IN watercraft dealer bonds.
$250 flat.
Indiana licenses watercraft dealers through the Secretary of State, Auto Dealer Services Division, and conditions the license on a $25,000 vehicle merchandising bond. Ours is $250 flat — the price you see is the checkout price, identical for every dealer. A quick soft credit check may apply — never a hard inquiry — with an e-signed bond in 1–2 business days.
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Three steps to licensed.
Your watercraft 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.
Reviewed & approved
Most of these clear quickly; if underwriting needs anything, you hear from an underwriter within 48 hours. The credit check is a soft pull that never affects your score.
E-sign & file on State Form 53966
Pay online and receive the executed bond (State Form 53966) ready to file through the Auto Dealer Services Division Dealer Portal. Wet-ink originals mailed whenever the state insists.
What it is and who needs it.
What the bond actually guarantees
Indiana licenses dealers — including watercraft dealers — through the Secretary of State's Auto Dealer Services Division under the vehicle merchandising chapter of the code. A watercraft dealer is generally a person who sells, offers, or advertises six or more watercraft in a twelve-month period, and the license is conditioned on a $25,000 surety bond.
The bond is a consumer-and-public-protection guarantee: it stands behind clear title on the watercraft you sell, your compliance with dealer law, and the payment of taxes and fees you owe. Buyers, sellers, financing agencies, and government agencies harmed by fraud, misrepresentation, or noncompliance can recover against it.
It is not insurance for you — if the surety pays a claim, you repay the surety. Dealers who deliver clean title and keep good records treat the bond as a license formality, not a risk.
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 typically issued within 1–2 business days.
Start the application →Common questions.
Other Indiana bonds.
The Auto Dealer Services Division is waiting on one document.
$250 flat, short application, e-signed bond in 1–2 business days. Free until issued.