Minnesota: Private-Party Vehicle Title Transfer Requirements
The short answer
The seller handprints and signs the assignment on the back of the Minnesota title, writes the sale price in the sales-tax-declaration area, enters the date of sale, and completes the odometer and damage disclosures, then delivers the title to the buyer; no notarization is required. Within 10 days of the sale the seller also files a Report of Sale, and within 20 days after the title is assigned the buyer must complete the application and title the vehicle at a deputy registrar, paying 6.875% sales tax plus title and filing fees. The license plates stay with the vehicle and go to the buyer.
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This is the general rule in Minnesota. Ezel applies current Minnesota law to your specific facts and answers with citations to the statutes.
| Governing law, agency, and scope | Minn. Stat. ch. 168A (esp. § 168A.10) and the motor-vehicle sales-tax at § 297B.02; administered by the Department of Public Safety Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS) through deputy registrar offices. Ordinary same-state private sale of a currently Minnesota-titled used passenger vehicle. |
|---|---|
| Title assignment, owner signatures, and lien release | At delivery the owner executes the assignment and warranty of title and states the actual selling price on the certificate (§ 168A.10, subd. 1). DVS directs that all sellers handprint their name and sign the assignment area and enter the date of sale, and that all buyers complete the assignment and application portions (name, date of birth, signature). The seller must deliver the title to the buyer immediately. If a lien is listed, a lien-release card or a notarized lien-release form must accompany the transfer. |
| Notarization, witness, or agent verification | None for the ordinary transfer. The seller and buyer sign the title's assignment and application areas without a notary, witness, or agent verification. Notarization appears only for related documents when they apply—most commonly a lienholder's notarized lien-release form (a lien-release card is the alternative) and a duplicate-title application. |
| Bill of sale requirement and contents | No separate bill of sale is required. Minnesota puts the price on the title itself: the seller states the actual selling price in the sales-tax-declaration area of the certificate (§ 168A.10, subd. 1), and the assigned title plus the on-title application are what the buyer files. A bill of sale, if used, is supporting evidence and does not replace the assigned title or the deputy-registrar filing. |
| Odometer, damage, and title-brand disclosures | The seller records the odometer reading on the title; DVS requires odometer disclosure for 20 years on all vehicles of model year 2011 or newer, except vehicles over 16,000 pounds gross vehicle weight rating or not self-propelled. DVS also requires a damage disclosure at transfer. Salvage, prior-salvage, and rebuilt brands carry their own separate procedures and are outside the ordinary transfer. |
| Seller notice, plate handling, and liability | Within 10 days of the sale the seller must complete and return the title's 'Notice of Sale' (or file the Report of Sale electronically) with the buyer's name, address, driver's license number, and date of sale (§ 168A.10, subd. 1). An owner who has delivered the vehicle and complied is not liable for later operation; the transfer 'is not effective until' the section is complied with, though completing the Notice of Sale within 48 hours cures the liability window (§ 168A.10, subd. 5). The license plates and registration taxes are assigned to the new owner—plates stay with the vehicle, not the seller. |
| Buyer deadline, forms, tax, and fees | Within 20 calendar days after the title is assigned, the buyer must execute the application on the certificate and deliver it to DVS (§ 168A.10, subd. 2), in person at a deputy registrar or by mail, with the buyer's identification and current insurance information. Tax and fees: 6.875% motor-vehicle sales tax on the purchase price (§ 297B.02, subd. 1), an $8.25 title fee, a $10 transfer tax, a $12 filing fee, and small technology and public-safety surcharges. A passenger car in its tenth or later year worth under $3,000 pays a $10 in-lieu tax instead (§§ 297B.02, subd. 2; 297B.025). |
| Inspection, emissions, insurance, and operation | Minnesota does not require a periodic safety inspection or an emissions test for an ordinary passenger vehicle; neither appears in the DVS title-and-registration checklist. To register and lawfully operate, the buyer must carry Minnesota no-fault insurance and provide the insurer's name, policy number, and expiration at titling. Because the plates stay with the vehicle, the buyer may generally operate it on the existing registration while the title application is processed, but insurance must be in force. |
| Penalties, rejection, and failed transfer | If the buyer fails to apply for a new certificate within 20 days, the vehicle's registration is suspended under § 168.17 (§ 168A.10, subd. 2). Until the seller files the Notice of Sale/Report of Sale, the transfer is not fully effective and the seller can remain exposed for post-delivery operation (§ 168A.10, subd. 5). A transfer can be rejected for a missing assignment, price, odometer or damage disclosure, lien release, or unpaid tax; late payment of the motor-vehicle sales tax is collected with the ordinary state sales-tax penalties. |
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Requirements one by one
The seller assigns the title and states the price on it
Minnesota keeps the transfer on the certificate. Section 168A.10, subdivision 1
says that at delivery the owner "shall execute an assignment and warranty of
title" and "state the actual selling price in the space provided on the
certificate," then "cause the certificate and assignment to be delivered to the
transferee immediately." DVS turns that into simple steps: the seller handprints
and signs the assignment area, writes the sale price in the sales-tax-declaration
area on the back, enters the date of sale, and completes the disclosures. The
buyer completes the assignment and application portions with a full name, date
of birth, and signature.
If a loan is listed on the title, a lien-release card or a notarized lien-release
form must come with the transfer.
No notarization for the ordinary sale
The ordinary buyer and seller signatures are not notarized, and no witness or
agent verification is required. The only notarized item that commonly appears is
a lienholder's lien-release form (and a lien-release card is an accepted
alternative). A duplicate-title application is a separate notarized document.
The price lives on the title, not a separate bill of sale
Because the seller states the actual selling price in the sales-tax-declaration
area of the certificate, Minnesota does not require a separate bill of sale for
an ordinary titled vehicle. A bill of sale is only supporting evidence; the
assigned title and its on-title application are what the buyer files.
Odometer and damage disclosures
The seller records the odometer reading on the title. DVS requires odometer
disclosure for 20 years on any vehicle of model year 2011 or newer, except
vehicles over 16,000 pounds or not self-propelled, and requires a damage
disclosure at transfer.
Two clocks: the seller's 10 days and the buyer's 20 days
Minnesota runs two deadlines. Within 10 days of the sale the seller must
complete and return the title's "Notice of Sale" (the Report of Sale), giving the
buyer's name, address, driver's license number, and the date of sale (§ 168A.10,
subd. 1). Separately, within 20 calendar days after the title is assigned to the
buyer, the buyer must execute the application on the certificate and deliver it
to DVS (§ 168A.10, subd. 2). The buyer files at a deputy registrar or by mail
with identification and current insurance information.
At titling the buyer pays 6.875% motor-vehicle sales tax on the purchase price,
an $8.25 title fee, a $10 transfer tax, a $12 filing fee, and small technology
and public-safety surcharges. A passenger car in its tenth or later year worth
under $3,000 pays a flat $10 tax instead (§ 297B.02, subd. 2; § 297B.025).
Plates stay with the vehicle
Unlike states where the seller strips the plates, Minnesota assigns "the license
plate and registration taxes ... to the new owner." The plates stay on the car
and go to the buyer, who generally may keep operating on the existing
registration while the title application is processed—provided the required
no-fault insurance is in force. Minnesota has no state safety inspection or
emissions test for an ordinary passenger vehicle.
What trips people up
- Two separate deadlines. The seller's Report of Sale is due within 10 days;
the buyer's title application is due within 20 days after the title is
assigned. Missing the buyer's deadline suspends the vehicle's registration
under § 168.17. - Filing the Report of Sale protects the seller. Under § 168A.10, subd. 5,
an owner who delivers the vehicle and completes the notice (within 48 hours) is
not liable for later operation. Skip it and the transfer is "not effective,"
leaving the seller exposed. - The plates are not yours to keep. They belong to the vehicle and pass to
the buyer; the seller removes them only when the buyer will take the car out of
state (and then gets a short permit). - The price goes in the tax box on the title. A low or blank price can hold
up the transfer and the tax calculation.
Common questions
Does a Minnesota car title need to be notarized?
No. The seller and buyer sign the title's assignment and application areas
without a notary. Only a lienholder's lien-release form is notarized (or a
lien-release card is used).
Who keeps the license plates?
The buyer. Minnesota assigns the plates and registration to the new owner, so
they stay with the vehicle.
How long does the buyer have to title the car?
20 calendar days after the title is assigned. Missing it suspends the vehicle's
registration (§ 168A.10, subd. 2).
Do I still have to tell the state I sold my car?
Yes. The seller files a Report of Sale within 10 days (§ 168A.10, subd. 1), which
also protects the seller from later liability.
Statutes and sources
- Minn. Stat. § 168A.10 — seller's assignment, price, and 10-day Notice of
Sale; buyer's 20-day application and registration-suspension consequence;
liability release on compliance.
https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/168A.10 (accessed 2026-07-23). - Minn. Stat. §§ 297B.02, 297B.025 — 6.875% motor-vehicle sales tax, the $10
in-lieu tax for an older passenger car, and the $150 collector-vehicle tax.
https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/297B.02 and
https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/297B.025 (accessed 2026-07-23). - Minnesota DVS — Buying or Selling a Motor Vehicle (Just the Facts, March
2025) — 10-day transfer, seller and buyer title steps, odometer and damage
disclosures, lien release, plates assigned to the new owner, 6.875% tax, and
the title/transfer/filing fees.
https://assets.dps.mn.gov/files/dvs/BuyingorSellingMotorVehicle_Just_the_Facts.pdf
(accessed 2026-07-23). - Minnesota DVS — Vehicle title and registration — insurance information
(company, policy number, expiration) required to title and register.
https://dps.mn.gov/divisions/dvs/vehicle/vehicle-title-and-registration-those-new-mn
(accessed 2026-07-23).
Source links
Every statute quoted above, linked, with the date we checked it.
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