Manufacturer’s Certificate of Origin

Manufacturer's Certificate of Origin (MCO) or Manufacturer's Statement of Origin (MSO) refers to the original ownership document for a vehicle. The document contains a variety of security features and is provided by the new vehicle dealer and contains specific vehicle information such as the year, make, and VIN. Upon the retail sale of the vehicle, the document is surrendered for the issuance of a jurisdiction title. 

AAMVA provides guidelines for recommended security features for the MCO or MSO. These guidelines are found in the AAMVA policy position Appendix B

AAMVA DOES NOT issue MCO/MSO’s for vehicles already manufactured. Once a vehicle has been issued a state or jurisdiction title, the MCO/MSO is no longer available.

AAMVA DOES NOT sell or provide blank MCO/MSO’s for those wanting to become vehicle manufacturer’s.   


For information about becoming a vehicle manufacturer and having the ability to assign VINs, NHTSA’s Product Information Catalog and Vehicle Listing group (vPIC) provides a reference guide located here. The site has a link to NHTSA’s handbook for new manufacturers, as well as links to the individual regulations for equipment standards and procedural submissions.

For additional information from NHTSA, see below:

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