To fill out a New Jersey vehicle title, the seller flips it over to the Assignment of Title section on the reverse and enters the buyer’s full legal name and mailing address, the date of sale, the sale price, and the exact odometer reading, then every owner listed on the front signs. The buyer signs the buyer’s line and adds their New Jersey driver’s license number or business Entity Identification Number. Use black or blue ink only, and do not use white-out or cross anything out, because a visibly altered title can be rejected and force you to apply for a duplicate before the sale can go through.
Gather Everything Before You Pick Up a Pen
Once ink is on the title, mistakes are hard to fix. Have this ready in front of you:
- The seller’s name exactly as it appears on the front of the title, and the buyer’s full legal name and current mailing address.
- The agreed sale price. If the vehicle is a gift, the entry is the word GIFT, which is what qualifies the transfer for a sales tax exemption.
- The exact date both parties complete the sale.
- The current mileage, read straight off the dashboard.
- The buyer’s New Jersey driver’s license number or EIN.
- If a lien is printed on the front of the title, a signed and dated lien satisfaction letter on the lienholder’s official letterhead. Without it, the title cannot be transferred.
What the Seller Writes on the Back of the Title
Turn the title over. The Assignment of Title section is where the transfer is recorded. Fill in the buyer’s full legal name, mailing address, the date of sale, and the sale price. Black or blue ink only. Any white-out, cross-outs, or visible alterations can invalidate the title, and if that happens you will need to apply for a duplicate before the sale can proceed.
Near the assignment area is the odometer disclosure. Write the exact mileage showing on the odometer. If the odometer has rolled past its mechanical limit or you know the reading is not accurate, check the box indicating the mileage is not actual. Federal regulations require odometer disclosure for the first 20 years of a vehicle’s life for model year 2011 and newer. Model year 2010 and older vehicles are exempt from that federal requirement, so for a 2010 or older vehicle you can note the exemption instead of recording the mileage.1eCFR. 49 CFR Part 580 – Odometer Disclosure Requirements
Every person listed as an owner on the front of the title must sign in the seller’s signature area, and each signature must match the name as printed on the front. If two owners are listed, both sign. A missing signature from any listed owner will hold up the transfer at the MVC.
What the Buyer Signs
The buyer’s part on the title itself is short but essential. Sign in the buyer’s section on the reverse and enter your New Jersey driver’s license number or Entity Identification Number.2State of New Jersey. Transferring Vehicle Ownership Your signature acknowledges the odometer reading the seller wrote in. Check that reading against the dashboard before you sign. If it looks wrong or the seller left it blank, resolve it first.
The Bill of Sale That Must Go With the Title
New Jersey requires the seller to hand over a separate bill of sale along with the signed title. It is easy to overlook, but the MVC expects it. The bill of sale must include:
- Buyer’s name and address
- Date of sale
- Odometer reading
- Sale price
There is no official state form. A handwritten document works as long as it covers those four items and both parties sign it.2State of New Jersey. Transferring Vehicle Ownership Keep a copy for yourself whether you are buying or selling.
If a Lien Is Printed on the Title
When the front of the title shows a lienholder, the vehicle cannot be transferred until that lien is cleared. The seller obtains a lien satisfaction letter from the lender, signed and dated on official company letterhead, listing the owner’s name and the vehicle’s VIN, year, and make. The seller then submits the original title with the satisfaction letter to the MVC. The fee to remove a lien and reissue a clean title is $60, whether you handle it in person or by mail.3NJ MVC. Liens
This has to happen before the sale closes. A buyer who receives a title with an unresolved lien will hit a wall at the MVC when trying to register the vehicle.
Gift Transfers: What Goes in the Price Field
If you are gifting the vehicle rather than selling it, write GIFT in place of a dollar amount for the sale price on both the title and the bill of sale. That entry is what supports the sales tax exemption. If the documents show any signs of alteration in that field, the MVC may ask for additional documentation before granting the exemption.4NJ MVC. Vehicles Exempt From Sales Tax
If the Title Is Lost or Damaged
You cannot fill out a title that is missing, and you should not try to work around damage with tape or corrections. Get a duplicate first. The fastest route is an appointment at an MVC Vehicle Center; applying by mail can take 8 to 12 weeks.5NJ MVC. Duplicate Title
Bring the completed Universal Title Application (Form OS/SS-UTA), a copy of every listed owner’s driver’s license, and a current or expired registration, proof of insurance, or a certified registration record. If the title is damaged rather than lost, bring the damaged original with you. The fee is $60. If there is an outstanding loan on the vehicle, you will also need a statement from the lienholder confirming they do not have the original, and the duplicate will be mailed to the lienholder rather than to you.5NJ MVC. Duplicate Title
Is Notarization Required?
A standard private-party title transfer in New Jersey does not require notarization. You and the buyer can sign the title without a notary. The exceptions are power-of-attorney transactions, where someone signs on behalf of the buyer or seller using a notarized POA document, and certain transfers after a death, which use a notarized affidavit.2State of New Jersey. Transferring Vehicle Ownership
After the Title Is Signed
Filling out the title is one step. Both parties still have things to do.
Buyer: Register Within 10 Working Days
The buyer has 10 working days from the date of sale to transfer the title at an MVC agency. Miss that window and a $25 late penalty applies on top of the other fees.2State of New Jersey. Transferring Vehicle Ownership Bring the signed title, the bill of sale, a completed Vehicle Registration Application (Form BA-49), a valid photo ID, and a New Jersey Insurance Identification Card for the vehicle in your name. New Jersey requires liability coverage with minimum limits of $35,000 per person and $70,000 per accident for bodily injury, plus $25,000 for property damage.6Justia Law. New Jersey Revised Statutes Section 39-6A-3 – Compulsory Automobile Insurance Coverage; Limits The MVC accepts cash, check, money order, and major credit cards.
Seller: Surrender the Plates
Remove the license plates from the vehicle and surrender them to an MVC agency within five days of the sale.7Legal Information Institute (LII) / Cornell Law School. New Jersey Administrative Code 13:21-5.10 – Surrender of Registration Plates The one exception is transferring the plates to another vehicle you own; plates can move to a different vehicle but never to a different owner. New Jersey has no separate “notify the MVC of sale” form. Surrendering the plates is what formally ends your association with the vehicle, and until it happens you can face exposure if the buyer gets into a crash or picks up toll violations before registering the car.2State of New Jersey. Transferring Vehicle Ownership