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

Do you need a separate bill of sale?

Not required — but a damage disclosure is

Minnesota's title transfer steps do not list a bill of sale. They do list a DAMAGE DISCLOSURE, required for ALL VEHICLES. You state whether the vehicle has or has not had damage over 80 percent of its actual cash value. Complete it with the assignment, along with the sale date and odometer.

Source: Minnesota DVS, Buying or Selling a Motor Vehicle (March 2025); Minnesota DVS, vehicle title transfer; Minn. Stat. § 325F.6641

Not required. Still worth having.

The title transfers ownership — and the buyer leaves with it. A separate bill of sale gives both of you something to keep.

It records who bought and who sold, the agreed price, when the vehicle changed hands, and any other terms you write into it, such as what was included or that it was sold as-is.

It does not replace the signed title or any notice Minnesota requires. You may not need one for the state. You may still want one for your own records.

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Does the title need a notary or witnesses?

Neither

All sellers must hand print their name and sign in the assignment area of the title. The seller also lists the sales price in the sales tax declaration area on the back, enters the date of sale, and completes any disclosure statements that apply. A notary appears only on a lien release — where a lien is listed, a signed lien release card or a notarized lien release form must accompany the transfer.

Source: Minnesota DVS, Buying or Selling a Motor Vehicle (March 2025), checked Oct 12 2026

What happens to the plates?

They go with the car — and so do the taxes

You do not take the plates here. When you sell your vehicle, the license plate AND the registration taxes are assigned to the new owner. Minnesota says some exceptions apply and points you to a deputy registrar. Leave them on.

Source: Minn. Stat. § 168.15; Minnesota DVS, Buying or Selling a Motor Vehicle (March 2025)

Do you have to tell the state you sold it?

Yes — and it does not transfer ownership

When a vehicle is sold, donated or removed from the state, you must report it to Driver and Vehicle Services. State law gives you ten days from the date of sale. You can report online or mail in the Notice of Sale from the title. You do not need to report a sale to a licensed dealer. Reporting the transfer does NOT transfer ownership. DVS will SUSPEND the vehicle registration if the ownership documents and fees are not submitted within 30 days. State law instead gives the buyer 20 calendar days to apply for the new title before the registration is suspended. Separately, the transfer must be completed on the certificate of title within ten days of the date of sale.

Source: Minn. Stat. § 168A.10; Minnesota DVS, report vehicle sold

Where does the odometer reading go?

On the title, 2011 and newer

Odometer disclosure is required for 20 years on all vehicles of model year 2011 or newer. Exceptions are vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating over 16,000 pounds, and vehicles that are not self-propelled. It goes on the title with the sale price and date.

Source: Minnesota DVS, Buying or Selling a Motor Vehicle (March 2025); 49 CFR 580.5(c), 580.17

The forms Minnesota publishes

• Mark vehicle as sold / donated / removed from state — Yours to file within 10 days. Not needed if sold to a licensed dealer. It does not transfer ownership — the buyer still must. Where: dps.mn.gov → DVS → report vehicle sold. Revision: online service.
• Damage Disclosure — Required on every vehicle. Completed with the assignment. Where: on the certificate of title. Revision: part of the title, no separate form.

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 Minnesota’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 Minnesota compares

Counted from the same answers, for all fifty states.

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