Vehicle Bill of Sale — What It Needs & the Transfer Papers
Everything about the vehicle bill of sale: what to put on it, which transfer documents change hands in a private car sale, and how it all flows to the DMV in any U.S. state. Before you sign, run the 17-character VIN — it confirms the title is clean and the odometer reading checks out. It's free.
Check a VIN Before You Sign
Confirm the title is clean, lien-free, and the mileage matches — cars, trucks, SUVs, motorcycles
Free · No sign-up · Instant result
What Goes on a Vehicle Bill of Sale
A bill of sale is the written record of a private car sale. The exact form varies by state, but a complete one always captures these four things:
Buyer & seller details
Full legal names and addresses of both parties to the sale, so the DMV can tie the transaction to real people.
Odometer reading
The exact mileage at the moment of sale. This is a legal disclosure — a wrong figure can be odometer fraud.
Vehicle description & VIN
Year, make, model, body style, and the full 17-character VIN — the number that ties everything to the car.
Price, date & signatures
The agreed sale price, the date of sale, and the signatures of both buyer and seller (notarized where required).
Rules vary by state. Whether a bill of sale must be notarized, and whether your state requires its own official form, depends on where you title the car. Pick your state below for the local titling agency and how the bill of sale fits in — or run a free VIN check to verify the vehicle before you fill anything in.
How a Private Sale Transfer Works
Every state runs its own titling agency, but the paperwork flow in a private sale is the same nationwide. Here is how the bill of sale and the title move together.
Complete the bill of sale
Fill in the buyer and seller details, sale price, date, odometer reading, and the full VIN. Use your state's official form if it provides one, and have both parties sign.
Sign over the title
The seller signs the existing title over to the buyer in the assignment section, recording the same sale price, date, and odometer reading as the bill of sale.
File with the DMV
The buyer brings the bill of sale, signed title, odometer disclosure, and proof of ID to the DMV to transfer the title, pay any tax due, and register the car.
Vehicle Transfer Documents
The bill of sale is one of several papers that change hands when a car is sold. These are the documents a private transfer usually involves:
Bill of sale
Proof of purchase: who, what, when, how much, and the VIN. The DMV uses it to calculate sales tax.
Signed-over title
The primary ownership document. The seller assigns it to the buyer in the title's assignment section.
Odometer disclosure
A required mileage statement, often built into the title or bill of sale, protecting against rollback fraud.
Lien release
If the car had a loan, the lender's release proving the lien is paid so a clean title can transfer.
Working through the title side of the transfer? See the vehicle title guide for how to assign, replace, and clear a title, then register the vehicle once the paperwork clears.
Why Check the VIN Before You Sign
The bill of sale records what the seller claims. A free VIN check shows what actually happened to the car — before you put it in writing.
Confirm the odometer reading. The mileage you write on the bill of sale is a legal disclosure. An odometer rollback means the figure the seller gave you is wrong — and the car is worth less.
Make sure the title is clean. A bill of sale can't undo a salvage brand. Check that the title has no hidden brand before you agree on a price.
Rule out an open lien. If a previous owner's loan was never paid off, the title can't pass to you cleanly. A lien check surfaces it before money changes hands.
Check before you sign
Enter the 17-character VIN to confirm the title is clean, lien-free, and the mileage checks out — everything you want verified before the bill of sale is signed.
Check a Car Before You Sign the Bill of Sale
Confirm the title is clean, lien-free, and the mileage matches before money changes hands. Free, in seconds.
Bill of Sale by State
Titling and transfer rules are run state by state, each with its own agency and forms. Pick a state for the local titling authority and how the bill of sale fits into a transfer there.
VIN Tools to Use Before You Sign
Each of these runs off the 17-character VIN and helps confirm a car is safe to buy before you complete the bill of sale.
Always check the VIN before you buy
Our free report reveals accidents, title brands, odometer rollback, theft records, and open recalls in seconds.
Bill of Sale FAQ
The questions buyers and sellers ask most about the bill of sale and the documents a private car sale needs.
What is a vehicle bill of sale?+
A vehicle bill of sale is a written record of a private car sale. It documents who sold the vehicle, who bought it, the agreed price, the date of sale, the odometer reading, and a description of the vehicle including its 17-character VIN. It proves ownership changed hands and is the document you bring to the DMV — along with the signed-over title — to transfer the title and register the car in your name.
What information goes on a bill of sale?+
A complete bill of sale lists the full legal names and addresses of the buyer and seller, the sale date, the purchase price, the vehicle's year, make, model, body style, the exact odometer reading at sale, and the 17-character VIN. Both parties sign it. Some states require it to be notarized or use a specific state form. Always confirm the VIN on the bill of sale matches the VIN on the title and the dashboard before signing.
Do I need a bill of sale to transfer a car title?+
In most cases yes. The signed-over title is the primary ownership document, but the bill of sale is the proof-of-purchase record the DMV uses to calculate sales tax and confirm the transaction. Some states require a bill of sale for every transfer; others only require it when the title has no space to record the sale price. Either way, keeping a signed bill of sale protects both the buyer and the seller, so it's worth completing one for every private sale.
Does a bill of sale need to be notarized?+
It depends on the state. A handful of states require the bill of sale (or the title assignment) to be notarized; most do not. Because the rule varies and changes, check your state's DMV page — or the per-state guide below — before you sign. When in doubt, having both parties sign in front of a notary removes any later dispute about whether the signatures are genuine.
What other documents do I need when buying a used car?+
Besides the bill of sale, you'll typically need the title signed over by the seller in the assignment section, an odometer disclosure statement (often part of the title or bill of sale), a lien release if the car had a loan, and your own proof of identity and insurance to register it. A VIN history check isn't a legal requirement, but it's the smartest document to add — it confirms the title is clean and lien-free before you hand over money.
Why check the VIN before signing the bill of sale?+
The bill of sale records what the seller claims about the car; a VIN check shows what actually happened to it. Running the 17-character VIN before you sign confirms the title is clean, the odometer reading on the bill of sale is consistent with the car's history, and there's no open lien that would block the transfer. It's free and takes seconds — and it's far cheaper than discovering a salvage brand or unpaid loan after the paperwork is signed.
Buying or Selling a Car? Check the VIN First.
Enter a 17-character VIN to confirm a clean, lien-free title and an honest odometer reading before you complete the bill of sale.
Or get the full VIN history reportRelated VIN Checks
More tools to verify any vehicle's history