Discovering that the authorities have arrested and detained a friend or relative can be distressing. You fear for their wellbeing, state of mind and physical treatment. Naturally, you’d like to release them from jail as soon as you can.
When you are in the same state as they are, you can make arrangements to pay a bail bond locally. But when you are in a different state, what are your options?
That’s the topic we cover in this educational article. You’ll learn:
- What a transfer bond is (also called an out-of-state bond)
- How to bail someone out of jail in another state
24-Hour Online Bail Bonds can arrange for you to bail somebody out of jail in another state. To get started, contact us and fill out a few forms online or over the phone. After processing your application, we pay the bail bond on your behalf, usually on the same day, to most states that allow bail bonds in the USA. Call us for a list of states we currently operate in.
What is a transfer bond?
A regular bail bond is a deposit suspects pay a court or jail that provides surety for law enforcement agencies. You can think of it as a guarantee that incentivizes suspects to show up at the requested court date. If they attend at the specified time and place, legal authorities refund the bail bond in full. If they do not, then the suspect forfeits the bail and the court issues a warrant for their arrest.
A transfer bond – also called an out-of-state bond – is a type of bond that families or friends can use to bail a loved one out of jail when law enforcement agents arrest them in another state. State judiciaries have agreements with each other that allow courts to accept bail bonds drafted from the suspect’s home state, granting them temporary release from jail.
When you take out a transfer bond on behalf of a detained suspect in another state, you assume responsibility for it. You must make sure that the detainee appears in court on the due date. If they do not, you forfeit the bond amount and must repay the bail bondsman in full. As such, transfer bonds work in an almost identical way to regular bail bonds.
Many bail bondsmen provide bail bonds locally, either to the suspect themselves, or their family. However, relatively few process transfer bond applications for non-local detainees because of additional flight risk (the risk that the suspect may flee). For this reason, you need to consult with specialist agencies willing to take on the case.
How to bail someone out of jail in another state?
Bail processes differ substantially across states and arresting agencies charge different amounts. You can theoretically bail a person out of jail across state lines by yourself, but you will need to do a lot of research on how precisely to do it. You will also need to produce the full bail sum upfront – and that might not be financially viable.
In general, the best way to bail someone you know out of jail in another state is to use a bail bondsman service in your local area (not the state in which authorities detained your loved one). Out-of-state bondmen may not be willing to deal with you because of the increased flight risk.
Step 1: Collect the information you require to apply for the bail bond
In order to apply for a transfer bond, you’ll need to provide information about the suspect and yourself. Local bail bondsman services need this information to communicate with out-of-state courts and law enforcement agencies. Before you make contact with an agent, you’ll need to know:
- The full name of the suspect, as it appears on their passport or driving license
- Their date of birth
- The booking number law enforcement officials assigned to them
- The current jail or detention center police are holding them in
- The amount of the bail
- The crimes they have been charged with
Collecting this information will make it faster to process your application.
The bail bondsmen services will then ask for additional information about you, your financial circumstances, and other matters relating to bail bond security. You will need to demonstrate, in some way, your capacity to ensure that the suspect shows up at the requested court date. Being a parent, relative, spouse or other close relation provides the bail bondsman with some surety that you can do that and that they will receive the bond payment in full from the court.
Step 2: Contact the bail bondsmen service
The next step is to contact the bail bondsman services via the telephone or their website. Many firms now offer easy digital signing for documents and even multilingual assistants, able to guide you through the process.
Step 3: The bail bondsman pays the bond
Once you provide all the relevant information, the bail bondsman pays the transfer bond. Because of the amount of paperwork and administration involved, it can take some time to bail your loved one out of an out-of-state jail. How long it takes depends on the state in question and the severity of the suspected crime. The more severe the crime (or the longer the criminal history of the suspected offender), the more challenging it can be to satisfy the criteria for release.
The good news is that once bail bondsmen have all the information they need, it is their responsibility to secure bail. You don’t have to liaise with courts, manage couriers, or do any further paperwork yourself. They pursue tried-and-tested processes to get your loved one out of jail on your behalf, using all of the legal tools available. Usually, if local law enforcement agrees to a bail amount, bail is possible. However, circumstances surrounding their arrest can drag the process out in some cases.
To pay the bond according to state requirements, the bond company asks a local bail agent courier to drop off a paper bond at the local court or jail. They then retain responsibility and liability for the bond in the bail bondsman's home state.
Step 4: Pay the fees
Regular bonds require you to pay a fee to bail somebody out of a local jailhouse. Because transfer bonds require more paperwork (in most cases) and imply additional risk, prices tend to be higher. However, the bail bondsmen will still pay the vast majority of the bail amount for you, so you do not have to find all the cash yourself.
Are fees higher for out-of-state bonds?
Fees are typically higher for nationwide bail bonds because two agencies have to be involved. Both of these make phone calls and fill out documentation on your behalf.
However, the amount of money you pay will not be sky high. Most bail bondsman services charge fixed fees for transfer bond arrangements, meaning that you usually know ahead of time how much it is going to cost. You can then decide whether you wish to pay the bail bond or not.
Usually, paying for transfer bonds makes financial sense when the bond amount is over $10,000. Less than this, and fees may eat up too large a percentage of the bail bond for it to be worthwhile.
Why use a bail bondsman for out-of-state bail bonds?
Using a bail bondsman for transfer bonds offers all kinds of benefits.
First, they allow you to pay bail amounts that you would not ordinarily have been able to afford. Paying a $50,000 bail in full, for instance, is not usually possible for most people. Bail bondsmen take a small fee, and then pay the bond on your behalf, recouping their losses when the suspect shows up at the requested court date.
Second, bail bondsmen do all of the paperwork for you. Paperwork differs considerably from state to state, so having experts on your side can help a great deal. For instance, we offer transfer bonds to California, Texas, Idaho, Iowa, Connecticut, Florida, Ohio, North Carolina, South Carolina, Montana and beyond.
Third, bail bondsmen offer flexible payment arrangements. In many cases, you don’t have to pay in a lump sum – you can take on a payment plan to stagger installments over a longer period. You can also use your assets as collateral, providing additional surety to the bail bondsmen in the event that the suspect flees, again reducing your upfront costs.
Get national bail bonds from 24-Hour Online Bail Bonds
No matter the time of day or night, 24-Hour Online Bail Bonds is here to help you bail your loved one out of jail, even if they are being held in another state. We work with out-of-state jails and courts to secure the most rapid release of the suspect possible, dealing with all the paperwork and form-filling on your behalf. Once we secure their release, we deduct a percentage of the bail amount as a service fee.
Want to know more? Contact us for transfer bonds, get free bail information and choose from a range of payment options.