When you have paid off your vehicle lien in full, the lien holder, usually a financial institution, is obligated to send you a properly completed Maryland Notice of Security Interest Filing (SIF) for your vehicle, or a letter from the lien holder stating that the debt has been repaid in full. Sometimes you will receive both.

We recommend that when you receive one of these documents, immediately contact the MVA and request a "clear" title.

You may apply for a clear title in person at any of the MVA's full-service branch offices or by mail to the MVA's title file unit. You must submit the Maryland Notice of Security Interest Filing (SIF) and/or the lien release letter you received, plus the current title for your vehicle. No other special application form is needed.

Upon submission of these documents, you will have the option of retaining your current certificate of title, after it has been stamped and signed by the MVA to indicate that the lien has been released. Or you may request the printing of a duplicate certificate of title that does not mention the lien or its release. However, if you do not submit your certificate of title, you must apply for and pay for a duplicate title. In this instance, the online duplicate title service may not be used.

You may choose to do nothing when you receive the Maryland Notice of Security Interest Filing (SIF) or lien release letter from your lien holder. Simply file it in a safe place with your title. However, when you decide to sell or otherwise dispose of the vehicle, you will need to submit the SIF or lien release letter to the MVA at that time in order to complete the transfer of ownership.

• There is no fee for releasing a lien by stamping the existing Maryland Certificate of Title and returning it to the customer.
• There is a fee for printing a duplicate title. However, if the customer returns the existing Maryland title, there is no fee for the duplicate title.
  
  
  Contact Information:

MVA 
Title File Unit
6601 Ritchie Highway, NE
Glen Burnie, MD 21062

For telephone questions:

MVA Customer Service Center:	1-800-950-1MVA(1682)
TTY/Hearing Impaired:	1-800-492-4575
Out-of-State:	1-301-729-4550