State service guide

South Carolina replacement title: online duplicate filing, $15 base fee, lienholder mailing, and in-person same-day expedite

South Carolina treats a replacement title as a duplicate-title transaction, but the practical rules are more specific than a generic lost-title checklist. The SCDMV offers an online duplicate-title lane, yet the state still requires Form 400 for mail or branch filings, sends duplicate titles to the lienholder when a lien is still on the vehicle, and limits same-day expedited printing to in-person requests with an extra fee. The other important South Carolina split is that a title with wrong information is not just another duplicate-title case, because the state uses a correction workflow with a corrected Form 400 and, when the title is missing, a separate lost-or-destroyed title report.

Open official source View South Carolina services
Base fee $15 for a duplicate South Carolina title
Expedited option Same-day expedited duplicate titles are available only in person and add $20 to the standard fee
Online lane South Carolina offers an online duplicate-title transaction and starts that flow by asking whether the requester is the owner or lien holder
Lien mailing rule If the vehicle still has a lien, the duplicate title is sent to the lienholder rather than directly to the owner

Overview

What this page helps you verify

A strong South Carolina replacement-title page should separate ordinary lost-or-stolen duplicate requests from title-correction requests and from lien-driven mailing outcomes. The SCDMV's public replacement page makes the core duplicate-title rules straightforward: you can file online, by mail, or in person, the base fee is $15, and same-day expedite is available only at a branch for an extra $20. But the page should also surface the state-specific edge cases the official materials highlight, especially the address-on-file warning before ordering, the lienholder-delivery rule, and the fact that title corrections use different supporting paperwork when the original title is gone.

Last reviewed: 2026-05-22. This page was manually upgraded against service-specific official sources, but requirements can still change quickly.

Usually needed

Documents and information to prepare

  • Completed Title and/or Registration Application (SCDMV Form 400) for mail or in-person duplicate-title requests
  • Acceptable identification for the owner or filer, or the pickup authorization form South Carolina requires for certain in-person pickups
  • Agent Authorization for Title Pick-up (SCDMV Form MV-80) if a company sends someone to pick up the title
  • Third Party Title Pick Up (SCDMV Form MV-80A) if someone is picking up the title for another person
  • Payment for the $15 duplicate-title fee, or $35 total if you are using the in-person same-day expedited option
  • The current lienholder information if the vehicle still has a recorded lien and the replacement title must follow the lien record
  • For title-correction cases where the title is missing, a corrected Form 400 plus the Lost/Stolen or Destroyed Certificate of Title Report (Form TI-004A)

Typical flow

What the process often looks like

  1. Check first whether you need a plain duplicate title or a title correction. South Carolina treats lost or stolen titles as duplicate-title requests, but wrong title information belongs in the correction workflow instead.
  2. Verify the address on file before ordering the replacement title, because the SCDMV warns that address changes or additions can trigger a mailer to the previous address on record.
  3. Choose the filing channel that fits the case: online if the owner or lienholder can use the duplicate-title transaction, by mail with Form 400 and the $15 fee, or at a branch if you need in-person handling or same-day expedited service.
  4. Bring or send the identification and any authorization forms needed for the person handling the request, especially MV-80 or MV-80A when someone else is picking up the title.
  5. Submit the fee and watch the lien status, because South Carolina sends a duplicate title to the lienholder when the vehicle still carries a lien.

Base duplicate-title route

South Carolina gives you three duplicate-title channels, but they are not interchangeable in speed or paperwork

The official page supports online, mail, and branch filing, yet the state still treats Form 400 as the core paper application for non-online cases.

  • The SCDMV's Replace a Title page says you may apply for a duplicate title online.
  • For duplicate-title requests by mail or in person, South Carolina requires a completed Title Application, which is SCDMV Form 400.
  • The Form 400 itself marks duplicate title as a specific title transaction type and says expedited title service is only available in branch offices for an additional $20 fee.
  • If you mail the duplicate-title request, the SCDMV's replacement-title page directs it to the Titles unit in Blythewood rather than telling customers to use a generic DMV address.

Fees and timing

The normal South Carolina duplicate title costs $15, while same-day service is a branch-only upgrade

That is the main operational detail most people care about, and South Carolina publishes it clearly.

  • The Replace a Title page says the standard duplicate-title fee is $15.
  • The SCDMV fee listing separately shows title service at $15 and expedited title service at $35, reflecting the extra $20 expedite charge.
  • South Carolina says same-day expedited duplicate titles are available only in person, so the faster lane is not a mail or online upgrade.
  • The same public guidance tells mail applicants to use a check or money order payable to the SCDMV and not to mail cash.

Liens and delivery

A recorded lien changes who receives the South Carolina duplicate title

This is one of the most important state-specific replacement-title rules to keep near the top of the page.

  • The SCDMV's replacement-title page says that if there is a lien on the vehicle, the duplicate title will be sent to the lienholder.
  • South Carolina's lienholder guidance explains that the lienholder is the party holding the title interest until the debt is paid in full.
  • The lienholder page also says that when a paper title is requested, it will be mailed to the lienholder unless another rule, such as a second lienholder, changes the delivery path.
  • Because of that mailing rule, owners should not assume a duplicate title request will always produce a paper title sent directly to them.

Correction boundary

A South Carolina title with bad information is not always a duplicate-title problem

The state uses different paperwork once the issue is a correction rather than a straight reprint.

  • Form TI-004A says that when an application is submitted requesting a title correction and the title is not present, the registered owner or agent must complete the lost, stolen, or destroyed title report.
  • That TI-004A form also says it must be submitted with a corrected Form 400 and any applicable fees.
  • The Form 400 instructions and form layout make South Carolina's title work detail-sensitive, including the rule that strikeovers, erasures, correction tape, or correction fluid are not acceptable on the form.
  • A reviewed page should therefore separate a lost-title duplicate request from a correction request so users do not buy the wrong transaction first.

Address and pickup edge cases

Address verification and pickup authorization are two of South Carolina's easy-to-miss duplicate-title traps

They are operational details, not trivia, because they affect whether the title reaches the right person cleanly.

  • Before ordering a replacement title, the SCDMV tells customers to verify the address on file.
  • The same page warns that any address change or addition triggers a mailer to the previous address on record.
  • If a company sends someone to pick up the title, South Carolina requires Form MV-80.
  • If one person is picking up the title for another individual, the SCDMV requires Form MV-80A.

Accuracy notes

Where people get tripped up

  • South Carolina replacement-title content should lead with the duplicate-title framing, but it should not hide the correction workflow boundary.
  • Keep the lienholder-delivery rule near the top because it changes customer expectations about who actually receives the paper title.
  • Do not flatten expedited service into a generic fast-mail option. South Carolina limits same-day expedited duplicate titles to in-person filing.
  • The address-on-file warning is operationally important in this state because the SCDMV says address changes or additions trigger notice to the previous address.

FAQ

Common questions

  • Can I replace a South Carolina title online?

    Yes. The SCDMV publishes an online duplicate-title transaction and starts the flow by asking whether the requester is the owner or lien holder.

  • How much does a South Carolina replacement title cost?

    The standard duplicate-title fee is $15. If you want same-day expedited duplicate title service in person, South Carolina adds a $20 expedite fee for a total of $35.

  • Who receives the duplicate title if my vehicle still has a lien?

    South Carolina says the duplicate title will be sent to the lienholder if a lien is still on the vehicle.

  • What if the title information is wrong, not just lost?

    That may be a title-correction case instead of a plain duplicate-title request. South Carolina's TI-004A says that when a correction is requested and the title is missing, the owner or agent must submit TI-004A with a corrected Form 400 and any required fees.

Sources

Official references used for this page

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