Motor Vehicle Card Agent ($3,000) Bond - Statewide in Pennsylvania

Brief Summary

A Pennsylvania card agent is a notary who handles limited title and registration work under a PennDOT contract, such as moving a customer's existing plate to another vehicle the customer owns. The bond on this page is listed at $3,000, a modest filing for a notary office that wants to add card agent work.

PennDOT must require a bond indemnifying the public and the department, in an amount the department specifies, before it contracts with any messenger or agent service, under 75 Pa.C.S. § 7503.1. This listing covers the card agent bond at $3,000. A card agent must hold a notary commission under 67 Pa. Code § 43.3 and issues temporary registration cards, not new temporary registration plates.

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How to Apply for a Motor Vehicle Card Agent ($3,000) Bond:

• Hold a current notary public commission from the Pennsylvania Department of State or a similar agency in another state.
• Apply to PennDOT for approval as a card agent and enter into an agent contract with the department.
• Obtain the surety bond PennDOT specifies, listed here at $3,000, before the contract is signed.
• Affix your notarial seal and signature to your application for PennDOT forms.
• Forward original applications to PennDOT within 20 days and keep copies for three years.
• Send contract renewal information, including proof of bond, at least 60 days before the current contract expires, as PennDOT urges.

Detailed Information About the Pennsylvania Motor Vehicle Card Agent ($3,000) Bond:

Card agents do not issue plates

This is the point most applicants miss. PennDOT describes card agent services as limited titling and registration work, including title applications and transferring existing plates between vehicles owned by the same customer, and states that card agents do not issue new temporary registration plates. Under 67 Pa. Code § 43.6, temporary plates come only from the Bureau, approved government agencies, dealers, manufacturers and full agents.

The notary commission comes first

67 Pa. Code § 43.3 says a person must be commissioned as a notary public by the Pennsylvania Department of State, or a similar agency in another state, to be approved as a card agent. The card agent affixes the notarial seal and signature when applying to PennDOT for forms. If the notary commission is revoked, card agent status is revoked too, until the commission is reinstated.

The bond and its amount

PennDOT contracts with its messenger and agent services under 75 Pa.C.S. § 7501, and operating one without a valid contract is a summary offense with a $500 fine. Section 7503.1 requires a bond indemnifying the public and the department before the contract is signed and leaves the amount to PennDOT. The Chapter 43 rules do not print a dollar figure for card agents. This listing is written at $3,000. Confirm the current amount and the bond form with PennDOT before the bond is issued.

Issuing temporary registration cards

Under 67 Pa. Code § 43.5, a card agent must confirm the vehicle is insured and that the application is fully completed and notarized before issuing a card. The card expires when the regular registration card arrives, or after 60 days, or after 30 days for a vehicle bought in Pennsylvania to be moved to another state. No fee may be charged for issuing the temporary card on a registration transfer except notarization and messenger service fees the customer asks for, and receipts must list Commonwealth fees separately. Originals go to PennDOT within 20 days, and copies are kept for three years.

Eligibility and Requirements for a Pennsylvania Motor Vehicle Card Agent ($3,000) Bond:

• Obligee: Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.
• Bond indemnifying the public and the department under 75 Pa.C.S. § 7503.1.
• Card agent status tied to an active notary commission under 67 Pa. Code § 43.3.
• Proof of current insurance checked before each temporary registration card is issued.
• Itemized receipts that show Commonwealth fees separately from agent charges.

Pennsylvania Motor Vehicle Card Agent ($3,000) Bond FAQs:

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