Are you buying a car from a dealer? If so, the dealer will take care of the paperwork. But, here's the paperwork you'll need if buying from an individual seller.

Private-Party Paperwork

It's relatively painless to complete the paperwork when buying a car in a private (nondealer) transaction. You'll need to get a signed-over title from the seller. You don't even need to worry about sales tax at this point―you'll pay that when you register and title the car at the Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) office. Also get the current registration certificate and safety and emissions certificate.

Sometimes a seller will accept a trade-in vehicle from you in return for selling a car to you for a lower price. This affects the net price of your purchase and must be detailed in the bill of sale; the DMV offers more information about trade-in sales.

Title Questions When Purchasing

The seller must hand over a legitimate title within 48 hours of the transaction; it's best to wait to buy the car until the seller can present the title.

If the seller cannot find their title, they will need to apply of a duplicate.

Bill of Sale

A bill of sale is not required for registering and titling your vehicle. However, it's a smart document to keep on file for your own records. You can conveniently download a copy of this document from our Bill of Sale page.

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