How to Get a Title With a Bill of Sale in Texas

To get a title with a bill of sale in Texas, what happens next depends on one thing: whether the seller also gave you the signed title certificate. If they did, take both documents to your county tax assessor-collector’s office within 30 days of the sale, pay the taxes and fees, and you’ll have a new title in your name. If all you have is the bill of sale and no signed title, a standard transfer isn’t available to you. You’ll need to pursue a bonded title through the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TxDMV), which costs more and takes longer but is the only legal path when the original title is missing.

When You Have Both the Signed Title and a Bill of Sale

A bill of sale proves you paid for the vehicle. It does not, on its own, transfer ownership. Texas expects the seller to sign the existing title certificate over to you, filling in the sale date and the odometer reading. The bill of sale rides along as supporting proof.¹

What to Bring to the County Tax Office

Gather these before you go:

The seller’s signed title, with the sale date and current odometer reading filled in.
Your bill of sale, showing the VIN, make, model, year, purchase price, date of sale, and the names and signatures of both buyer and seller.²
A completed Application for Texas Title and/or Registration (Form 130-U).³
Acceptable photo ID: a driver’s license or state ID from any U.S. state or territory, a U.S. or foreign passport, a U.S. military ID, or identification from the Department of Homeland Security, USCIS, or the Department of State. The ID must show a photo, a unique ID number, and an expiration date. A Texas license is not required.⁴
Proof of Texas liability insurance meeting minimums of $30,000 per person for bodily injury, $60,000 per accident, and $25,000 for property damage. Without insurance, you can apply for “title only” and skip registration for now.⁵¹
Lienholder name and mailing address, if you financed the purchase.

Filling Out Form 130-U

Form 130-U handles both titling and registration on a single application. Enter your legal name, mailing address, and county of residence, then the seller’s information from the bill of sale. Copy the VIN, make, model, year, body style, and odometer reading exactly as they appear on the signed title. Enter the sales price; the county uses that number to calculate sales tax.

The buyer’s signature on Form 130-U must be an original. A photocopy or fax of the buyer’s signature is not accepted. The seller’s signature can be a reproduction. If you cannot appear in person, a third party can handle the transaction using a Limited Power of Attorney (Form VTR-271), but your original signature must still appear on Form 130-U.³

Sales Tax and Standard Presumptive Value

Texas charges a 6.25% motor vehicle sales tax on private-party purchases.⁶ The number the tax is applied to isn’t always what you paid. For used vehicles bought privately, the state compares your purchase price against the Standard Presumptive Value (SPV), an estimated market value drawn from regional private-party sales data. Vehicle condition does not affect SPV.⁷

If you paid 80% or more of SPV, tax is calculated on what you actually paid.
If you paid less than 80% of SPV, tax is calculated on 80% of SPV.
If you paid less than 80% of SPV but obtained a certified appraisal, tax is based on the appraised value, provided it is not less than what you paid.

You can look up a vehicle’s SPV on the TxDMV website before you buy so the tax bill doesn’t blindside you. The county calculates the official taxable value on the day you apply, so the figure can shift slightly from the online estimate.⁸

To contest an inflated SPV, you can get a certified appraisal on Comptroller Form 14-128. A licensed dealer for the relevant vehicle category, or an insurance adjuster, must inspect the vehicle in person. You have 20 county working days from the purchase date to submit the appraisal to the county tax assessor-collector. Miss that window and you pay tax on 80% of SPV.⁹

Other Fees

On top of the 6.25% sales tax, expect:

A title application fee of $28 or $33, depending on your county.³
A base registration fee of $50.75 for a standard passenger vehicle weighing 6,000 pounds or less.¹⁰
Local county fees, typically a few dollars up to around $10.

Accepted payment methods vary by county. Call your local office before you go.

The 30-Day Deadline

You have 30 calendar days from the date the seller signed the title over to you to apply. Miss that window and penalties start: $25 on the 31st day, then another $25 for every 30-day period you remain late, capped at $250. The county cannot waive these penalties. Active-duty military personnel get 60 days.¹¹

After you submit everything, allow at least 20 business days for TxDMV to process the title. If a lien is recorded, the title goes to the lienholder; otherwise it comes to you by mail. If nothing arrives within 30 business days, contact TxDMV.¹

When You Only Have a Bill of Sale and No Signed Title

This is the situation that brings most people to this question. You bought the vehicle, you have a receipt in some form, but the seller never handed over a signed title, or the title was lost, or the seller has since become unreachable. You cannot walk into the county tax office and get a title with just a bill of sale. The path forward is a bonded title, which uses a surety bond to protect anyone who might later prove they have a rightful claim to the vehicle.

Whether You Qualify

You must be a Texas resident or military personnel stationed in Texas. The vehicle must have been last titled in Texas, must be in your possession, and cannot be reported stolen, junked, or abandoned. It does not have to run, but it must be a complete vehicle with frame, body, and motor.¹²

Applying to TxDMV

Bonded title applications go to your nearest TxDMV Regional Service Center, not the county tax office. Submit:

Statement of Fact (Form VTR-130-SOF), explaining why you do not have the regular title and describing what documentation you do have.¹³
Statement of Physical Inspection (Form VTR-270).
All evidence of ownership you have: the bill of sale, canceled check, invoice, or anything else linking you to the vehicle.
Your photo ID.
A $15 bonded title application fee.¹²

The Bond Itself

If TxDMV approves your application, it issues a Notice of Determination letter setting the required bond amount at 1.5 times the vehicle’s assessed value. TxDMV determines that value from the SPV, an NADA guide, or an appraisal if neither is available. For vehicles 25 years or older, the minimum assessed value is $4,000, making the minimum bond $6,000.¹²

The bond face value is not what you pay out of pocket. You pay a premium to a surety company, typically around 1.5% of the bond amount with a $100 minimum. For a vehicle valued at $10,000, the bond is $15,000 and the premium runs around $225.¹⁴

Finishing at the County

Once you have the bond, you have 30 days to bring it, the TxDMV approval letter, a completed Form 130-U, your photo ID, and the other required documents to your county tax assessor-collector’s office. You pay the regular title fee, registration fee, and sales tax there, just as in a standard transfer.¹²

The bond stays active for three years. If no one contests your ownership during that period, you can apply for a clean title with the bond notation removed. If someone does come forward with a valid claim, the bond covers their loss.

If the Vehicle Was a Gift, Not a Sale

If a family member is giving you the vehicle rather than selling it, you may qualify for a flat $10 gift tax instead of the 6.25% sales tax. The transfer must involve no payment of any kind: no cash, no assumption of a loan, no exchange of services. Eligible relationships include spouses, parents and stepparents, children and stepchildren, siblings (including in-laws), grandparents and grandchildren (including in-laws), great-grandparents and great-grandchildren (including in-laws), guardians, and qualifying 501(c)(3) nonprofits. Friends, cousins, and unmarried partners do not qualify and pay the standard tax based on SPV.¹⁵ Either the giver or the recipient must submit the paperwork in person at the county tax office; a gift transfer cannot be handled entirely by mail.¹

If There’s a Lien on the Vehicle

An unresolved lien is one of the most common reasons buyers end up stuck without a title. The seller has to pay off the loan and secure a lien release before transferring the title to you. Once the lienholder receives final payment, they have 10 days to release the lien.¹⁶

For paper titles, you need the physical title and a written release from the lienholder to complete the transfer. For electronic liens, the lienholder handles removal directly with TxDMV. If a seller cannot produce a clear title or a lien release, that is a warning sign and often the point at which a buyer ends up in the bonded title process.¹⁶

1
Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. Buying or Selling a Vehicle
2
Harris County Tax Office. Bill of Sale to a Motor Vehicle MV-015
3
TxDMV.gov. Application for Texas Title and/or Registration Form 130-U
4
TxDMV.gov. Photo ID Requirements
5
Texas Department of Insurance. Auto Insurance Guide
6
State of Texas. Texas Tax Code Chapter 152 – Taxes on Sale, Rental, and Use of Motor Vehicles
7
Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Private-Party Purchases and Standard Presumptive Values
8
Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. Standard Presumptive Value Calculator
9
Legal Information Institute. 34 Texas Admin Code 3.79 – Standard Presumptive Value
10
TxDMV.gov. Schedule of Texas Registration Fees
11
TxDMV.gov. State Law Requires Private Sale Vehicle Buyers to Title in 30 Days or Face Financial Penalties
12
TxDMV.gov. Bonded Title Procedure and Application
13
TxDMV.gov. Bonded Title Application or Tax Collector Hearing Statement of Fact Form VTR-130-SOF
14
GovDelivery. Establishing Motor Vehicle Value for Bonded Titles
15
Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Motor Vehicle Tax Guide – Gift Tax
16
TxDMV.gov. Add or Remove a Lien on a Vehicle