Registering Motor Vehicles and Trailers

Residents of the Town of Westport Island may register their vehicle or trailer at the Town Office during regular business hours.  For your convenience, renewals may also be done online.

New vehicle registrations or changes to current registrations, such as a change of address or name, must be conducted at the Town Office. Please allow extra time to process a new registration.

If you have never registered your vehicle on Westport Island before, you will need to register your vehicle in person at the Town Office.

All fees are payable by cash, check, or credit card. Please note: our processing company adds a 2.5% processing fee to all credit card transactions over $40.00 ($1.00 for those $40.00 and under).

COVID-19 Notice:

To assist us in processing re-registrations while we are working remotely, please complete & return this re-registration form with your check. (If you call or email Dedee in advance of submitting your paperwork, she will provide you with the amount needed.)

Register your vehicle online

What do I need to register a motor vehicle?

  1. Proof of insurance for the vehicle being registered. At the time of registration, proof of insurance must be shown as required by state law. Insurance cards may be emailed to the Town Office by you or your insurance company at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
  2. The current mileage of the vehicle to be registered.
  3. For a new vehicle, the window sticker must be shown to determine the manufacturers suggested retail price (MSRP) for excise tax purposes (see Motor Vehicle Excise Tax). If the window sticker is not on the vehicle or included with the paperwork given to you by the salesperson, please check the glove compartment or under the front seat. The dealership will place the sticker in either place, as they know it is required for the first registration. After registering your vehicle, please keep the window sticker as it must remain with the vehicle.
  4. For vehicles purchased from a dealership, the salesperson will provide a blue title application. The registration agent will need information from the title application in order to process your registration. If the vehicle was purchased out-of-state and the Dealer has completed this form, please bring it with you. If they have not completed a blue title application, they should have given you a title (used) or a Manufacturers Certificate of Origin (MCO) (new) with the back completed correctly.
  5. For vehicles purchased from a private party, a vehicle title is required for vehicles 1995 and newer. The seller should sign the back of the title in the appropriate place. Please do not cross out, white out, or erase any mistakes on the title. Doing so will void the title. If mistakes are made, come to the Town Office and ask for a Transfer of Ownership (MVT-16) form. Also, a Release of Lien form may be required. The title form has an area on the front showing if a lien was on the vehicle. The lien may have to be released on a separate form, and if so, that form must also accompany the title for registration. Titles are $33.00 each and the fees will be collected at the time of registration.

A bill of sale is also required for a vehicle purchased from a private party. The bill of sale should include the sale price, make, model, mileage, and VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) for the vehicle being sold as well as the name and address of the seller. The bill of sale is required so that state sales tax (5.5% of the purchase price) can be collected at the time of the registration. This link for sales tax is need for an out-of-state purchase is needed whether or not the sales tax has been collected by that state and is exempt in Maine. (In that case, there would be an exemption form compled in the state where the vehicle was purchased AND the Use Tax Certificate from Maine with all fields filled in as well as #5 and on the back of the form box C.

Registrations for vehicles purchased and previously registered in another state require proof of registration from the previous state, the title from that state, proof of Maine insurance and current mileage.

If you are required to file an SR-22 with the State of Maine, you must pay excise tax in Westport Island first, and then complete your vehicle registration at the Bureau of Motor Vehicles in Topsham or Augusta. Since COVID, we are allowed to continue with some SR-22 registrations with prior approval from the BMV, please call ahead if you need this option during State hours of business.

Other

Vanity Plates: To see if a vanity plate is available, check Vanity Plate Availability.
They are $25.00 more per year and can be applied at the link above.

Duplicate Registrations: We cannot photocopy registrations.  Duplicate registrations are available for a $6 fee.

Please call the office for special situations, such as:  out-of-state sales, name changes, additions or deletions to registrations, duplicate registrations, etc. (207) 882-8477 ext. 2 -- not all situations can be addressed on this webpage.