Motor Vehicle Registration Reminder Notices

Important Notice about Motor Vehicle Registration Reminders:

Effective January 1st, 2015, reminder notices for motor vehicle registration will no longer be sent by mail. Email reminders will be sent.

If you haven't already given your email address to the Town Clerk's office please call or send an email with your email address so that you can be added to the reminder system to receive an email at the time your renewal is due.

Visit the Town Clerk's office, call (603) 772-4741, or email Deb Bakie for more information or to submit your email address.

• Other Motor Vehicle Information
• Downloadable Forms - Motor Vehicle (State of NH Pages)

Town Clerk / Tax Collector Hours:

Monday 8:30am to 7:00pm (closed 12-12:30)
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 8:30am to 4:00pm (closed 12-12:30)
Friday 8:00am to 12:30pm

If you have any questions outside of the Town Clerk's business hours, please call the Department of Motor Vehicles in Concord at (603) 227-4030. They are there Monday through Friday 8:15am to 4:15pm. Please note that these are the hours in Concord!

Please note that you will be asked to provide your driver's license to process any type of registration or title.

Please also note you may renew or inspect  any of your vehicles up to four months early.  You will need your current registration to do this.  You can do it on-line, or as long as your name is on the registration, (first or second owner), you can do it at our counter.  Ex. If your renewal month is January, you can come in as early as October to process your renewal!

For Registrations and Titles:

Copies of lost registrations (DSMV 106) can be purchased at any State of NH DMV substation for $15.00 or you may purchase one at the Town Clerk's Office for $18.00.

For a duplicate of a lost title (TDMV 18), you need to fill out an application for duplicate title and submit it (along with $25.00) to the Title Bureau in Concord. The applications are available at all MV substations or at the Stratham Town Clerk’s Office.

For Plates or Decals:

You can order replacements (DSMV 23) for either one or both plates and /or decals at any State of NH DMV substation or the Town Clerk's Office.

VANITY PLATES: 

The Primary owner can complete an application for vanity plates at the Town Office at the time of registering your vehicle.  We will give you a temporary (cardboard) plate, and will send your application to Concord.  If approved, they will send you the permanent (metal) plates within four weeks.  If denied, Concord will send you number plates, and a corrected registration along with a letter explaining the denial.  You will be credited the Vanity fees from Concord.

New Residents

If you have never registered a vehicle in the Town of Stratham then you are not established as a resident in our database and you will not be able to register a vehicle without establishing your residency. To do that, you'll need to bring in your current driver's license or other official photo ID and proof of your address in Stratham, NH. You can prove residency with items such as a utility bill or other official mail recently received by you at your address or a signed lease. If your address in Stratham is a PO Box, then you will need to provide a utility bill referencing a specific residential address in your name to prove residency.

Also as a reminder, if you have just moved to NH you have 60 days to apply for a NH Driver's License by NH State Law (RSA 263:35). If you do not apply for a NH Drivers License within the 60 days you will not be allowed to renew your vehicle registration as a N.H. resident or register any other vehicles as a NH resident. They would be processed as a non-resident.

Moving in from out of State with a Lienholder:

If you have an out of state lien holder that retains your title, or you are leasing your vehicle, You will need to come into the Town Clerk's Office with:

• Proof of residency in Stratham (an official piece of mail such as a utility bill recently mailed to you at your new address, or a signed lease, and a photo ID such as your Driver's License)
• All owners to the vehicle must be present to sign the NH Title application.
• Your out-of-state registration
• The mileage on your vehicle when you purchased it
• The name and mailing address of your lien holder or lessor.
• if leasing, your leasing papers showing who the lessees are.

We will prepare the NH Title Application for you, and issue you plates and a NH registration. We will mail the Title application to Concord to start the process of changing your Out of State title to a NH title. We will give you a copy of the NH   title application. We do suggest you notify your Lien Holder or Lessor that you have moved to NH, and the State of NH Title Bureau will be requesting the Out of State Title. This will give them time to prepare and mail it to the NH Title Bureau.

Moped Registrations: At this time we are not able to do first time registrations for mopeds 49cc's or less. New registrations for mopeds must be done at a DMV substation (Epping or Dover Point). We can do renewals of moped registrations only.

New Vehicle Registrations:

If you recently purchased or leased a vehicle that is the model year 2000 or newer, you will need the following:

Proof of Residency if you have never registered a vehicle in Stratham.

The Town Clerk's copy of your NH Title Application (blue sheet) if your vehicle was purchased or leased from a NH Dealer, or The actual Title or Certificate of Origin that has been signed over to you by the seller if you purchased or leased your vehicle from a private person or from an out-of-state dealer. (If leased, we will also need to see the lease paperwork showing who the lessees are.)  If you are making payments on your vehicle, please be sure to have the name and mailing address of your lien holder or lessor.

If you recently purchased a vehicle that is the model year 1999 or older, you will need one of the following along with a Bill of Sale:
The seller's previous NH registration, or the seller's NH or out of state title, or the form TDMV 19A - Verification of Vehicle Identification, properly completed. The TDMV 19A's are available at the Town Clerk/Tax Collector's Office in Stratham, NH State DMV substations, licensed NH Dealers, and licensed State Inspection Stations.

Please Note: The Bill of Sale must be signed by both the buyer(s) and seller(s) and must include their address. The Bill of Sale must also include the make, model, year, and VIN # of the car you purchased.

Renewing Registrations

Proof of Residency if you have never registered a vehicle in Stratham

For vehicles owned by a person or persons, the expiration date is the last day of the primary owner's (first name appearing on the registration) birth month. For vehicles owned by businesses or leasing companies, the expiration month varies according to the first letter of the business name.

Transferring Vehicle Registrations

Proof of residency if you have never registered a vehicle in Stratham.

A transfer registration is when you have taken a plated vehicle off the road and would like to transfer the same plates from your old vehicle over to your new vehicle. On a transfer registration, we are able to apply the remaining unused permit fee credit over to the cost of the permit fee on the new vehicle. To do a transfer, the primary owner (the 1st owner listed on the registration) or lessee of the old vehicle must be the listed primary owner or lessee of the new vehicle.

To complete a transfer registration (moving the plates from your old vehicle on to your new vehicle), you must bring in the original registration to the vehicle you took off the road. (Per RSA 261:66) If you do not have it, we can process a State-Certified duplicate registration here for $18.00. If you are turning your car in to a dealer as a trade in, do not let them keep your original registration. If you are selling your car to a private owner, do not let them keep your original registration. This will save you $18.00!

Transferring Your Vehicle(s) Into Your Trust 

You will need to bring in your original Title or Titles to your vehicles, and your registrations.  The vehicles cannot have a lien on them.  You will also need to bring in your Trust paperwork. At least one of the Trustees must be present to sign the paperwork.   You must be here at least 30 minutes before closing as this can be a lengthy process.

We accept these forms of payment:

• Checks - One check made out to: The Town of Stratham. (We will transfer the funds allocated to the State electronically.)
• Cash
• Credit Cards - Master Card, Visa, Discover, and American Express. Please note that a debit card is processed as a credit card at the counter. There are convenient fees if using a credit card online or over the counter. These fees go directly to our third party processor and are not retained by the Town. Convenience fees cannot be refunded.
• Debit Cards - Debit cards are not accepted at the counter. However, you can use ACH if you process your registration(s) online. Convenience fees will apply.

Proof of Residency Requirements:

Acceptable Proofs of Residency:

• A Current New Hampshire, or out of State driver's license, along with one of the following:
  • Utility bill or other official mail recently received at the Stratham address.
  • A notarized letter or signed lease from your landlord.

Resident: Someone, who has, through all of his/her actions, demonstrated a current intent to designate that place of abode as his/her principal place of physical presence for the indefinite future to the exclusion of all others (RSA 21:6).

For Proof of Residency, please present one of the following recent documents (dated within the last 60 days):

• A Utility bill in your name with your physical address on it.  Accepted Utility bills: Gas, Electric, Oil, Cable, Land-line phone bill. (Can be opened mail.)
• Unopened mail that has been processed through the post office with your physical address and name on the envelope. It cannot be addressed to "Resident." It cannot be junk mail.
•  A signed rental or lease agreement with the physical address listed, signed by both the landlord and the tenant(s).
• A Mailed official USPS Change of Address Confirmation Letter or mail with the yellow forwarding label on the envelope.
• A Notarized Resident(s)/Landlord Affidavit – (we can provide you with the forms) or direct verification by a parent or guardian. Verification must be made by the owner or property manager of the residence.

We cannot accept junk mail, magazines, title applications, cell phone bills, library cards, personal checks, or deeds for proof of residency. If you have a tax bill or a mortgage statement, it has to show it went through the post office. This is not an inclusive list, and we will review your documents when you come in.

Due to the privacy laws we are unable to give out your past motor vehicles fees over the phone.  There are a couple of options to obtain this information. 

1. Fees can be located on motor vehicle registrations. If you wish to deduct the municipal fees, they can be found on the bottom of registrations.
2. You can send us an email, and as long as your name is on the registration, (first or second owner) we will provide you with the information within two business days. You will need to provide the plate #, make, model, and year of your vehicle.
3. You can come into our office with your Identification, give us your list of motor vehicles  with the information on it and we can provide you with your fees.