title — generated in DOR's MV e-Services, not a download
- Who completes it
- The dealer (a DOR designated agent) enters and submits it; the buyer and the designated agent sign it
- Where to file it
- Mississippi DOR through Motor Vehicle e-Services; the buyer registers with the yellow copy at the county Tax Collector
- Processing time
- Standard titles typically within six weeks; Fast Track within 72 hours of receipt at DOR
- Cost
- $9 title fee ($39 with Fast Track) + 5% sales tax after trade-in (3% for heavy trucks) + county tag fees and taxes
This guide is informational and does not replace the official Mississippi instructions. Always confirm the current form and procedure with Mississippi Department of Revenue (DOR), Motor Vehicle Services before you file.
See the MS Form 78-002 filled — from just a VIN
Enter a VIN, the buyer's name, and the price. We decode the vehicle and drop it onto a worksheet for the Mississippi Form 78-002 — the same fill DealerVLO produces from a deal. Watermarked preview; nothing is saved.
What the Form 78-002 is and why it matters
Form 78-002 is Mississippi's application for a certificate of title — the document that puts a vehicle in the buyer's name. On a dealer sale, DOR's answer to "how do I get a title" is simple: the dealer submits the completed application for title, and the buyer takes the yellow copy of the application to the county Tax Collector's office to register the vehicle. That's because licensed Mississippi dealers act as designated agents of DOR, and the application is built in Motor Vehicle e-Services.
The application itself doesn't compute sales tax — Mississippi's 5% on the net purchase price (after dealer discounts and trade-ins) is a separate calculation, and the county Tax Collector collects registration fees, privilege tax, and ad valorem taxes when the buyer tags the car. What the title application does need is exact owner names and ownership wording, a clean VIN, an honest odometer code, any brands, and the lien with its contract date. This guide walks each of those in the order DOR's e-Services import guide lists them.
Mississippi DOR calls the title application Form 78-002, but there's no blank 78-002 to download from DOR's forms library — and a licensed dealer doesn't need one. Licensed Mississippi dealers act as DOR designated agents (DOR requires an online designated-agent application and a $5,000 surety bond), and DOR's own instructions say the Title Application is generated by Motor Vehicle e-Services: you key the sale in (or import it as an XML file using DOR's schema), print the application, and have the buyer sign. So this guide walks the data MV e-Services asks for, grouped the way DOR's import guide lists it, rather than numbered boxes. Watch the neighbouring number: Form 78-006 is DOR's Application for Replacement Certificate of Title — a duplicate-title request, not the title application for a sale.
Documents to have before you start
Gather these before you complete the Form 78-002. A missing attachment is the number-one reason the Mississippi Department of Revenue (DOR), Motor Vehicle Services bounces a title application back.
- The assigned title or MCO — DOR requires the certificate of title (or manufacturer's certificate of origin) with the application for 1970-and-newer vehicles. The seller completes the assignment except the buyer's printed name and signature — never leave the buyer's name blank.
- Auction purchases: the full chain of assignment — If you bought at auction, the title must be assigned from the selling dealer to you, then from you to the buyer. An auction's own bill of sale isn't acceptable supporting documentation.
- Buyer's driver's license or ID number — MV e-Services records an ID type (Mississippi or out-of-state DL), issuing state, and number for each individual owner.
- Lienholder name, address, and contract date — The lien date is recorded as shown on the application, so it should match the security agreement.
- Power of attorney, if anyone signs for an owner — DOR's Power of Attorney to Transfer Motor Vehicle; MV e-Services can print a Secure Power of Attorney.
- Title fee payment — For electronically submitted applications, DOR requires payment electronically by the end of the month; paper submissions must have payment attached.
Form 78-002, section by section
Owner(s)
Start with the owner type — individual, business, estate, government, or trust. For an individual, enter first, middle, last name and suffix, plus the ID type (Mississippi DL or out-of-state DL), the issuing state, and the ID number, and a phone number. For a business, enter the business name — but DOR's rules say a sole proprietor must be titled in the individual's own name, with or without the trade name, never the trade name alone. If there's a second owner, the relationship wording matters: AND is a tenancy in common and AND/OR is a joint tenancy with right of survivorship — both need both signatures to sell or encumber the vehicle — while OR lets either owner act alone. A Mississippi title shows no more than two owners. You can also name a beneficiary.
| Field | Who fills it |
|---|---|
Owner type (individual / business / estate / government / trust) | You (dealer) |
Owner first, middle, last name, suffix — or business name Sole proprietor: the individual's name must appear, not just the trade name. | You (dealer) |
ID type, ID state, ID number Mississippi DL or out-of-state DL. | You (dealer) |
Owner phone number | You (dealer) |
Second owner + relationship (AND / AND/OR / OR) AND and AND/OR need both signatures to sell; OR lets either owner act. | Buyer |
Beneficiary (optional) | Buyer |
Owner physical and mailing address
The physical address, including the county, comes first; a separate mailing address is added only if it's different. The county matters in Mississippi because the buyer registers in the county where the vehicle is kept. DOR's rules also allow an out-of-state mailing address for applicants who live near the state line and only have one — enter the correct out-of-state address rather than forcing a Mississippi one.
| Field | Who fills it |
|---|---|
Physical street address, unit, city, county, state, ZIP | You (dealer) |
Mailing address different? + mailing address | You (dealer) |
Vehicle description
The VIN is the one field e-Services won't import without, and DOR's VIN decoding overrides year, model, body style, vehicle type and weight when it finds a match — so a mistyped VIN cascades into the wrong vehicle. Confirm it against the title and the vehicle. Then record whether the vehicle was purchased new or used, the colors, fuel type, and the purchase date. MSRP is part of the record, and leased vehicles have their own lessor and lease-type fields (purchase lease or net lease).
| Field | Who fills it |
|---|---|
Vehicle identification number Required; e-Services decodes the VIN. | You (dealer) |
Year, make, model, body style, vehicle type Overridden by the VIN decode when a match is found. | You (dealer) |
Primary / secondary color, fuel type, cylinders, axles, seats, unladen weight | You (dealer) |
Vehicle condition (new or used) | You (dealer) |
MSRP | You (dealer) |
Purchase date | You (dealer) |
Leased vehicle? lease type, lessor name and address | You (dealer) |
Odometer and title brands
Enter the odometer reading and the odometer code: Actual, Not Actual, Exceeds Mechanical Limits, or Exempt. Then carry forward every brand from the prior title — salvage, rebuilt, flood, fire, hail, junk, bonded, recovered or unrecovered theft, and others. Some, like flood and bonded, DOR describes as never removed from the vehicle. Dropping a brand on the application is the kind of error that follows the car forever.
| Field | Who fills it |
|---|---|
Odometer reading | You (dealer) |
Odometer code: Actual / Not Actual / Exceeds Mechanical Limits / Exempt | You (dealer) |
Brands: salvage, rebuilt, flood, fire, hail, junk, bond, theft, other Carry every brand forward from the prior title. | You (dealer) |
Lienholders
If the buyer financed, enter the primary lienholder's name, address, and contract date; a secondary lienholder has the same fields. In Mississippi the security interest is perfected when the owner signs a security agreement and a title application signed by the owner is presented to a designated agent — and the lien date is recorded as shown on the application. Use the date on the security agreement.
| Field | Who fills it |
|---|---|
Primary lienholder name and address | You (dealer) |
Primary lien contract date Recorded as shown — match the security agreement. | You (dealer) |
Secondary lienholder name, address, contract date | You (dealer) |
Fast Track option and signatures
If the buyer wants the title fast, mark Fast Track: DOR processes it within 72 hours of receipt for an extra $30 on top of the $9 title fee, but only if the paperwork goes to the Fast Track address by regular mail or hand delivery. Then print the application. DOR's rules require it to be signed by the buyer and by the designated agent (you). If the bill of sale or MCO shows two buyers, both names and signatures must be on the application. The buyer gets a duplicate copy — the yellow copy — which serves as their operating permit until the title is issued and is what they take to the county Tax Collector to register.
| Field | Who fills it |
|---|---|
Fast Track title? $30 on top of the $9 title fee; must go to DOR's Fast Track address. | You (dealer) |
Buyer (applicant) signature(s) Both buyers sign if both are on the bill of sale or MCO. | Buyer |
Designated agent (dealer) signature | You (dealer) |
Yellow copy to buyer The buyer's operating permit and registration document at the Tax Collector. | You (dealer) |
MS Sales tax & title fee calculator
Free · no signup · updates as you type
Mississippi sales tax on cars, vans, and trucks of 10,000 lbs or less is 5% of the net purchase price — after dealer discounts and trade-ins; manufacturer's rebates don't reduce it. Trucks over 10,000 lbs used to carry property are taxed at 3%, which this calculator doesn't cover. Title fee $9 ($39 with Fast Track). Registration ($14 first-time), privilege tax, and ad valorem tax depend on the vehicle and the buyer's city and county and are paid at the county Tax Collector — enter them as plate/registration if you know them. Confirm doc-fee treatment and current figures with Mississippi DOR.
Stop re-keying this onto the Form 78-002.
DealerVLO runs this math on every deal and drops it — with the VIN, buyer, and sale price — straight onto the official MS Form 78-002, the bill of sale, and the FTC forms. One screen, no re-keying.
14-day free trial — a card starts it, no charge until day 14, then $29/month. Cancel any time.
The Form 78-002 is one car's paperwork. A 20-second read on your lot, and the tax-and-fee math for the whole deal — built for dealers, no signup. Free calculators dealers actually use — no signup, no email.
DealerVLO turns your deal into a print-ready Mississippi Form 78-002 worksheet — VIN-decoded vehicle, buyer, co-buyer, and sale price laid out and ready to key in or copy over. $29/month, free to try — cancel any time.
Common Form 78-002 mistakes that cause rejections
Form 78-006 is DOR's Application for Replacement Certificate of Title — a duplicate-title request for a lost, stolen, or damaged title. A dealer sale needs the title application generated in MV e-Services, signed by the buyer and by you as designated agent.
DOR warns that an incomplete title assignment violates Mississippi law. The seller fills in everything on the assignment except the buyer's printed name and signature — which the buyer completes at the sale, not later.
AND (tenancy in common) and AND/OR (joint tenancy with right of survivorship) both require both owners' signatures to sell or borrow against the vehicle, and they differ when an owner dies; OR lets either owner act alone. Ask the buyers which they want before you submit.
For an auction unit, DOR needs the title assigned from the selling dealer to you and then from you to the buyer. A bill of sale from the auction itself isn't acceptable supporting documentation.
If DOR sends an Additional Information Request, the corrected application and documents must be back within 30 days of the letter's date. Meanwhile the buyer still has to register within 30 business days of the purchase date, so a stalled application becomes their problem at the Tax Collector.
Common questions
What form is the Mississippi title application?+
Form 78-002, the application for a Mississippi certificate of title, issued by the Mississippi Department of Revenue. On a dealer sale the dealer submits it through DOR's Motor Vehicle e-Services, and the buyer takes the yellow copy to the county Tax Collector to register.
Can I download Mississippi Form 78-002?+
DOR doesn't publish a blank 78-002 in its online forms library. Licensed dealers act as DOR designated agents, and DOR says the Title Application is generated in Motor Vehicle e-Services. Private buyers complete the application at the county Tax Collector's office.
Is Mississippi Form 78-006 a title application?+
No. Form 78-006 is the Application for Replacement Certificate of Title — used to replace a lost, stolen, mutilated, or never-received title for a $9 fee. It isn't used to title a vehicle to a new buyer.
How much is a Mississippi title?+
The title fee is $9. Fast Track processing adds $30, for $39 total, and DOR processes Fast Track applications within 72 hours of receiving them. Standard titles are typically issued within six weeks of a complete application.
How much is sales tax on a car in Mississippi?+
5% of the net purchase price for cars, vans, and trucks of 10,000 lbs or less — the price after dealer discounts and trade-ins. Manufacturer's rebates don't reduce it. Trucks over 10,000 lbs that carry property are taxed at 3%.
Does a trade-in reduce Mississippi sales tax?+
Yes. Mississippi figures vehicle sales tax on the net purchase price, which is the price after dealer discounts and the trade-in allowance.
How long does a Mississippi buyer have to register a car bought from a dealer?+
30 business days from the purchase date. A buyer who bought outside their home county has 48 hours to take the vehicle home, then the same 30 business days to register before penalties apply.
Is there software that fills out the Form 78-002 automatically?+
Yes. Dealer management software like DealerVLO turns the deal you already entered into a print-ready Mississippi Form 78-002 worksheet — the VIN-decoded vehicle, buyer, co-buyer, lienholder, and sale price laid out and ready to copy onto the form or key into the state's system. It's $29/month flat with a 14-day free trial, and the same deal also generates your federal documents (Bill of Sale, FTC Buyers Guide, odometer disclosure) and any other state's title forms.
Stop filling out the Form 78-002 by hand.
DealerVLO turns your deal jacket into a print-ready MS Form 78-002 worksheet — VIN-decoded vehicle, buyer, co-buyer, lienholder, and sale price laid out, so keying it in or copying it over takes minutes. $29/month. 14-day free trial, cancel any time.
Curious how it works? See how DealerVLO auto-fills every dealer document — bill of sale, FTC Buyers Guide, odometer disclosure, and state title & registration forms for all 50 states, from one deal.
Bond amounts, fees, and form rules change. Get a short email when your state does. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.