National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS) | Overview

The National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS) was created under the Anti Car Theft Act of 1992. In 1996, the Anti Car Theft Act was reauthorized and amended, transferring the responsibility for NMVTIS from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). NMVTIS is designed to prevent various types of automobile theft and fraud by providing an electronic means for verifying and exchanging title, brand, theft, and other data among state motor vehicle titling agencies, law enforcement officials, consumers, and other authorized users of the System. Where implemented, NMVTIS has already produced results, including time and cost savings, reductions in consumer wait time, improved recovery rate of stolen vehicles, increased ability to identify cloned vehicles prior to title issuance, and improved investigative abilities.

NMVTIS is important for the following reasons:

Each year 1.3 million vehicles are stolen in the United States.
Auto theft alone costs consumers and insurance companies $8 billion per year.
Per the National Insurance Crime Bureau, vehicle theft is the nation’s #1 property crime.
Vehicle identification number (VIN) information is often key to solving major crimes.
Odometer readings provide vital information for investigating fraud and title cloning.
The link between auto theft and other criminal activities has been clearly demonstrated.
Participation in the system is required by federal law and regulation.

See the official NMVTIS website, which contains the following information:

Date Created: February 19, 2012