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Illinois dealer designated agent bonds.
$500 flat.
Also known as the Illinois auto dealer bond or car dealer bond.
Illinois requires licensed motor vehicle dealers to file a $50,000 designated agent bond with the Secretary of State. Ours is $500 flat — set by our carrier's rate book, identical for every dealer. A quick soft credit check may apply; the bond is issued when you pay.
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Three steps to licensed.
Your dealer license is waiting on this bond. Here's the entire process — no broker phone tag:
Apply once, online
Business details, owner information, effective date. That is the application — the only extra step is a one-time consent to a soft credit pull.
Approved
Most are approved as soon as you apply. The credit check is a soft pull that never affects your score. If it needs a second look, one to two business days at most.
E-sign & file with the Secretary of State
Pay online and receive the executed designated agent bond ready to file with your dealer license application. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the state insists.
What it is and who needs it.
What the bond actually guarantees
Illinois licenses motor vehicle dealers through the Secretary of State, Vehicle Services Department, under the Illinois Vehicle Code (625 ILCS 5/5-101 et seq.). A dealer is also a designated agent of the Secretary for collecting and remitting title and registration fees and taxes — and the $50,000 bond stands behind that role and your compliance with the Vehicle Code.
It's a three-party arrangement: you (the principal), the surety carrier standing behind you, and the State of Illinois together with harmed buyers (the protected parties). If a dealer fails to remit fees or taxes, fails to deliver clear title, or otherwise violates dealer law, the harmed party can recover against the bond.
It is not insurance for you — if the surety pays a claim, you repay the surety. The bond is commonly required for the first 60 months of dealer operation and renews on the statutory 12/31 cycle. Dealers who deliver clean title and remit on time treat it as a license formality.
You need this bond if you're
One application, issued instantly.
These are the actual underwriting fields, including a one-time consent to a soft credit pull. Submit once and your bond is issued when you pay.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other Illinois bonds.
The Secretary of State is waiting on one document.
$500 flat, short application, bond issued when you pay. Free until issued.