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Bought a car? Here is what to do next
You paid, you have the keys and a signed title. Now what? The car is yours, but the state does not know that yet. Until you title it, the record still shows the seller.
Paying for it makes it yours. Titling it makes it official.
Title it in your name, on time
Every state expects the buyer to apply for a new title, and most set a deadline counted from the date of sale.
The deadline can be short, and some states add a penalty when you miss it.
Check the deadline with your state’s motor vehicle office before you buy, so the clock does not surprise you.
The tax is usually paid at the counter
In most states the buyer pays sales or use tax when titling the car, not to the seller.
Some states figure it on the price you paid, and some on a book value. That is one reason the price on the bill of sale matters.
Put the real price on it. A low number written to save tax is a false statement on a state record.
Getting it home
In many states the plates stay with the seller. Then the car leaves with no plate on it.
Some states offer a temporary permit or a transit tag for the drive home. Some want it registered first.
Ask before the sale which kind your state is, and plan the ride home around it.
The table below shows what happens to the plates in each state.
Plates, every state
These answers are written to the seller, so you in the table means the seller. Tap a state for the full answer and its source.
| State | Plates |
|---|---|
| Alabama | They come off, and stay with the seller |
| Alaska | They stay — unless they are personalized |
| Arizona | Off before they take possession |
| Arkansas | They come off, and can move to your next vehicle for $1, plus any higher registration fee |
| California | They stay with the car |
| Colorado | You keep them — never let the buyer drive off with them |
| Connecticut | Off — and cancel the registration |
| Delaware | Off — and returned to any DMV office |
| District of Columbia | Off at the sale; cancel or turn in within 5 business days, unless you move them to another vehicle |
| Florida | They come off, and stay with the seller |
| Georgia | They stay with you — cancel the registration |
| Hawaii | They stay with the vehicle |
| Idaho | Off — they stay with you |
| Illinois | Off — sent to the Secretary of State, or moved to your next vehicle |
| Indiana | Off — and the BMV does not want them back |
| Iowa | Off — keep them for your next car, or turn them in |
| Kansas | Off — the right to use it expires |
| Kentucky | You keep it |
| Louisiana | They come off, and get destroyed |
| Maine | Off — the plate stays with you |
| Maryland | Off — then return them to the MVA, or move them to your next vehicle |
| Massachusetts | Off — move them to your next car, or cancel and cut them in half |
| Michigan | Off before they take possession — keep it for another vehicle or destroy it |
| Minnesota | They go with the car — and so do the taxes |
| Mississippi | They come off — and are surrendered |
| Missouri | Off before they take possession |
| Montana | Off — and do not believe the promise |
| Nebraska | Off — turn them in for a refund, or move them to your next vehicle |
| Nevada | You keep them |
| New Hampshire | Yours — credit follows the primary owner |
| New Jersey | Off — and surrendered to an agency |
| New Mexico | Off, then moved or canceled within 30 days |
| New York | Surrender them — you may get a refund |
| North Carolina | Off — and surrender it immediately |
| North Dakota | Off — and the unused months become a credit on your next vehicle |
| Ohio | Off immediately — the statute says so |
| Oklahoma | They come off, and stay yours |
| Oregon | They stay with the car, unless you take them off |
| Pennsylvania | Off — and mailed back to Harrisburg |
| Rhode Island | Off — and the DMV will not take them at a counter |
| South Carolina | Off — move it to another vehicle or return it within 30 days |
| South Dakota | You keep them — plate with owner |
| Tennessee | They come off, and follow you |
| Texas | They come off, and stay with the seller |
| Utah | Off, unless sold with it — then 20 days to turn them in or reuse them |
| Vermont | Off — return them within 5 days, or move them to your next car |
| Virginia | Off before they take possession — then turn them in |
| Washington | Off — you are legally obligated |
| West Virginia | They come off — the seller keeps them |
| Wisconsin | Off — then destroy them, do not return them |
| Wyoming | Off immediately, unless it goes to close family or a joint owner |
Insurance before you drive
Nearly every state requires insurance on a car you drive, and most want proof of it when you register.
Call your insurer before the sale. Many can add the car the same day.
Inspection and emissions
Some states require a safety inspection, an emissions test or a VIN check before or soon after you register.
Others require none. Ask the motor vehicle office which applies where you live.
What to bring to the office
- The title, signed over to you, with the odometer reading filled in.
- The bill of sale, signed by both of you.
- A lien release, if a lender was listed on the title.
- Your photo ID and proof of insurance.
- Payment for the tax, the title fee and registration.
Every state has its own list and its own forms. Check the office’s list before you go.
Bring the paperwork
Print the bill of sale for your state before the sale, so both of you sign one. Free, no account.
What this page is
A plain description of how this generally works in private vehicle sales in the United States. Rules differ by state and change. It is not advice about your sale — for that, your state's motor vehicle agency is the authority, and their current page is what governs.