AAMVA recently released the “National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS) Best Practices for Title and Registration Program Managers, 5th Edition,” for officials working with vehicle title and registration information. Vivienne Cameron, senior director of business solutions at AAMVA, explains how and why the new edition was prepared.

“Over the last few years, the NMVTIS State Program Subcommittee has been identifying best practices that needed to be added, and they determined that it was best to undertake a full review of the best practices [that were last updated in November 2018] to make sure they are still relevant,” says Cameron.

5th Edition Updates

One useful aspect of the 5th edition is it includes frameworks that allow jurisdictions to assess their processes. The document includes process outlines that states and provinces can use to check if they are following best practices on branding, for example, as well as evaluate how well they are performing.

In addition to the frameworks, Cameron says the document has other important updates. “We clarified some of the recommendations with regard to handling documentation of imported vehicles, the submission of help desk tickets and how to interpret used vehicle brands,” she states. “And I think the more significant one is managing and purging active stolen vehicle indicators because, over the years, there have been areas of confusion and misunderstanding that we really wanted to clarify.”

Subject-Matter Expertise Informs Revisions

The NMVTIS State Program Subcommittee, which is made up of representatives from each state NMVTIS program, did the heavy lifting for revising the best practices guide. “We asked them to review not only the best practices, but they also help us deal with operational issues—when we’re looking into continuous improvement, modernizing or building requirements,” says Cameron. “We use them as our resource for input, engagement and direction in a lot of areas.”

Future users of the document will be reassured to know that the NMVTIS State Program Subcommittee made revisions with them in mind. “These are the boots-on-the-ground folks who are responsible for ensuring that the title and registration processes function effectively,” Cameron says.

Watch the 2023 NMVTIS Annual Report Video