How to Fill Out SCDMV Form 400 to Title and Register a Vehicle
The short answer
SCDMV Form 400 is the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles application used to request a certificate of title and/or registration for a vehicle. A certificate of title is the legal document that records who owns the vehicle and whether a lender has a claim on it. Registration is the separate permission to operate the vehicle on public roads, shown by the license plate and registration card. To complete the form, you identify the vehicle, identify every owner, record any lienholder, state the odometer reading where required, and sign it. You then submit it with the supporting documents the SCDMV requires for your type of transaction.
Two conditions change what you need. First, the transaction type: a vehicle bought from a South Carolina dealer, a private sale, a vehicle brought in from another state, and a title correction or transfer all call for different supporting paperwork. Second, the form revision: the SCDMV updates its forms, so field names and layout may differ from any description, including this one. Use the current version of the form issued by the SCDMV and follow its printed instructions where they differ from this guide.
What this guide can and cannot confirm
No verified source material was available for this article, so it gives no fees, processing times, office details, deadlines or exact field numbers. The steps below describe the information a state title and registration application generally asks for. Confirm fees, required attachments and current rules directly with the SCDMV or your county before you submit.
Before you start: gather your documents
The vehicle's ownership document: the previous title signed over to you, or the manufacturer's certificate of origin for a new vehicle; The vehicle identification number (VIN), the 17-character code found on the title, the dashboard near the windshield and the driver's door jamb on most modern vehicles; The South Carolina driver's license or ID card number for each owner; Lienholder details if the vehicle is financed; The current odometer reading, if the vehicle is subject to odometer disclosure; Proof of insurance that meets South Carolina requirements; Proof that county vehicle property taxes have been paid, which South Carolina generally requires before it will register a vehicle
For a vehicle coming from another state, the SCDMV may ask for additional items, such as the out-of-state title. Check the transaction-specific requirements before your visit.
Step-by-step: completing the form
1) Choose the transaction
Mark whether you are applying for a title, registration or both, and indicate the transaction type the form lists. Picking the wrong option is a common reason an application is returned.
2) Describe the vehicle
Enter the VIN, model year, make, model and body style exactly as they appear on the ownership document. Copy the VIN character by character and compare it with the plate on the vehicle itself. VINs never use the letters I, O or Q, which helps separate them from the numbers 1 and 0.
3) Identify the owners
List each owner's full legal name as it appears on their driver's license or ID, along with the license or ID number and address. If the vehicle will have more than one owner, follow the form's instructions on how the names are joined, because the wording can affect who may later sell or transfer the vehicle.
4) Record any lien
If a bank, credit union or finance company holds a loan on the vehicle, enter the lienholder's name and details as the lender provides them. If there is no loan, leave this section blank or mark it as instructed. Do not guess.
5) Odometer reading
Where the form or the transferred title requires an odometer disclosure, enter the mileage without tenths. Then mark whether it reflects actual mileage, exceeds the odometer's mechanical limits or is not the actual mileage. Federal rules exempt certain vehicles from disclosure based on age and weight. Check whether your vehicle qualifies instead of assuming it does.
6) Plate and registration details
If you are also registering the vehicle, give the plate information the form requests, such as whether you are transferring an existing plate or need a new one, if those options appear on your revision.
7) Sign and date
Every owner listed must usually sign. Your signature certifies that the information is true, so read the certification statement before you sign. An unsigned or partly signed application will normally not be processed.
Check your work before you submit
The VIN on the form matches the ownership document and the vehicle exactly; Names match the owners' identification documents, with no nicknames; The transaction type matches what you are actually doing; The lienholder section is either complete and correct, or left blank as instructed; The odometer reading and its status box are filled in where required; All owners have signed and dated the form; No corrections, cross-outs or correction fluid appear on the form or the title, since alterations can void a title; Required attachments, insurance proof and property tax receipt are together with the application
After submitting
Keep copies of everything you hand in. Once the transaction is processed, check the registration card and, when the title arrives, the certificate of title. Confirm that the VIN, names and lienholder are correct. Report any error to the SCDMV promptly, because correcting a title later usually means another application. For fees, timing or a situation this guide does not cover, such as an inherited vehicle, a lost title or a salvage or rebuilt vehicle, ask the SCDMV before you submit.