Register your vehicle in the US in your own name. No LLC required.
Personal Registration titles and registers your car, RV or motorcycle in Montana in your own name. No LLC to form, no US driver's license, and the vehicle never has to go to Montana.
Why most "Montana registration" services form an LLC (and why you don't need one)
Vehicle registration in the United States is done by each state, and most states only register vehicles for their own residents: Oregon asks for a state tax return, Washington, Georgia and Illinois require a state driver's license, others want a Social Security number or utility bills. Montana registration services exist because Montana has no inspection, no general sales tax and no driver's license requirement. Almost all of them work by forming a Montana limited liability company and registering the vehicle to it. That structure was built for Americans avoiding sales tax in their home state. Personal Registration gives you the same Montana registration, with the same 0% sales tax, in your own name, so for a visitor the LLC adds nothing. It can also create a problem: a US company owned by a non-US person must file IRS Form 5472 for each year it has reportable transactions with its owner, such as the owner funding the vehicle purchase, with a $25,000 penalty for missing it.
How Personal Registration works
Montana's vehicle code says it in one sentence:
A nonresident who has an interest in real property in Montana may register in the county where the real property is located a motor vehicle, trailer, semitrailer, or pole trailer operated or driven upon the public highways of this state.
Montana Code Annotated 61-3-303, a sentence added in 2013
"Interest" does not mean ownership; a lease is an interest in real property. When you sign up, you e-sign a lease on visitor.us's premises in Montana. That lease is your interest in real property, and it is the legal basis on which the county treasurer titles and registers the vehicle in your name. As far as we know, visitor.us is the only registration service built on this provision for international visitors.
This Is How Easy US Vehicle Ownership Can Be
In the USA, vehicle ownership is governed by states, and Montana has the best combination of laws. Low registration fees. 0% sales tax (in most situations). No US driver’s license requirement. No emissions tests. And the car doesn’t have to be in Montana–or ever go there. It just takes 3 simple steps:
Create your Montana presence by signing a simple no-cost lease at visitor.us' office in Montana. (Learn more here)
You buy a vehicle - any vehicle with US ownership documents, anywhere you want - in your name, at our Montana address.
visitor.us registers your vehicle in your name, and sends your registration, license plates, and title to a location that’s convenient to you.
What you get
Who it is for
Visitors on tourist, student, business or working-holiday status buying a car, camper, truck, RV or motorcycle for a trip in the US, Canada or Mexico; families arriving from Europe, Israel, Australia or Latin America for a year on the road; Americans living abroad; and, in some circumstances, US residents who keep a vehicle outside their home state, for example on the Pan-American Highway or in Baja. If you live in the US, the rules of your home state still apply to you: we can explain how Montana registration works, but we cannot advise on whether it is right for your situation.
More complex needs?
We've got you covered.
Below you’ll find ways that visitors to the US are using visitor.us - select a use case to learn more.
What it costs
Personal Registration is $995 for your first vehicle and $895 for each additional vehicle on the same account. That includes the lease, the Montana title and registration, plates, the 40-day temporary registration, all state and county fees, and shipping within the United States. A few vehicles carry an extra charge, shown before you pay: vehicles four model years old or newer ($295), hybrids ($195) and electric vehicles ($295), and passenger vehicles with an MSRP of $150,000 or more (1% of value). Shipping outside the US is $95 per package. The full list is in Potential additional fees. See pricing.
Questions people ask
What is visitor.us?
visitor.us is a private Montana vehicle registration service for international visitors. Its Personal Registration titles and registers cars, RVs and motorcycles in the visitor's own name, without an LLC. It is not a government agency.
Do I need a Montana LLC to register a vehicle as a non-resident?
No. Montana law allows a nonresident with an interest in real property in Montana to register a vehicle in their own name. visitor.us provides that interest through a lease. You get the same Montana registration and 0% sales tax an LLC would give you, in your own name and without a company to maintain.
Which US state lets non-residents register a vehicle in their own name?
Montana, through the nonresident real-property provision. Most other states require residency, a state driver's license or a Social Security number.
Can a non-resident register a vehicle in South Dakota?
Usually not in your own name. South Dakota's title application asks each owner for a South Dakota driver's license or ID number, or a Social Security number; companies give a federal employer ID number. Most visitors have none of these, so for a visitor the usual South Dakota route is registering the vehicle to a company. Montana's nonresident provision requires none of them.
How long does it take to get plates?
A 40-day temporary registration within one business day; plates and registration about one week after we receive a clean prior title; the Montana title four to six weeks later.
Is visitor.us a Montana LLC service?
No. Since early 2025 visitor.us registers vehicles directly in the client's name. We do not form companies.
Is this legal?
Yes. It relies on a provision of Montana's vehicle code passed in 2013 for exactly this situation: people with a lease, condo or cabin in Montana who live elsewhere.
visitor.us is a private service, not a government agency.
Let's Get You on the Road
We make US vehicle ownership easy so you can enjoy your visit.
