You should first lodge a report to the police and your insurance company.
What should i do after that?
After you lodge the report, you should wait for the police to take action. The report will also prevent your vehicle from being sold.
Does stolen plates follow the same procedure?
Stolen plates have a different form and it is only available at police agencies and not at DMV.
Okay. So after i lodge the report, i should just wait for any news from the police?
Yes. The police will input your vehicle information into national and state auto theft computer records. Other than tracking the vehicle, this will also prevent someone from selling or applying for a title using your vehicle.
But my vehicle was stolen before i was able to apply for registration. What should i do?
Quickly apply for a title in your name with proof of ownership to the vehicle.
If i am able to recover my vehicle, could i directly apply for plates?
No. The first thing you need to do is inform the police so that the stolen vehicle alarm would be cancelled. After you confirmed that it has already cancelled, you can then proceed to apply for plates or registration.
Would i need a duplicate title?
A duplicate title will be issued for stolen vehicle to mark the stolen vehicle. Remember to send your title to the Title Bureau along with a letter to explain that the vehicle have been recovered. After that, the DMV will issue a regular vehicle title.
Is there anything else that i need to do after i recover the vehicle?