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

Do you need a separate bill of sale?

Not required

The transfer is made by the assignment and warranty of title on the certificate itself, so no separate bill of sale is called for. Note § 63-21-31(5): as between the parties, a transfer by an owner is not effective until that section has been complied with — so the assignment is the thing that matters, not a side agreement.

Source: Miss. Code § 63-21-31(1) and (5)

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 Mississippi 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 is required by the chapter

Miss. Code § 63-21-31 sets out the whole transfer procedure — the owner executes an assignment and warranty of title on the certificate at the time of delivery — and requires no notary and no witness. Chapter 21 has no notary or witness rule for your signature. Its one witness rule is for the buyer's title application: the designated agent must identify the person signing it and witness the signature. If someone else signs the title for you, the state's power of attorney form (78-003) carries a notary block. An imported vehicle needs a notarized bill of sale. Neither applies when you sign your own title.

Source: Miss. Code § 63-21-31; § 63-21-15(5); DOR Form 78-003

What happens to the plates?

They come off — and are surrendered

You do not keep the plate. The Department of Revenue states that the tag is registered to both the vehicle and the owner, so if either changes the tag must be removed and surrendered to your county Tax Collector — it cannot be moved to your next vehicle. What transfers is the unused credit, not the plate, and only if you turn it in.

Source: MS DOR, Motor Vehicle FAQ, checked Oct 12 2026

Do you have to tell the state you sold it?

No form. Surrendering the plate is the notice

There is no notice-of-sale form in Mississippi because handing in the tag does that job. DOR states plainly: once the license plate is surrendered, your ownership record is no longer current with the state. It also says it will write to a toll company on a seller's behalf where the plate was not left on the vehicle, which is the same mechanism seen from the other end. The law sets no deadline for you to surrender the plate. The buyer must register the vehicle within seven working days of the sale. Your protection starts only when you surrender the plate. DOR's own advice: always keep a copy of the front and back of the signed title.

Source: MS DOR, “I sold a vehicle. How do I remove my name from the records?”

Where does the odometer reading go?

On the title, signed by you and the buyer

Mississippi titles carry the odometer reading and a statement qualifying the mileage according to the odometer disclosure certified by the transferor, and the certificate itself contains the form for the assignment and warranty of title by the owner. You write the mileage on the title, and you and the buyer both sign it and print your names. Some vehicles are exempt under state law, including one that is 20 years old or older, one rated over 16,000 pounds, and one that is not self-propelled. Federal law also requires the disclosure on the title when you sell a vehicle titled in your name.

Source: Miss. Code § 63-21-15(1)(e); § 63-21-19(1)(e) and (3); 49 CFR 580.5(c)

The forms Mississippi publishes

• Title Application (78-002) — The buyer files this, not you — at the county Tax Collector or a designated agent. Where: county Tax Collector (not posted on dor.ms.gov). Revision: not published online.
• Application for Replacement Title (78-006) — Only if your title is lost, stolen, damaged or never received. You need it before you can sell. $9.00, mailed to Motor Vehicle Services. Where: dor.ms.gov → Title Forms. Revision: Rev. 07/17.

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 Mississippi’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 Mississippi compares

Counted from the same answers, for all fifty states.

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