How to Fill Out and File Texas Title Transfer Form 130-U

Texas Form 130-U is the Application for Texas Title and/or Registration you file whenever a vehicle changes hands and needs a new title, a new registration, or both. You complete the one-page form, bring it to your county tax assessor-collector’s office with the signed title, your ID, proof of insurance, and payment, and the state issues a new certificate of title in your name. You have 30 calendar days from the date of sale to file before penalties start at $25.¹

The form covers private-party purchases, gifts between family members, inheritance transfers, and vehicles brought in from out of state. You can download it from the TxDMV website or pick one up at any county tax office.²

What to Bring to the County Tax Office

Pull everything together before you go. Missing one item means a return trip.

The signed vehicle title. The seller must sign and print their name on the assignment section and enter the date of transfer. If the title shows an outstanding lien, the seller also needs a lien release from the lienholder proving the loan is paid off.³⁴
The completed Form 130-U itself.
Proof of insurance, if you are registering the vehicle. Bring a valid Texas liability card in your name meeting the state’s 30/60/25 minimum coverage.⁵
Acceptable photo ID. The rules changed on March 5, 2026, and the type depends on whether you are also registering the vehicle. Details below.
For gift transfers, a notarized Affidavit of Motor Vehicle Gift Transfer (Form 14-317) signed by both the donor and the recipient.⁶

You will also need the vehicle identification number, the year, make, and body style, the current license plate number if one is assigned, and the odometer reading at the time of sale.⁷ The purchase price, or the appraised value for a gift, needs to be clearly documented because it drives your tax calculation.

ID Requirements Starting March 2026

As of March 5, 2026, Texas requires specific forms of identification for title and registration transactions. The rules split into two lists depending on whether you are also registering the vehicle.⁸

Title With Registration

For a title paired with an initial registration, you need one of the following:

A valid, unexpired REAL ID-compliant driver’s license or state ID from any U.S. state or territory.
A valid, unexpired non-REAL-ID driver’s license or state ID from a state that requires proof of legal presence (Texas is on that list), or a non-REAL-ID license from any state paired with a U.S. birth certificate, Certificate of Naturalization, or Certificate of Citizenship.
A valid, unexpired U.S. passport.
A valid, unexpired foreign passport plus a Form I-94 (not in parole status), a current permanent resident card, or an unexpired immigrant visa.
A valid, unexpired Texas License to Carry a Handgun issued by DPS.

Title Only

If you are applying for the title without registering the vehicle, the requirements are less restrictive. A standard driver’s license or state ID from any U.S. state or territory, a U.S. passport, a Texas License to Carry, or a foreign passport with qualifying immigration documents will work.⁸

How to Fill Out the Form

Form 130-U is a single page, but the fields are small and easy to miss. Work top to bottom.

The top section captures the vehicle description: VIN, license plate number, year, make, body style, and whether the vehicle is new or used. Check the box that matches your transaction type: title and registration, title only, or registration purposes only.²

The odometer disclosure asks for the exact mileage at the time of sale and whether the reading is actual, exceeds mechanical limits, or is not actual. Federal law exempts older vehicles from this disclosure: model year 2010 and older are exempt now, and 2011 and newer vehicles remain subject to the requirement for 20 years from their model year.⁹

The middle section collects the buyer’s and seller’s full legal names, mailing addresses, and either a Social Security number or ITIN for each party. Both buyer and seller must sign and date the form. The date of sale on the form has to match the date on the title assignment. A mismatch is one of the most common reasons county clerks reject applications.

The bottom portion is the motor vehicle tax statement, where you or the clerk calculates the tax owed. If a lien exists on the vehicle (an active loan from the buyer’s bank, for example), list the lienholder’s name and address so the state records their interest on the new title.

What You’ll Pay

Budget for three main costs at the window.

Title application fee. Either $28 or $33 depending on your county. The form lists both figures and directs you to contact your county tax office for the correct amount.¹⁰

Motor vehicle sales tax. Texas charges 6.25 percent on private-party purchases, but the taxable amount is not always the price you agreed on. For a used vehicle bought from anyone other than a licensed dealer, tax is calculated on the greater of the actual purchase price or 80 percent of the vehicle’s Standard Presumptive Value.¹¹ The SPV is a market-based value the state assigns using make, model, year, and mileage. You can look it up on the TxDMV site; the figure displayed publicly is 100 percent of SPV, but the county tax system automatically applies the 80 percent figure. If you paid less than 80 percent of SPV and believe the vehicle is worth less, you can submit a certified appraisal from a licensed dealer or appraiser, and the tax office will use that appraised value instead.¹²

One point that surprises people: there is no motor vehicle sales tax exemption for active-duty U.S. military. Texas explicitly does not extend Servicemembers Civil Relief Act protection to motor vehicle tax.¹³

Gift transfers pay $10 instead. When a vehicle is given between qualifying family members or from certain organizations, Texas replaces the 6.25 percent sales tax with a flat $10 gift tax. The donor and recipient must complete and notarize Form 14-317 and submit it with Form 130-U.¹⁴ The $10 rate only applies if the giver is on the eligible list: a spouse (separate property only, not community property), parents and stepparents, grandparents, children and stepchildren, siblings, in-laws at each of those levels, guardians, foster parents, a decedent’s estate, qualifying 501(c)(3) nonprofits, and certain revocable trusts. A gift from a friend, a boyfriend or girlfriend, or a business partner does not qualify, and you would owe the standard 6.25 percent tax based on the vehicle’s value.

Registration fee. If you are registering at the same time, the base fee for a passenger vehicle weighing 6,000 pounds or less is $50.75, plus any applicable local county fees.¹⁵

Where to File and the 30-Day Deadline

Bring the completed form, signed title, ID, proof of insurance, and payment to a county tax assessor-collector’s office. Texas gives you four location choices: the county where the sale took place, the county where you live, the county where any lienholder is located, or any county willing to accept the application.¹⁶

File within 30 calendar days of the date of sale. Active-duty military personnel get an additional 30 days, for a 60-day window before penalties apply.¹

Late Filing Penalties

Miss the 30-day window and you owe an automatic $25 late fee on top of everything else. If you still have not filed by the 60th day, the penalty grows by another $25 for every 30-day period or partial period that passes.¹⁷ The penalties cap at $250 total, but that ceiling arrives faster than most people expect. Roughly seven months of inaction gets you there.

Vehicles eligible for classic or antique license plates under Texas Transportation Code Sections 504.501 and 504.502 are exempt from these late fees.¹⁷

After You File

Once the county tax office accepts your application and payment, you get a receipt that serves as temporary proof of ownership. Hold onto it. That receipt is your evidence of the transfer until the permanent title arrives.

TxDMV asks you to allow at least 20 business days for processing. If a lien exists, the new title goes directly to the lienholder rather than to you. If you have not received your title within 30 business days, contact TxDMV.¹⁸

There is no cooling-off period or right to cancel a private vehicle sale in Texas. The FTC’s three-day Cooling-Off Rule does not cover private car sales.¹⁹ Once both parties sign the title and Form 130-U, the deal is done.

1
Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. State Law Requires Private Sale Vehicle Buyers to Title in 30 Days
2
Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Motor Vehicle Tax Guide – Application for Texas Title and/or Registration
3
State of Texas. Texas Transportation Code 501.147
4
Travis County Tax Office. Vehicle Title Transfer, Selling a Vehicle
5
Texas Department of Insurance. Auto Insurance Guide
6
Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Motor Vehicle Tax Guide – Required Affidavit of Motor Vehicle Gift Transfer
7
Texas Public Law. Texas Transportation Code 501.021 – Title for Motor Vehicle
8
Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. Identification Requirements for Vehicle Registration Transactions
9
eCFR. 49 CFR 580.17 – Exemptions
10
Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. Application for Texas Title and/or Registration
11
Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Motor Vehicle Tax Guide – Standard Presumptive Value
12
Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Private-Party Purchases and Standard Presumptive Values
13
Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Motor Vehicle Tax Guide – Military Personnel
14
Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. Affidavit of Motor Vehicle Gift Transfer
15
Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. Schedule of Texas Registration Fees
16
Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. Detailed Instructions for Application for Texas Title and/or Registration
17
State of Texas. Texas Transportation Code 501.146 – Title Transfer Late Fee
18
Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. Buying or Selling a Vehicle
19
Federal Trade Commission. Buyer’s Remorse: The FTC’s Cooling-Off Rule May Help