A Motorboat Bonded Certificate of Title is available to residents of Nebraska only. It is intended to provide a title for a motorboat when:

• a title has not previously been issued in this or any other state
• motorboat is homemade
• the applicant is unable to provide a properly assigned Certificate of Title or Manufacturer’s Statement of Origin (MSO)
• the motorboat currently has a bonded title in another state

Before you apply for a bonded certificate of title:

• You must request a search through the Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles to determine if a Nebraska title exists. To request a search you will need to complete an  Application for Copy of Vehicle Record and submit it and a $1.00 fee to the Department at the address indicated on the form
• If the motorboat was purchased in another state or via the Internet, a record search must be conducted through the Department of Motor Vehicles or the boat titling authority in the state where the vehicle was acquired
• If the search finds a title exists, you must send a certified letter, return receipt requested, to the titled owner (the owner of record) at their last known address. The letter must state that you are the current owner of the motorboat and request that the titled owner obtain a duplicate title and assign ownership to you
• If the search finds that an open lien exists on the vehicle, you must send a certified letter, return receipt requested, to the lienholder stating that you are the current owner of the vehicle and requesting they provide you with a lien release so you may obtain a title. If the lien is ten (10) years old or older, based upon the date of the lien filing, the lien may be released thirty (30) days after the date the certified letter is mailed upon receipt of proof of such mailing. If the lien is less than ten (10) years old and an acceptable lien release is not obtained a title will not be issued
• If a search by the Department of Motor Vehicles here, or in the state where the motorboat was acquired, cannot determine the titled owner, you must send a certified letter, return receipt requested, to the person or business where you acquired the motorboat requesting that they provide you with a properly assigned title
• All entities, the titled owner, the lienholder if one exists, and the person or business where you acquired the motorboat, must be allowed thirty (30) days to respond to your request. If any or all of the letters are returned with an indication of a new address, you must resend the certified letter to the new address
• If after thirty (30) days there is no response from the titled owner or the person or business where you acquired the motorboat, or if letter(s) to these entities come back as undeliverable, you may proceed with your application for a bonded title unless a lien release is required
• You will be required to submit a copy of the letter(s) and return receipt(s) to the Department along with your Application for a Bonded Certificate of Title. The returned letters should remain sealed, so be sure to make a copy of the letters you send to submit with you application
• If a Hull Identification Number (HIN) plate is required, you must complete an  Assigned ID Number Application and send it to the Driver and Vehicle Records Division of the Department along with a fee of $20.00. After it is manufactured, the HIN plate will be mailed to you along with an affidavit you must sign verifying that you received the HIN plate and that you affixed it to the motorboat in the proper place. This affidavit must be returned to the DMV along with your Application for Bonded Certificate of Title. A Sheriff’s Inspection is not required to obtain a HIN

To apply for a Bonded Certificate of Title, the following documentation must be submitted to the Department:

• The original return receipts and photocopies of all certified letters or, in the case where letters were returned as undeliverable, the unopened returned envelopes
• Any original written documentation that you received at the time the motorboat was acquired, such as a  Bill of Sale or a cancelled check (original document(s) will not be returned). An affidavit may also be accepted if you have no written documentation. You must explain in detail in the affidavit on the application form why you are entitled to ownership of the vehicle
• A photograph, taken at an angle to show the front and one side of the motorboat. The photograph will not be returned
• An Application for Bonded Certificate of Title for a Motorboat, completed in full and signed
• If an assigned Hull Identification Number (HIN) was required, the signed affidavit attesting to the fact that the HIN plate was properly affixed to the motorboat
• A Certificate of Title Surety Bond for a Motorboat, from a bonding company licensed to do business in the State of Nebraska. The amount of the bond must be based on one and one half times the current value of the motorboat and must be for three (3) years. If you are uncertain about the value of the motorboat, contact our office

  The surety bond must be submitted to the Department along with your Application for Bonded title and must be within 30 days of the date of issuance of the surety bond. This should be the last step in the process before submitting your application.

  To assist you in locating a bonding company, your insurance company is usually a good reference source. You can also find a bonding company by looking in the yellow pages of the telephone book under “Bond” and then “Surety”.

Include the appropriate fee as indicated below:

• a $20.00 application and title fee if the manufacture date is prior to 1-1-90
• a $50.00 application and title fee if the manufacture date is after 1-1-90

(These fees are not refundable)

 

Once the bonded title is issued, it will contain a notice of bonded title that will read: “Notice: This motorboat may be subject to an undisclosed interest, Bond Number _______”.

A motorboat with bond information on the title may be registered and may be sold. The bond information will be carried forward on the new title. After a three (3) year period, the current owner may submit an Application for Release of Notice on Bonded Title, along with the appropriate title fee to the Department of Motor Vehicles to request that the notice of bonded title be removed and a new title be issued.

 

Questions regarding Bonded Certificates of Title for Motorboats may be addressed by email or by phone at 402-471-3918.