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

Do you need a separate bill of sale?

Georgia says to complete one — form T-7

Georgia's own page for sellers says to complete the assignment on the back of the title AND a Bill of Sale, form T-7, and to keep a copy of both. At the tag office a bill of sale is mandatory where the vehicle is 1985 or older and therefore does not require a Georgia title; in that case a completed form T-22B Certification of Inspection is needed too if it was not previously registered in Georgia. Any correction or alteration voids the T-7.

Source: Georgia DOR, I Sold My Car; Title and Register a Vehicle Purchased in a Casual Sale; form T-7

Does the title need a notary or witnesses?

Neither

Georgia's assignment instructions enumerate every step — purchaser's full legal name and address, date of sale, odometer in whole miles, then the seller prints and signs and the buyer prints and signs — and no notary or witness appears among them. Use blue or black ink: any alteration or erasure may void the title, and altering the purchase date can cost a $10 penalty.

Source: Georgia DOR, Transfer Vehicle Titled in Georgia, checked Oct 12 2026

What happens to the plates?

They stay with you — cancel the registration

Georgia says the plates do not transfer with the vehicle to the new owner — you keep them. What the seller must do is cancel the vehicle's registration, online through DRIVES e-Services or in person on form MV-18J at the County Tag Office. Cancel the registration BEFORE canceling the insurance — Georgia requires coverage on a registered vehicle, and doing it the other way round is what triggers the fine.

Source: Georgia DOR, I Sold My Car; Cancellation and Reinstatement of Registration

Do you have to tell the state you sold it?

Yes — by canceling your registration

Georgia has no notice-of-sale form. Its Responsibilities of Sellers and Buyers page states that when selling a vehicle the owner must transfer ownership AND cancel registration. Its cancellation page calls the same act voluntary — that Georgia's own material disagrees is worth knowing, and the safe reading is the stricter one. No deadline is published for the seller. The 7 days you will hear about is the BUYER'S deadline to title and register.

Source: Georgia DOR, Responsibilities of Sellers and Buyers; Cancel Registration

Where does the odometer reading go?

On the title, in whole miles

The reading goes on the assignment on the back of the title, in complete miles with no tenths, and you tick a box if it exceeds the odometer's mechanical limits or is not the actual mileage. The buyer acknowledges it by printing and signing. Georgia notes the reading must increase throughout the chain of ownership, and that “exempt” belongs there only where the vehicle is exempt under the Federal Truth in Mileage Act.

Source: Georgia DOR, Transfer Vehicle Titled in Georgia; Responsibilities of Sellers and Buyers

The forms Georgia publishes

• Application of Voluntary Registration Cancellation (MV-18J) — Yours to file, not the buyer's. Or do it online through DRIVES e-Services. Where: dor.georgia.gov → All Motor Vehicle Forms. Revision: Rev 5/2019.
• Bill of Sale (T-7) — Either this or the kit's. Georgia's seller page says to complete one; it is required for a 1985-or-older vehicle. Where: dor.georgia.gov/t-7-bill-sale. Revision: Revised 9-2022.
• Title/Tag Application (MV-1) — The buyer files this at the County Tag Office within 7 days. Where: dor.georgia.gov → All Motor Vehicle Forms. Revision: Revised 02/2024.
• Certification of Inspection (T-22B) — Only for a 1985-or-older vehicle, or one coming from a non-title state. Where: dor.georgia.gov → All Motor Vehicle Forms. Revision: Revised 5-2020.

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 Georgia’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 Georgia compares

Counted from the same answers, for all fifty states.

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