Apply for Missouri Dealer License
Missouri Dealer Licenses are regulated by the Missouri Department of Revenue and are approved by the Dealer Licensing Section in Jefferson City. The Dealer Licensing Section requires that you apply for your Missouri Dealer License online. They no longer accept mailed in or drop off applications at their office.
Submitting the Missouri Dealer License Application at mydmv.mo.gov
I want to show you how to apply for your dealers license you must apply for your license if the dealer portal the dealer portal is located in mydmv.mo.gov so you’re going to be able to apply for your initial dealers license you can also reapply for your license when it's due you got submit sales reports file liens and issue temporary permits as well I'm going to show you the dealer portal right now.
You go to mydmv.mo.gov and we're going to land on this web page right here that says driver license services and motor vehicle services to apply for your dealer's license and reach the dealer licensing portal you'll click on motor vehicle services and now you land on the Missouri Department of Revenue dealer licensing section dealer portal, You will basically be able to run your new business from this web page.
We're going to cover financing and you might decide that you want to become a buy here pay here dealer and we'll talk about that later on in the course if you're going to be a buy here pay here dealer you're going to have to have the ability to place your financial claim on a vehicle once someone owes you money on that vehicle to ensure they pay you off before they can resell it and we call that a lien every licensed motor vehicle dealer Missouri can file liens on vehicles and I'm going to show you how to do that right through the dealer portal later on in the course.
You can issue temporary permits on the vehicles that you sell and I'm going to cover that process extensively with you later on in the course so you can print your temporary permits up right here on the temporary permit box.
You can also order your temporary permit paper a temporary permit is basically a thick piece of paper with a hologram on the front with a little tear off tag and I'm going to show you how to order these and issue these on the vehicle you have sold later on the course if that's something that you're interested in.
You can also check your license application status when you apply for your license correctly you should get the license back in about 7 to 10 days normally at the end of the year it can take quite a bit longer because the dealer licensing section is renewing half of the dealers licenses but during the rest of the year you should get the license back within about 7 to 10 days if for some reason we applied for license three or four weeks ago and still haven't gotten your license in the mail box work could be a problem with your application so we can click on business license application status and type in your name and they might say for example that you submitted an incorrect photograph or the wrong amount for a bond but in most scenarios during the majority of the year you should get your license back within about 7 to 10 days.
Before you apply for your Missouri dealer license, you will need to scan 6 documents on your computer, and you will need to upload those through the dealer portal. The six documents will include: Your copy of your dealer insurance, which is normally what we call the accord form. You need a copy of your dealer Surety bond or your irrevocable letter of credit, whichever one you chose. Background check for each person on the license. Law enforcement signature form 5748. Photograph of the entire building, including the lawn sign. Your dealer class certificate of completion that you will receive at the end of this course. Once again, you will need to scan a copy of your insurance, your bond or irrevocable letter of credit, the background check for each person on the license, the law enforcement signature form 5748, photograph of the entire lawn sign, and your dealer class certificate of completion. If you do not have these six documents scanned on your computer, you will not be able to complete your dealer application. If, for some reason, you're missing a document, say for example a photograph, you can save the application, retrieve a photograph, and then resume the application as well. This dealer licensing section data portal will not allow you to apply for your license unless you have those six documents, and this will actually expedite your licensing approval.
The effective date will normally be the date that you're applying, but if you want to have the effective date at a later date, you can enter that later date, but it must be within 15 days of today's date. Now we're going to enter our organization information, and I want to bring your attention to the business name and the DBA name. The business name may be the exact same name as your DBA, which stands for doing business as. So, it could be, for example, Missouri Motors, and you're doing business as Missouri Motors. Then your business name would be Missouri Motors, and you're doing business as Missouri Motors. It's very common for your business name and your DBA to be the exact same name. However, you could, for example, have one corporation name with which you're opening a dealership with a different name. So, you could possibly be Missouri Motors LLC, but you're opening Jefferson City Auto Sales within Missouri Motors LLC. Missouri Motors LLC would be your business name, but you're doing business as Jefferson City Auto Sales. The DBA is the name that is on your sign, and that is also the name that your customers will recognize you as because you're doing business as that name. Over to the right, MITS number. This is a sales tax number. At the time of this video, dealers are not required to charge sales tax when selling a vehicle, so you don't currently need a sales tax number. However, I want you to be very clear: the state has passed a law that will require dealers to charge sales tax in the future, but currently, dealers are not required to charge sales tax. It's my understanding that it will be around summer of 2026 when they start charging sales tax, and I'll post a new video on that on the website for you to learn from later. If you're selling parts, batteries, fenders, tires, then you will need to charge sales tax and you will need an MITS sales tax number. But right now, if you're only selling motor vehicles, you can get your dealer's license without a sales tax number, so if you're not selling parts, then you can leave the number blank. SOS number is that new Secretary of State number that you've obtained when you registered with the Secretary of State, and then the ownership type will select either individual, partnership, LLC, corporation, whatever business entity that you have chosen. Under the contact information, at minimum, you must have a phone number and an email. Missouri law is very clear: all dealers must have a phone number and an email, so make sure and put your contact information and your name as well.
If you are always selling used motor vehicles underneath operation type we're going to select use motor vehicle and use power sport dealer and under unit type you'll Scroll down and you will only check used MB's which stands for used motor vehicles if you only check these two boxes you're legally be able to sell any used motor vehicle you would be able to sell used cars used trucks I used trailer it's considered a motor vehicle you'll be able to sell used pop up campers used bulldozers used Bobcats used combines used tractors used semi-trucks and all used power sports so you'll also be able to sell used motorcycles used scooters used ATV's and used jet skis so if you only check these two boxes you'll be able to sell anonymous vehicle underneath the unit type if you start selecting other vehicle categories that will narrow in scope which are legally able to sell so I always recommend only checking the used and these box and that will allow you to sell all the used vehicle categories that you see I want to bring your attention back over to the operation type if you're only selling used motor vehicles then you're only going to check the two boxes you see on the screen right now however if you're ever going to sell brand new vehicles there are separate licenses for brand new vehicles there's the loose motor vehicle used power sport needle license for those vehicles but then if you're going to sell one vehicles you have to select the new motor vehicle category and resubmit a separate application so let's say for example you start selling brand new trailers later on then you'll have to get a trailer dealer license later on you might decide to sell brand new recreational motor vehicles then you would have to get a recreational motor vehicle dealer license to sell brand new RV's or let's say for example later on you will sell brand new motorcycles then you would have to get a new power sport dealer license but if you're selling used motor vehicles you can just check the used motor vehicle and use power sport dealer box and then on the unit type only check used and these.
The state has changed the law on the maximum number of digital license plates that you can obtain when you first apply for your license. In the past, the state would actually allow you to order 60, 70, or more dealer license plates when you were obtaining a license for the very first time. The state realized that a person obtaining a license for the first time with 60 or 70 dealer license plates was probably putting them on some vehicles they weren't legally allowed to. So, the state changed the law. Now, the maximum number of dealer plates you can apply for when you initially obtain your license will be two. If you want more than two dealer plates, that's not a problem. You would just need to get your dealer's license. Sell 15 vehicles, then you can order a second vendor license plate. Sell 10 more vehicles, then you can order a third dealer license plate. Sell 10 more, then you can order a fourth. When you're applying for your license for the very first time, you will get the maximum of two dealer types. If you need more, get your license. Sell 15 vehicles to order a third, sell 10 more to order a fourth, and sell 10 more to order four more. So, if you want the maximum number of dealer plates when you're initially applying for your license, you'll need to enter and list 10 as your estimated sales. However, every single year, the state will count up all of your sales, and that will determine how many dealer plates they mail you the following January. The state operates on a 1 dealer plate per 10 sales ratio. So, let's say, for example, you sell 100 vehicles in a year. The following January, the state won't issue you 10 dealer license plates. If you sold 50 vehicles one year, the following January, the state will issue you five dealer license plates. If you've always sold five vehicles in a year, the following January, you'll only receive one dealer plate. So, like I said, if you want your maximum two dealer plates, enter 10 as your estimated sales. Now, over to the right, CTS plate type. The state allows you to choose the size of dealer plates that you're going to be ordering. If you want both of your dealer plates to be the full-size motor vehicle plates, like the ones that are on a car you're driving, then you can enter 2 next to the motor vehicle. However, if you're like me, I always sold a lot of motorcycles and I needed a motorcycle dealer plate. But they don't call them that. They call a motorcycle dealer plate a power sport tag. So, maybe you would like one motor vehicle plate and one power sport. Select the vehicle plate types that are going to be best for you.
I want you to be aware of this: no online dealer license application system will automatically prorate your dealer license and dealer license plate fee for the remainder of the year when you're applying for the first time. So, if you get your license for the first time in January, it will prorate. If you get your license for the first time in July, you'll pay the remainder of the year. So, it will automatically prorate your dealer license plate fee, and in a moment, you'll be taken to the state secure payment portal where you can easily pay the exact correct prorated dealer license plate fee. On this screen, you will need to select your official hours of operation. The hours of operation that you select on this screen are your official hours of operation, and they must match the signage on the front of your building. Remember, all dealers must be open at least four days a week, at least 20 hours. And you will need to ensure that you are staffing the dealership during your posted hours. The dealership doesn't necessarily have to be staffed by you, the owner; it can be staffed by a bonafide employee, such as a salesperson as well. Make sure the hours of operation you enter here match the posting level hours on the front of the building. And remember, the dealership must be staffed during those posted hours; that is a state law. Next, you'll enter the physical address of your dealership. This must be the physical address and cannot be a PO Box. This physical address will show the state exactly where your dealer's license is located. But we're going to scroll down and start uploading some documents. The first thing you'll do is select the law enforcement agency, the beginning inspection, the date of the approval or disapproval, and now you're going to go ahead and upload form 5748, mostly the front that the law enforcement officer signed.
And now you're going to do the same thing with your bond and your dealer insurance. So, enter your bond or irrevocable letter of credit company along with your policy number and the bond amount. You're going to select your bond, and then you're going to do the same thing with your garage policy. By the way, your garage policy is your insurance; a lot of times they call it a garage policy. So, we will select those two documents, and you'll see a little green status bar when your upload is complete. The next document you will upload is your official dealer training course certificate of completion. That will pop up on your screen automatically after you've watched the final video. So, be sure to download that document on your computer. And now you're going to select that document right here. And remember, you're taking your course from Missouri Below Seminars. Finally, you're going to enter the owners. These are the persons whose name appears on the dealer's license. In my dealer training classes, I've often been asked if you should put your salesperson on your license. I recommend never putting a salesperson on your dealer's license. I recommend only putting your most trusted business associates. Maybe that's you, a long-term spouse, or partner—somebody you trust. The reason I state only placing somebody who trusts on your dealer's license is because you can be responsible for your partner's actions. I've lost count of all the times that I've watched a really good, honest, ethical person get onto a dealer's license with some creepy, unethical person. It's breaking a lot of laws, and they could lose their license. So, we want to limit the scope of who you put on your license to your most trusted business associates, and you must submit a background check for each person on the license. So, if you have two persons on the license, you'll upload two background checks. If you're the only person, then you'll just upload the one. At the bottom of your screen, you'll click "choose file," and that's where you will upload the background check for each person on the license.
Finally, you're going to upload the photograph of your business. The dealer licensing section would like one photograph of the entire building, including the sign. But if you can't get everything in one photograph, you can submit two photographs as well. If, for some reason, you do not have your sign complete, you can actually upload an invoice that shows you have paid for the sign. But then you must submit that photograph later on. The easiest thing to do is to ensure that you go ahead and have your sign mounted, and that will ensure you don't have to submit any more documents. So, select your photo from your computer. And now you're going to see a review of the application that you're getting ready to submit. So, double-check all your information, including your business name, your address, your Secretary of State number, your phone number and email, your hours of operation, and all your documents. Then you will need to read the terms and conditions and check the little box there that states all the information is correct. Remember, by checking that box, it's just like signing the documents. So, all the information that we're submitting to the dealer licensing section is true and correct. Oh, you are taken to the state secure payment portal where you can pay your prorated licensing fees. So, enter your contact information on this screen. [Contact Information Placeholder] Then you'll need to enter your credit card information. And finally, when you click the green play button, the state will process your prorated dealer license and dealer plate fee, and your license application will land on the Department of Revenue's dealer licensing section computer in Jefferson City. They have a goal to get those licenses out within about a week to 10 days. Hopefully, you'll have that little license in your mailbox within a few days. Congratulations! You have applied for your Missouri dealer license. The first thing that you must do when that license arrives in your mailbox is display your dealer license permanently. The original dealer license must be displayed prominently at your dealer's location. You do not put that dealer license in the back of the desk drawer or a file cabinet or a vault. Missouri law is very clear: your original dealer license must be displayed prominently. And I know you're going to work extremely hard to obtain that license, and I know you're going to be extremely proud to have that license when you receive it. Make sure and display your dealer license prominently. I'm going to remind you of this several times during your training course.
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start and run your Missouri Dealership!
Thank you very much, Delus Johnson-Missouri
Dealer Seminars