How to Complete and File State Form 55745: Indiana Report of Sale

Indiana Form 55745, the Report of Sale of a Motor Vehicle or Watercraft, is the document you submit to the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles to tell the state you no longer own a vehicle or watercraft. You can file it online through myBMV or mail a paper copy to the BMV in Indianapolis. Filing it promptly creates a dated state record that your ownership ended, which is what shields you from tickets, tolls, and liability tied to a vehicle the buyer hasn’t yet retitled.

Why Filing Form 55745 Protects You

Until the BMV’s records show you sold the vehicle, you are still the owner of record. Parking tickets, toll violations, and accident claims can land on your doorstep for a vehicle you no longer have. The Report of Sale creates a dated record of exactly when your ownership ended, giving you a paper trail to push back on anything that surfaces after the sale.

Indiana Code § 9-17-3-3.4 allows you to submit the vehicle’s certificate of registration to the BMV after you deliver the title to the buyer so the transfer is reflected in state records.¹ Form 55745 is the BMV’s tool for doing that. The statute is permissive, not mandatory, but filing is the only reliable way to cut yourself loose from a vehicle you’ve already handed over. Don’t rely on the buyer. They have 45 days to apply for a new title, and plenty of buyers wait.²

What to Gather Before You Start

Collect everything at the time of the sale, before the buyer drives away. Chasing down a VIN or a mailing address later is where most people get stuck.

The Vehicle Identification Number from the dashboard or door jamb, or the Hull Identification Number on a watercraft’s transom.
Year, make, and model exactly as they appear on the title. A mismatch can get the report flagged.
The sale date, meaning the day you handed over possession.
The sale price the buyer actually paid.
The buyer’s full legal name as it appears on their government ID, not a nickname.
The buyer’s mailing address, which the BMV uses to connect your report to the buyer’s eventual title application.

Filing Online Through myBMV

The fastest route is the myBMV portal at myBMV.in.gov. If you don’t have an account, you can register using your Indiana driver’s license or ID number. Once logged in, go to the vehicle services section and look for the option to report a vehicle sale. Enter the VIN or HIN, the sale date, the sale price, and the buyer’s name and address. Check every field before you submit, because fixing errors afterward means contacting the BMV directly.

Online submissions produce an immediate confirmation. Save or print it. That confirmation is your proof that you reported the sale on a specific date, which is the whole point of filing.

Filing by Mail

You can print Form 55745 from the BMV’s title forms page at in.gov/bmv/titles/title-forms, then fill it out by hand in blue or black ink or complete it digitally before printing.³ Print clearly. Illegible entries can delay processing or link the report to the wrong vehicle.

Mail the completed form to:

Bureau of Motor Vehicles
Indiana Government Center North, 4th Floor
100 North Senate Avenue
Indianapolis, IN 46204

Photocopy the form before you send it. Mail submissions give no instant confirmation, so your copy is your only proof of filing until the BMV processes it. Certified mail is worth the few dollars if you want delivery confirmation.

Form 55745 Doesn’t Transfer the Title

Reporting the sale notifies the state. It does not transfer ownership on its own. Under Indiana Code § 9-17-3-3.4, the seller still has to endorse the certificate of title and physically deliver it to the buyer. The statute lays out three obligations: sign the title assignment with a warranty of title and disclose any liens, deliver the title once the buyer has paid in full, and fill in the buyer’s name, address, and the sale price on the title itself.¹ Skipping any of these steps is a Class B infraction.

Sign the title on the designated assignment line, fill in the buyer’s information and the sale price, and hand the title over at the time of the sale. Don’t promise to mail it later. A buyer who doesn’t have a properly endorsed title can’t register the vehicle, and that becomes your problem too.

Odometer Disclosure

Federal law requires an odometer reading on the title assignment for most vehicle sales, and the rule changed on January 1, 2021. The old 10-year exemption still applies to vehicles with a model year of 2010 or older. For model year 2011 and newer, the disclosure requirement runs 20 years.⁴ A 2011 vehicle won’t be exempt until 2031.⁵

If you’re selling a 2011 or newer vehicle, record the current mileage accurately on the title when you sign it over. Federal odometer fraud carries serious penalties.

Selling a Vehicle With a Lien

If you still owe money on the vehicle, the lienholder has the title and you can’t sign it over until the loan is paid off. Call your lender before you list the vehicle so you understand the payoff process and how quickly they release the title. Some lenders use Indiana’s Electronic Lien and Titling program, which speeds the release.⁶ Others mail a paper title, which can take weeks.

You can still file Form 55745 to report the sale while waiting for the lien release, but the buyer can’t apply for their new title until they have the properly endorsed original. Be upfront with the buyer about any lien. Indiana law requires you to disclose all liens and encumbrances on the title assignment.¹

1
Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 9-17-3-3.4 – Sale or Transfer of Ownership of Vehicle; Requirements to Transfer Certificate of Title
2
Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Buying and Selling a Vehicle
3
Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Title Forms
4
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Consumer Alert: Changes to Odometer Disclosure Requirements
5
eCFR. 49 CFR Part 580 – Odometer Disclosure Requirements
6
Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Electronic Lien Overview