ADOT Form 48-2004 is Arizona’s official vehicle bill of sale for a private-party title transfer. You fill it out together with the other party, the seller signs it in front of a notary public or an MVD Customer Service Representative, and the buyer then brings it to the Motor Vehicle Division with the signed title to apply for a new title within fifteen days of the sale.
What to Gather Before You Start
Pull the current title or registration and both parties’ driver licenses before you open the form. You will need:
- The seventeen-character Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), model year, make, and body style.
- The buyer’s full legal name, driver license number, date of birth, and mailing address.
- The seller’s full legal name, driver license number, date of birth, and mailing address.
- The actual sale payment amount. If the vehicle is a gift, write zero. Do not inflate or deflate the figure, because MVD uses it when calculating tax at registration.
Download the form from the Arizona Department of Transportation website. The current version was last revised in May 2025, so avoid older copies floating around on third-party sites.
Filling Out the Form
The form is a single page. Type into the fillable PDF or print clearly in blue or black ink. Illegible entries get rejected.
Start with the vehicle block at the top. Copy the VIN exactly as it appears on the title, character by character. One transposed digit will cost you a trip back to the counter. Add the year, make, and body style from the same source.
Move to the buyer section. Enter the buyer’s full legal name as printed on their driver license, including any suffix. Add the license number, date of birth, and full mailing address with city, state, and ZIP. The seller section mirrors the buyer section with the same fields.
In the sale payment amount field, enter the agreed purchase price. Zero is acceptable for a true gift, but the number has to reflect reality.
Do not sign yet. The seller’s signature must be made in front of a notary or MVD agent, and signing early invalidates the form.
Signing in Front of a Notary or MVD Agent
Arizona requires the seller’s signature on the bill of sale to be acknowledged by a notary public or an MVD Customer Service Representative. The form has a dedicated notary block at the bottom where the witnessing official signs, dates, and records their commission details.
The seller brings a valid photo ID and signs only when the notary or MVD agent is watching. Signatures must be in blue or black ink. No corrections, white-out, or cross-outs. MVD rejects altered signatures for any reason. An Arizona notary can charge up to ten dollars for an acknowledgment, though some charge less. An MVD Customer Service Representative can witness the signature at no cost if you sign at an MVD office.
The Odometer Disclosure You File With It
The bill of sale is not the only paperwork. The seller must also provide an odometer mileage disclosure statement, and the buyer presents it to MVD with the title application.
Two categories of vehicles are exempt. A 2010 or older model year vehicle is exempt once it is at least ten model years old. A 2011 or newer model year vehicle is exempt once it reaches twenty model years of age. Trailers and vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating over 16,000 pounds are also exempt.
What the Buyer Brings to MVD
With the notarized bill of sale in hand, the buyer applies for a new title at an MVD office or an authorized third-party provider. Bring all of the following:
- The signed and notarized bill of sale (Form 48-2004).
- The vehicle title endorsed by the seller with an assignment and warranty of title.
- An odometer disclosure statement, unless the vehicle is exempt.
- Proof of Arizona liability insurance meeting state minimums: $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for bodily injury, plus $15,000 for property damage.
- Payment for a four-dollar title fee, an eight-dollar registration fee, and the vehicle license tax calculated from the vehicle’s assessed value.
Arizona also offers an eTitle transfer through AZ MVD Now when both parties have active accounts with enhanced authentication, but that path is limited to single-buyer transactions and requires an Arizona driver license or ID from each party.
The Fifteen-Day Deadline
The buyer has fifteen days from the purchase date to apply for a certificate of title. Miss the window and the penalty is eight dollars for the first month of delinquency and four dollars for each additional month, up to one hundred dollars. The penalty applies whether or not the vehicle is being driven. Parking it in the garage does not pause the clock.
What the Seller Must Do Within Ten Days
Sellers have their own obligation: file a Sold Notice with MVD within ten days of the sale. Until state records show the vehicle belongs to someone else, the seller remains on the hook for parking tickets, toll violations, and photo-enforcement citations run up by the new owner.
The fastest way to file is online at AZMVDNow.gov using the VIN and the buyer’s information. It takes a few minutes and creates an immediate record that the vehicle is no longer yours. A paper Sold Notice can also be submitted at an MVD office or an authorized third-party provider.
Mistakes That Get the Form Rejected
Most rejections at the counter trace to a short list of avoidable errors:
- The seller signs the bill of sale before reaching the notary.
- The VIN has a wrong or transposed digit.
- The sale price is left blank.
- The seller’s name on the bill of sale does not match the name printed on the title, down to a missing middle initial.
- The title itself has already been signed but not notarized, which may require a separate title correction before the transfer can proceed.
- The buyer arrives without proof of active Arizona liability coverage at the state minimums.
Fix these before you go, and the title transfer is usually a single counter visit.