Paid off your car in Rhode Island? How the lien comes off the title
When a loan is satisfied and the lienholder holds the certificate of title, Rhode Island law requires the lienholder to sign a release on the certificate (or as DMV prescribes) and mail or deliver the certificate and release to the next lienholder or, if none, to the owner. The lienholder may not charge a fee for delivering the certificate and release. DMV then either releases the lienholder's rights on the existing certificate or issues a new certificate without them.
What happens to the title in Rhode Island
R.I. Gen. Laws 31-3.1-16.1 authorizes the registrar to set up an electronic system with financial institutions and to skip mailing a paper certificate to the lienholder, but the statute is permissive.
When a loan is satisfied and the lienholder holds the certificate of title, Rhode Island law requires the lienholder to sign a release on the certificate (or as DMV prescribes) and mail or deliver the certificate and release to the next lienholder or, if none, to the owner. The lienholder may not charge a fee for delivering the certificate and release. DMV then either releases the lienholder's rights on the existing certificate or issues a new certificate without them.
Getting a clear Rhode Island title
Confirm any title fee with the state before you apply.
- Ask your lender in writing for the signed title or a signed release of its security interest.
- Check that the release is signed by the lienholder shown on the certificate and matches your vehicle.
- Take the certificate and release to the Rhode Island DMV so it can record the release or issue a new certificate without the lien.
- If the lender does not provide the release, the statute makes it liable for any damages the failure causes you.
How long the lender has
Rhode Island gives the lienholder 15 days after payoff.
The lienholder holding the certificate must execute the release within 15 business days after the security interest is satisfied, and a satisfied lienholder has 10 days if a prior lienholder holds the certificate. Source: R.I. Gen. Laws 31-3.1-22.
Get the Rhode Island lien release finished
Your loan is paid off but the title, the release, or the Rhode Island record still isn't right. We check the path and do the paperwork with you.
- We find the release path for your state and lender from official sources.
- We prepare the lien release or clear-title request, and any state form, for you to sign and send.
- We track the lender and the state until the record shows the lien released.
What your lender says about payoff
Each page covers what the lender publishes about releasing the lien, timing, and contacts.
- Alabama Credit Union
- Ally Auto
- Arlington Community Federal Credit Union
- Bank of America Auto
- Cadillac Financial
- Capital One Auto Finance
- Chase Auto
- Chrysler Capital
- Connexus Credit Union
- Credit Acceptance
- Digital Federal Credit Union (DCU)
- Direct Federal Credit Union
- Exeter Finance
- First Investors Financial Services
- Flagship Credit Acceptance (now Flagship Financial Group)
- Ford Credit
- Global Lending Services
- GM Financial
- Jaguar Financial Group
- Land Rover Financial Group
- LBS Financial Credit Union
- Lendbuzz
- Lexus Financial Services (loans)
- Lincoln Automotive Financial Services
- Maserati Capital USA
- Mazda Financial Services
- Navigant Credit Union
- Navy Federal Credit Union
- PNC Auto
- Regional Acceptance
- Rivian Financial Services
- Santander Consumer USA
- Skopos Financial
- Southeast Toyota Finance
- Stellantis Financial Services
- Subaru Motors Finance
- Tower Federal Credit Union
- Toyota Financial Services (loans)
- Truliant Federal Credit Union
- U.S. Bank Auto
- United Auto Credit
- Upgrade Auto Finance
- Virginia Credit Union
- Volkswagen Financial Services
- Volvo Car Financial Services
- Wells Fargo Auto
The Rhode Island rules behind this page
Recheck the agency page before you apply. Statute copies from third-party sites are labelled.
- R.I. Gen. Laws 31-3.1-22 Release of security interestChecked 2026-09-28 ↗Title / lien
- R.I. Gen. Laws 31-3.1-16.1 Electronic recording of security interestsChecked 2026-09-28 ↗Title / lien
- R.I. Gen. Laws 31-3.1-23 Lienholder informationChecked 2026-09-28 ↗Title / lien
- R.I. Gen. Laws Chapter 31-3.1 indexChecked 2026-09-28 ↗Title / lien
Rhode Island title after payoff questions
- How long does a lender have to release a lien in Rhode Island?
- The lienholder holding the certificate must execute the release within 15 business days after the security interest is satisfied, and a satisfied lienholder has 10 days if a prior lienholder holds the certificate. Source: R.I. Gen. Laws 31-3.1-22.
- Will Rhode Island mail me the title after I pay off the loan?
- When a loan is satisfied and the lienholder holds the certificate of title, Rhode Island law requires the lienholder to sign a release on the certificate (or as DMV prescribes) and mail or deliver the certificate and release to the next lienholder or, if none, to the owner. The lienholder may not charge a fee for delivering the certificate and release. DMV then either releases the lienholder's rights on the existing certificate or issues a new certificate without them. R.I. Gen. Laws 31-3.1-16.1 authorizes the registrar to set up an electronic system with financial institutions and to skip mailing a paper certificate to the lienholder, but the statute is permissive.
- What if my lender went out of business?
- We could not verify an official Rhode Island procedure for a lender that no longer exists. Ask the Rhode Island title agency before paying for a bonded title or court order.