Alaska car bill of sale Do you need one? And what else does Alaska require?

Do you need a separate bill of sale?

Not valid for transfer — but get one anyway

Alaska says a bill of sale is NOT valid for ownership transfer — and then, in the same breath, that it is a good idea to have the buyer sign one, because it “could be invaluable if the buyer receives parking tickets, etc. on the vehicle after the vehicle is no longer in your possession.” Include the serial number and description of the vehicle, both printed names, the date of sale and both signatures.

Source: Alaska DMV, Selling a Vehicle in Alaska

Does the title need a notary or witnesses?

Neither

The seller signs where indicated and completes the Assignment of Vehicle Title by Owner, paying attention to the specific places for the printed name and the signature. No notary. The conjunction on the FRONT of the title decides who signs: with “AND”, all owners must sign to release it; with “OR”, one is enough.

Source: Alaska DMV, Selling a Vehicle in Alaska, checked Oct 12 2026

What happens to the plates?

They stay — unless they are personalised

STANDARD issue plates cannot be transferred and stay with the vehicle. Only personalised or specialty plates come off; when they do, the buyer is issued a new set at no additional charge, and moving those to another vehicle takes a copy of your last registration and a $5.00 fee. Some plate types, such as Disabled Veteran, have no fee. So in Alaska, unscrewing an ordinary plate is the wrong move.

Source: Alaska DMV, Selling a Vehicle in Alaska

Do you have to tell the state you sold it?

Yes — and it tears off the title

The form is already in your hand: complete the Notice of Vehicle Sale for Transfer ATTACHED TO THE BOTTOM OF THE ORIGINAL TITLE and send or deliver it to the DMV as soon as possible. State law says to notify the DMV within 10 days of the sale. You can also email the DMV or record the sale online. What it buys is concrete: notify them the transfer is pending and Alaska will not renew the registration until the transfer has taken place. If the bottom portion is missing, or you have already handed the title over, use the Notice of Transfer Pending instead.

Source: Alaska DMV, Selling a Vehicle in Alaska; AS 28.10.271(c)

Where does the odometer reading go?

On the assignment — under twenty years old (model year 2011 and newer)

Write the odometer reading on the title assignment. The DMV's odometer form (Form V6, Rev 08/2025) exempts vehicles 20 years old or older, starting with model year 2010. Its selling page still says ten years; the form is newer. And the sentence that matters most on the page: federal law prohibits the DMV from transferring the title if the assignment, INCLUDING THE ODOMETER STATEMENT, has not been completed. Leave nothing blank.

Source: Alaska DMV, Selling a Vehicle in Alaska; Alaska DMV Form V6; 49 CFR 580.5(c)

The forms Alaska publishes

• Notice of Vehicle Sale for Transfer — Tear it off the bottom of the title and send it in within 10 days, or report the sale online. Stops the registration renewing. Where: attached to the Alaska title. Revision: not confirmed.
• Odometer Disclosure Statement (V6) — Use it if the title has no usable odometer section. It must go with the transaction. Keep a copy for four years. Where: https://dmv.alaska.gov/media/0jtfjcow/v6.pdf. Revision: 08/2025.
• Vehicle Transaction Application (V1) — The buyer's form for title and registration, including a change of owner. Where: https://dmv.alaska.gov/media/ssgb1rnj/v1.pdf. Revision: 03/24.

Selling here, registering somewhere else

These are the rules where you are selling, not where the buyer is taking it. The title is signed under Alaska’s rules, and the plate and the notice are yours to handle here.

Registering it and paying tax falls under the buyer’s own state’s rules.

How Alaska compares

Counted from the same answers, for all fifty states.

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