Move a Boat and Trailer to Alabama

Apply for a required Alabama vessel title no later than 20 days after the later of the ownership transfer or the date Alabama becomes the state of principal use. Register the vessel before Alabama operation and register the separate highway trailer within 30 days after it enters the state when its valid outside registration makes that resident window available.

Use Alabama's current vessel-title rules rather than the older blanket statement that boats are not titled. A qualifying vessel constructed after December 31, 2023 is titled, while a vessel under 18 feet is titled only when powered by at least 75 horsepower. Documented and foreign-documented vessels are exempt, and an owner may voluntarily title an older vessel at least 26 feet long.

Every registered vessel must have a hull identification number. Apply to Marine Patrol for a state-assigned HIN when a pre-1972, homemade, rebuilt, or other covered vessel lacks one; an officer then schedules an inspection to verify that no HIN already exists. That inspection is an identity check, not a seaworthiness approval.

File the current ALEA boat registration application and attach the prior state's registration for a boat previously registered elsewhere. Keep the vessel registration separate from the road trailer: Alabama does not title a boat trailer, but a trailer used on public highways receives its own registration and plate.