The Exact Meaning Of Automobile MSO

Last Updated on January 23, 2023 by Leepu Da Maxim

The Manufacturer’s Statement of Origin mostly known as MSO is a type of document that certifies the vehicle’s manufacturer, model, and serial number. An MSO also contains the manufacturer date of the vehicle.

Key Takeaways

  • The MSO is quite similar to a certificate of title and contains some very important information about the vehicle
  • You should keep in mind that the MSO is only issued by the manufacturer and acts as proof of ownership for a new vehicle that is registered for the first time
  • If you want to register your brand-new car then you have to provide the MSO

Manufacturer’s Declaration Of Origin – Main Features

FeaturesDescription
InformationThis document contains the year, body type, number of cylinders, engine displacement in cc, vehicle identification number, and other important data to identify any vehicle.
SimilarityThis document is often very similar to the certificate of title of a car, however, the certificate of origin is necessary to obtain the certificate of title, so they are not the same document.
EmitterThis document is requested by the concessionaire and is issued by the national highway traffic safety administration.
ManufacturerThe vehicle manufacturer must be registered with the national highway traffic safety administration.
Vehicle RegistrationThe manufacturer’s declaration of origin is one of the documents required to register the vehicle with the local department of motor vehicles. 

What Is The Difference Between A Title And An MSO?

To have a vehicle, a set of important documents is required. The certificate of origin is one of the documents that allow corroboration the true origin of a particular vehicle. So it is a manufacturer’s declaration of origin although it is also known as a certificate of origin.

Many people are often confused because this certificate of origin has many similarities with a certificate of title that is specifically issued by a motor vehicle department. So, every time a person purchases a new vehicle that is brand new, the manufacturer of the make and model of the vehicle needs to issue a certificate of origin.

In turn, the dealer must take care of endorsing this certificate of origin to the new owner of whatever the vehicle is. So, the new owner once he has this document needs to issue this same certificate of origin to the motor vehicle department of his geographical area.

This certificate of origin is one of the important documents that the new owner of the vehicle needs to register the vehicle. However, in other situations, the same dealer could take care of this procedure.

Also, once this procedure is done, the new owner will be able to have the certificate of title of the vehicle. In this way, it is possible to prove that it is a legitimate vehicle that has been manufactured correctly.

How Do You Get A Vehicle MSO?

The certificate of origin is one of the most important documents that any type of land vehicle must have. Therefore, it is necessary to store this document correctly to avoid any kind of displacement. In any case, this document might get lost on some occasions.

When this happens, it is necessary to take care of having a duplicate of this document to avoid any kind of legal inconvenience. So, we can mention some very simple steps to obtain a duplicate certificate of origin. 

1. Dealer: In principle, the first step to be taken to obtain a duplicate certificate of origin from the manufacturer is through the dealer. The dealer who sold the vehicle to the current owner should request this document. 

2. Contract: Once a new duplicate certificate of origin has been requested from the dealer, a contract must be completed. This is a duplicate MSO contract that also needs to be notarized. 

3. Fees: In general, a certain fee needs to be paid as a purchase order number is required. In this way, the distributor can request this new duplicate document without any additional inconvenience.

In general, this procedure can be applied on most occasions and even when it concerns the certificate of origin of a trailer. In particular, it is highly recommended that the distributor has not gone out of business, otherwise the procedure becomes much more difficult. 

What Information Is Included In The Manufacturer’s Declaration Of Origin?

The manufacturer’s declaration of origin is a very important document that allows the detection of many specifications of a vehicle. Besides, this document is very important to perform a wide variety of procedures such as registering a vehicle or hiring a company

The specifications that a given certificate of origin may include may vary from one state to another. However, there is a set of data that is common to all states’ manufacturer’s declarations of origin. Thus, any vehicle can be identified much more easily with the following data.

1. Manufacturer’s Name: Specifically, the manufacturer’s name must be properly registered with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Of course, most of the manufacturers including the most important car manufacturers are correctly registered with this institution.

2. VIN: This number is the vehicle identification number and is a special number for each particular vehicle. It is also a number that is assigned by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration itself. This number is also very important for a variety of procedures.

3. Fact-Line: In this case, it is data provided by the National Criminal Information Center. In this sense, it is data that provides the veracity and legality of the purchase of a vehicle.

4. Year: Specifically, it is the year of manufacture of the vehicle.

5. Type Of Body: Here, it is important to highlight whether it is a sedan, a truck, or any other vehicle.

a) Brake power, engine displacement in cubic centimeters, or several watts.

b) Number of cylinders

c) Gross vehicle weight rating

6. Manufacturer-Specific Data: Here, it is necessary to include the full name of the manufacturer as well as the name of the distributor and the name of the importer. Either of these must be licensed and included at the bottom of the manufacturer’s declaration of origin. In this case, the city, state, and signature are also included.

a) Name and address of licensed customer or licensee

References:

https://www.allacronyms.com/MSO/car

https://cars.mclaren.com/us-en/mso