How to Fill Out a California Certificate of Title

To fill out a California Certificate of Title, the seller signs and prints their name on the ownership release line, enters the odometer reading, sale date, and purchase price, and the buyer prints their full legal name and address and signs as the new owner. Use black or blue ink, print in uppercase block letters, and do not erase, cross out, or use correction fluid anywhere on the document. A single alteration can void the title and force a replacement before the transfer can go through.1California State Department of Motor Vehicles. Title Transfers and Changes

Before Either Person Writes on the Title

Have every piece of information in hand before the pen touches the paper. Once you start writing, there is no clean way to change your mind.

  • The original paper title. If it is lost or damaged, stop and read the replacement section below before anything else.
  • Both parties’ full legal names as they appear on a driver’s license, plus current physical addresses.
  • The exact sale date and the agreed purchase price in dollars. The DMV uses the price to calculate use tax and will return applications submitted without one.2California State Department of Motor Vehicles. Calculating Use Tax Amount
  • The odometer reading at the moment of sale, for any vehicle less than 20 model years old. As of 2026, that covers model year 2007 and newer.3eCFR. 49 CFR Part 580 – Odometer Disclosure Requirements4California Department of Motor Vehicles. Disclosure Requirements
  • A signed lien release from any lender listed on the title, or confirmation the release was processed through California’s Electronic Lien and Title program.

Print in block capitals. Do not sign anywhere the title does not ask you to sign. If the title has a smudge or a stray mark before you begin, that is worth a call to the DMV rather than a guess.

What the Seller Fills In

The seller’s entries release ownership. They live on the front of the title.

Signatures and Printed Names

Every person listed as an owner signs on Line 1 and prints their name next to the signature.5California Department of Motor Vehicles. Registration for a Vehicle Purchased from a Private Party Check the conjunction between co-owners’ names first. If the names are joined by “and,” every owner has to sign. If they are joined by “or,” one signature is enough.6California DMV. REG 343 – Application for Title or Registration A missing co-owner signature is one of the most common reasons a transfer gets bounced back.

Odometer Reading

Enter the mileage exactly as the dashboard shows it, without tenths.3eCFR. 49 CFR Part 580 – Odometer Disclosure Requirements If the title has no odometer section, or the section already has an error in it, do not try to write in the margins. You and the buyer complete a Vehicle/Vessel Transfer and Reassignment Form (REG 262) instead. The REG 262 is printed on security paper and is only available at a DMV field office.7California Department of Motor Vehicles. Vehicle/Vessel Transfer and Reassignment Form (REG 262)

Vehicles from model year 2006 or older no longer need an odometer disclosure as of 2026, since the 20-year window rolls forward each January.4California Department of Motor Vehicles. Disclosure Requirements

Sale Date and Purchase Price

Write the calendar date of the sale and the full purchase price in the spaces on the title. The price also needs to appear on the back of the title or on a separate bill of sale. Without it, the DMV cannot calculate use tax and will not process the transfer.2California State Department of Motor Vehicles. Calculating Use Tax Amount

If a Lender Is Listed

When a lienholder appears as the legal owner, the lien has to be cleared before the vehicle can change hands. The lender can sign the lien release section on the title itself or send a separate Lien Satisfied/Title Holder Release form (REG 166).8California State Department of Motor Vehicles. Forms Some lenders hold titles electronically through California’s Electronic Lien and Title (ELT) program, so there is no paper title in the seller’s hands until the lender releases the lien and the DMV prints one.9California State Department of Motor Vehicles. Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability FAQs If you are buying and the seller cannot produce a physical title, ask whether the loan was ELT and confirm the release has posted before any money moves.

What the Buyer Fills In

The buyer completes the new-owner section, usually on the back of the title.

Print your full legal name exactly as it appears on your driver’s license or California ID, along with your current physical address.1California State Department of Motor Vehicles. Title Transfers and Changes Sign where the title asks for the buyer’s signature. If you are financing the car, fill in your new lienholder’s name and address in the legal owner section; your lender will give you those details.

Enter the same purchase price on the back of the title that the seller wrote on the front. The buyer pays use tax on that amount at the DMV counter, so the two figures need to match.

Correcting a Mistake Without Voiding the Title

Do not cross anything out, and do not touch the title with white-out. Both can void the document.

For a minor slip such as a misspelled name or a wrong vehicle description, submit a Statement of Facts form (REG 256) that explains the error along with the title.10California State Department of Motor Vehicles. Correcting a Vehicle Description Error For an error inside the odometer disclosure section, the fix is a REG 262 instead.7California Department of Motor Vehicles. Vehicle/Vessel Transfer and Reassignment Form (REG 262) If the title is illegible, torn, or already altered past what a REG 256 can cover, the seller applies for a replacement (REG 227) and pays the $28 fee before anything else moves.11California Department of Motor Vehicles. Registration Fees

When in doubt, take the title to a DMV field office in person. A technician will look at it and tell you which form fixes what you have.

If the Title Is Lost or Damaged Before You Sign

The transfer cannot happen on a missing title. The seller completes an Application for Replacement or Transfer of Title (REG 227), and the registered owner shown in DMV records must sign it even if someone else drops it off.12State of California Department of Motor Vehicles. Application for Replacement or Transfer of Title (REG 227) For vehicles two model years old or newer with an active lien, the lienholder has to be the one to request the replacement, not the registered owner. The fee is $28.11California Department of Motor Vehicles. Registration Fees

Issuing a replacement voids the original, so if the missing title turns up in a drawer next month, it is no longer usable.13California DMV. Application for Duplicate or Transfer of Title REG 227 Buyers, do not hand over money to a seller who cannot show the paper title until you have confirmed there is no unreleased lien and either the title has arrived or the REG 227 is on file.

Gift and Family Transfers

If you are giving the vehicle rather than selling it, write the word “gift” in the price field instead of a dollar amount, and complete a Statement of Facts (REG 256) that identifies the relationship between the two parties.14California Department of Motor Vehicles. Transactions Not Subject to Use Tax Everything else on the title is filled in the same way as a sale.

A true gift is not subject to use tax regardless of the relationship, as long as “gift” appears on the title and the REG 256 is submitted. Transfers between the following relatives are also exempt from use tax:

  • Spouses and registered domestic partners
  • Parents, grandparents, children, and grandchildren, whether natural or legally adopted
  • Siblings, when both parties are minors related by blood or adoption

After the Title Is Filled Out

A completed title is only half the transfer. Both sides have a deadline.

The seller files a Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability (NRL) with the DMV within five days of the sale.5California Department of Motor Vehicles. Registration for a Vehicle Purchased from a Private Party Filing it online is fastest and updates the record within one business day.9California State Department of Motor Vehicles. Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability FAQs Under California Vehicle Code Section 5602, a seller who has delivered the vehicle and reported the transfer is shielded from civil and criminal liability for what happens with the car afterward.15California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code VEH 5602 Skip the NRL and every parking ticket the new owner earns before registering the car lands on the seller’s record.

The buyer has 10 days from the purchase date to bring the endorsed title and supporting paperwork to the DMV.16California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code VEH 5902 Missing the deadline adds late penalties on top of the standard $15 transfer fee and $28 title fee.11California Department of Motor Vehicles. Registration Fees A valid smog certificate from the seller normally comes with the title; vehicles less than four years old are exempt and instead pay an $8 smog transfer fee, and most family transfers listed above are exempt as well.17California Department of Motor Vehicles. Smog Inspections

If the paperwork on the title is clean, an in-person visit or a mailed application will both work. If any field looks questionable, go in person so a technician can catch the problem while your 10 days are still counting down.