To change a vehicle title in Texas, take a completed Application for Texas Title and/or Registration (Form 130-U), the signed-over title, your photo ID, proof of Texas liability insurance, and any situation-specific paperwork to the county tax assessor-collector office where you live or where the sale happened. You have 30 days from the sale date to file, and the standard bill includes a $28 or $33 title fee, a $2.50 registration transfer (or the full registration fee if none is active), and 6.25% motor vehicle sales tax.1Tarrant County, TX. Title Fees and Taxes2TxDMV.gov. State Law Requires Private Sale Vehicle Buyers to Title in 30 Days
What to Bring for a Standard Transfer
Form 130-U is the backbone of nearly every title transaction. It collects the VIN, odometer reading, buyer and seller information, sales price, and any lienholder details. Both parties sign it for a standard sale.
Along with the application, bring:
- The current title, signed over to you by the seller. New vehicles use a Manufacturer’s Certificate of Origin in place of a title.
- A valid driver’s license or state-issued photo ID for the person applying.
- Proof of Texas liability insurance in the buyer’s name, which is required if you are registering the vehicle at the same time.
- Proof of emissions inspection if you live in one of the 17 counties that still require it. Since January 2025, non-commercial vehicles no longer need a safety inspection statewide.3Department of Public Safety. Vehicle Safety Inspection Changes Take Effect January 2025
- An odometer disclosure, which is built into Form 130-U. Federal law exempts vehicles with a model year more than 20 years old.
Some transfers need extra documents: a marriage certificate or court order for a name change, an Affidavit of Motor Vehicle Gift Transfer (Form 14-317) for a family gift, or heirship paperwork for an inherited vehicle. If you cannot go in person, a Limited Power of Attorney for Eligible Motor Vehicle Transactions (Form VTR-271) lets someone act for you, and both of you must provide copies of photo ID.4TxDMV.gov. Limited Power of Attorney for Eligible Motor Vehicle Transactions Form VTR-271
Where You File and What Happens at the Counter
Titles are filed in person at the county tax assessor-collector office. Staff review the paperwork, collect fees and tax, and give you a receipt. The physical title certificate arrives by mail, usually within a few weeks.
One thing that catches sellers off guard: if the vehicle has an electronic title through the Electronic Lien and Title (ELT) program rather than a paper one, you may need to request a paper conversion from TxDMV before a private sale can close.5Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. Electronic Lien and Title Program That request can take days to weeks, so start it before you list the car.
On inspections, only 17 counties still require emissions testing before you can register: Brazoria, Collin, Dallas, Denton, El Paso, Ellis, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Johnson, Kaufman, Montgomery, Parker, Rockwall, Tarrant, Travis, and Williamson.6TxDMV.gov. Texas Vehicle Inspection Changes Coming Soon Outside those counties, non-commercial vehicles skip inspection entirely.
Fees, Sales Tax, and the Standard Presumptive Value
The title application fee is $28 in most counties and $33 in the 17 emissions counties. Add $2.50 to transfer an existing Texas registration, or pay the full registration fee if the vehicle isn’t currently registered. For 2026, registration runs $50.75 for passenger cars and light trucks (6,000 lbs or less), $54.00 for trucks between 6,001 and 10,000 lbs, and $30.00 for motorcycles and mopeds.7TxDMV.gov. Schedule of Texas Registration Fees Local county fees add a bit more.
The largest line item for most buyers is the 6.25% motor vehicle sales tax, due when you title the vehicle. For private-party sales, tax is not simply calculated on what you paid. The county compares your purchase price against 80% of the vehicle’s Standard Presumptive Value (SPV), a market-based figure TxDMV publishes using regional sales data. If you paid 80% or more of SPV, you’re taxed on your actual price. If you paid less, you’re taxed on 80% of SPV instead.8Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Standard Presumptive Value – Motor Vehicle Tax Guide
Example: you bought a car from a friend for $3,000, but the SPV is $8,000. The county will tax you on $6,400, not $3,000. You can push back by getting a certified appraisal on Form 14-128 from a licensed dealer or licensed insurance adjuster within 30 days of the sale. If the appraisal comes in lower, the county uses that figure. If you already paid the higher tax, Form 14-202 lets you file for a refund as long as you got the appraisal within that 30-day window. Look up the SPV on the TxDMV website before you buy so nothing surprises you at the counter.
Gifting a Vehicle to Family
Family gifts get a real tax break. Instead of 6.25% sales tax, the recipient pays a flat $10 gift tax, provided both parties complete an Affidavit of Motor Vehicle Gift Transfer (Form 14-317) and the relationship qualifies. Eligible relationships are spouse (when the vehicle is separate property), parent or stepparent, child or stepchild, sibling (including in-laws), grandparent or grandchild (including in-laws), great-grandparent or great-grandchild (including in-laws), and guardian.9Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Family Transfers – Motor Vehicle Tax Guide
If the relationship isn’t on that list, the county will charge 6.25% based on SPV even when no money changed hands.
Transferring a Title After a Death
How you handle an inherited vehicle depends on what the owner left behind.
Transfer on Death Beneficiary
If the owner named a beneficiary on the title using Form VTR-121, the beneficiary submits Form 130-U with the title showing the designation and a death certificate. The beneficiary must survive the owner by at least 120 hours, and the application must be filed within 180 days of the owner’s death.10TxDMV.gov. Beneficiary Designation for a Motor Vehicle Form VTR-121 Miss that window or decline the vehicle, and the transfer falls back to heirship or probate. Any outstanding lien follows the vehicle.
Affidavit of Heirship
With no TOD beneficiary and no probate, heirs can use an Affidavit of Heirship for a Motor Vehicle (Form VTR-262) when no estate administration has been opened and all heirs agree probate isn’t needed.11TxDMV.gov. Affidavit of Heirship for a Motor Vehicle Form VTR-262 All heirs sign under oath. A surviving spouse alone can sign unless there are children from another relationship, who must also sign. Without a surviving spouse, all children sign; a guardian signs for minors and attaches Letters of Guardianship. Powers of attorney can’t be used for this affidavit. File it alongside Form 130-U, a release of lien if there is one, and proof of insurance if you’re also registering the vehicle.
Moving to Texas or Buying Out of State
Bring the vehicle to Texas or buy one from another state, and you have 30 days from the sale date to title it here and 30 days from bringing it into Texas to register it.12Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. Out of State and Imported Vehicles Take the original out-of-state title, Form 130-U, Texas liability insurance, proof of any required inspection, and proof of sales tax paid to the county tax office. Texas credits sales tax already paid to another state; you’ll only owe the difference if the other state’s rate was lower than 6.25%.
Name Changes and Corrections
After marriage, divorce, or a legal name change, update the title with Form 130-U, the current title, your new ID, and the supporting document — marriage certificate, divorce decree, or court order. Fixing an error on a title (misspelled name, wrong VIN digit, incorrect vehicle info) follows the same route: the current title, Form 130-U, and documentation of the correct information. The title fee applies either way.
Replacing a Lost or Damaged Title
If your title is lost, stolen, or destroyed, request a certified copy from TxDMV using Form VTR-34. All recorded owners must sign and provide photo ID.13Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. Get a Copy of Your Vehicle Title By mail, send Form VTR-34, copies of all owners’ IDs, and a $2 fee (check, cashier’s check, or money order) to the TxDMV office in Wichita Falls. In person at a TxDMV Regional Service Center, bring your IDs and $5.45; appointments are encouraged.
There’s a 30-day wait after the last title was issued before a certified copy can be requested. If a lien is still recorded, you’ll need an original release of lien letter, or the lienholder can apply for the certified copy on your behalf.
Bonded Titles When No Title Exists
Sometimes the paperwork chain is broken. If no title exists and other routes are closed, a bonded title is the legitimate path. You must be a Texas resident (or military stationed in Texas), have possession of the vehicle, and the vehicle can’t be abandoned, junked, stolen, or tied up in litigation. It also has to be complete with a frame, body, and motor.14Texas DMV. Bonded Title Procedure and Application
The process runs in three stages. First, apply at a TxDMV Regional Service Center with a Statement of Fact for Bonded Title (Form VTR-130-SOF), a Statement of Physical Inspection (Form VTR-270), all ownership evidence you have, photo ID, and a $15 fee. If approved, TxDMV issues a letter stating the required bond amount, which equals 1.5 times the vehicle’s value; for vehicles under 25 years old the value is SPV, and for older vehicles a flat $4,000 (or the bill of sale amount if higher). Second, buy a surety bond from an insurance agency licensed to sell one in Texas. The TxDMV letter is good for one year. Third, within 30 days of getting the bond, take the letter, the bond, and your supporting documents to the county tax office to apply for the title. The title carries a “bonded” brand for three years; after that, you can apply to have the brand removed.
Removing a Lien After You Pay Off the Loan
Once you pay off a vehicle loan, the lienholder has 10 days to release the lien.15Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. Add or Remove a Lien on a Vehicle If the lien was on a paper title, the lienholder mails the title to you, and you take it with a release of lien letter and Form 130-U to the county tax office for a clean title. If the lien was electronic through the ELT program, the lienholder clears it with TxDMV directly and notifies you. If you later need a paper title (to sell, for instance), request one from TxDMV then.
If You’re the Seller, File a Transfer Notification
Selling creates a gap: until the buyer titles the vehicle, it remains registered to you. A red-light camera, toll violation, or worse can come back to your name. File a Vehicle Transfer Notification (Form VTR-346) within 30 days of the sale, and TxDMV flags the record so you’re protected from civil and criminal liability tied to the vehicle after the sale date.16Texas Motor Vehicle Transfer Notification. Texas Motor Vehicle Transfer Notification Form VTR-346 The fastest route is the TxDMV online services page.17TxDMV.gov. Online Services The notification doesn’t transfer ownership; the buyer still has to file their own paperwork at the county office.
You can also pull your license plates and registration sticker. Transfer them to another vehicle you own of the same class, return them to the county for a registration refund, or keep them. The buyer handles their own registration when they title the vehicle.
What Happens If You Miss the 30-Day Deadline
Texas is strict on the 30-day title transfer deadline. Miss it and you owe an automatic $25 penalty, plus another $25 for every additional month the title stays untransferred.2TxDMV.gov. State Law Requires Private Sale Vehicle Buyers to Title in 30 Days There are no waivers. Neither the county tax office nor TxDMV can reduce or forgive the penalty. A vehicle that sits untransferred for six months costs an extra $150 on top of normal fees and taxes, so file promptly.