Paperwork When Selling a Car in New Mexico

Paperwork Required to Sell a Car in New Mexico

If you're wanting to sell your car in New Mexico, you'll want to go through the usual process of evaluating its condition and advertising it to potential buyers. There's an art to effectively selling a vehicle and it's important to put in the time and effort necessary to accurately assess its worth.

Does it all seem a bit overwhelming? Our general Guide to Selling Your Car can be a really helpful resource–check it out!

Once you've found a buyer, you'll need to provide them a few documents so the vehicle can be successfully transferred into their name. This page outlines what you need to do to ensure a smooth transaction.

Documents Required in New Mexico

Once you've sold you car, you'll need to provide the buyer with the vehicle's certificate of title. You'll need to sign the back of the document and complete the "Assignment of Title" section, if there is one. This section will include the odometer reading of the car and require both you and the buyer to certify this number at the time of purchase.

If the certificate of title does not have room to include this information, you'll also need to complete either:

A Bill of Sale (Form MVD10009).
An Odometer Disclosure Statement (Form MVD10187).
OR
An Application for Vehicle Title and Registration (Form MVD10002).

The buyer may request a bill of sale as receipt of the purchase price and date of sale. For more information, see our Bill of Sale in New Mexico page.

DO NOT highlight your documents—the MVD will reject them.

Lost NM Vehicle Title

If you've lost or damaged your vehicle's certificate of title, you can request a replacement through the New Mexico Motor Vehicle Division. You will need to submit a completed application form and provide your NM driver's license and vehicle registration. For more information, see our Replacing a Lost Title in New Mexico page.

Obtaining a Vehicle History Report

Selling a car in New Mexico is all about being honest and maintaining clear communications with potential buyers. Keep in mind that educated buyers of any used car may seek out a vehicle history report to discover the details of a vehicle's past, such as:

Recalls.
Previous accidents.
Odometer fraud.
Theft.

It might also be a good idea to order a vehicle history report yourself, so you can show potential buyers. This may help you to sell your car faster.

Transferring NM License Plates after a Sale

Under the New Mexico plate-to-owner protocol, the license plate of your car is connected to you, not the vehicle. Therefore, before you sell the car and transfer the ownership, you're responsible for removing the plate yourself.

You then have 30 days to register the license plate with a new car in the same class, or bring it in to a New Mexico Motor Vehicle Division field office so it can be canceled.

If your plate is from a state other than NM, you should either bring it in to the MVD field office or have the plate canceled by the state that issued it.

Forms For Easy Download

Bill of Sale (Form MVD10009)

Odometer Disclosure Statement (Form MVD10187)

Application for Vehicle Title and Registration (Form MVD10002)