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

Do you need a separate bill of sale?

Only for a vehicle exempt from titling

For an ordinary titled vehicle, the reverse of the title is all New Hampshire asks for. A vehicle of model year 1999 or older is exempt from titling, except heavy trucks and truck-tractors over 18,000 pounds. If it still has a title, sign it over to the buyer on the back. If not, provide a bill of sale on form TDMV 22A, Report of Sale or Transfer of a Non-Titled Motor Vehicle, together with either a completed Verification of Vehicle Identification (TDMV 19A) or a copy of the previous registration or title.

Source: NH DMV, Title Frequently Asked Questions; RSA 261:3; forms TDMV 22A and 19A

Does the title need a notary or witnesses?

Neither

New Hampshire's whole instruction is three lines: transfer ownership to the buyer on the reverse of the title by filling in the buyer's name, the buyer's address and the current odometer reading; obtain the signatures of seller and buyer; give the title to the buyer. No notary.

Source: NH DMV, Title Frequently Asked Questions, checked Aug 23 2026

What happens to the plates?

Yours — credit follows the primary owner

When you sell, the registration ends. Keep the old registration to claim credit. Credit carries over only if the primary owner's name stays the same on the old and new registration. And once the plates are transferred, the old vehicle is no longer legally registered and must not be driven on any roadway.

Source: NH DMV, Vehicle Registrations; RSA 261:66

Do you have to tell the state you sold it?

No notice — the plates are the mechanism

New Hampshire publishes no seller notice of sale. The registration ends when you sell; keep the old registration to claim credit. Your plates move to your next vehicle, with credit if the primary owner's name stays the same, or they simply stop being used. Which leaves the signed title and your own copy of it as the only record of the sale — keep it.

Source: NH DMV, Title Frequently Asked Questions; Vehicle Registrations; RSA 261:66

Where does the odometer reading go?

On the reverse of the title

The current odometer reading is one of the three things you write on the reverse of the title, alongside the buyer's name and address, before both parties sign. New Hampshire publishes no separate odometer form for a titled private sale.

Source: NH DMV, Title Frequently Asked Questions; 49 CFR 580.5(c)

The forms New Hampshire publishes

• Report of Sale or Transfer of a Non-Titled Motor Vehicle (TDMV 22A) — Only for a title-exempt vehicle. It is the bill of sale the buyer needs to register it. Where: dmv.nh.gov → Forms. Revision: Rev. 3/23.
• Application for Duplicate Certificate of Title (TDMV 18) — $35, if you cannot find your title. If the vehicle is jointly owned, all owners sign. Do it before you list. Where: dmv.nh.gov → Forms. Revision: Rev 2/26.

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 New Hampshire’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 New Hampshire compares

Counted from the same answers, for all fifty states.

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