To register a used car in California, you have 10 days from the date the seller signs the title over to you to file your paperwork with the DMV and pay the fees.1California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code 5902 (2025) You’ll need the signed Certificate of Title, a bill of sale, an odometer disclosure, a current smog certificate if the car is more than four model years old, and proof of California liability insurance. On top of the purchase price, expect a $15 transfer fee, a vehicle license fee of 0.65% of the price, and use tax calculated at your local sales tax rate. Miss the 10-day window and the penalties start the next day with no grace period.
What to Bring to the DMV
The California Certificate of Title does the heavy lifting. The seller signs the release-of-ownership line and you sign the buyer section. Check that the name on the title matches the seller’s ID and that the VIN on the title matches the VIN on the car. If the title is lost, torn, or unreadable, the seller has to order a duplicate for $28 before anything else can happen.2California State Department of Motor Vehicles. Appendix 1F – Fees
You also need a bill of sale. California’s official version is Form REG 135.3California State Department of Motor Vehicles. 1.020 Bill of Sale (VC 1652) It doesn’t need to be notarized, but it has to show the purchase price, the date of sale, and both parties’ names. The DMV and the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration use the price written here to calculate your use tax, so it needs to match what you actually paid.
Federal law requires an odometer disclosure at the time of sale for any vehicle less than 20 model years old.4California State Department of Motor Vehicles. 5.025 Disclosure Requirements In California, that’s recorded on Form REG 262 when the title itself doesn’t have a compliant odometer section.5California State Department of Motor Vehicles. Vehicle/Vessel Transfer and Reassignment Form (REG 262) Both of you sign in ink. Any strikeout or correction voids the form, and you have to start a new one.
Finally, bring proof of liability insurance from a company licensed in California. The state minimums are $30,000 for injury or death of one person, $60,000 for injury or death of more than one person, and $15,000 for property damage.6California State Department of Motor Vehicles. Auto Insurance Requirements Put the policy in place before you walk into the DMV. Without it, the application won’t be processed.
Whether You Need a Smog Certificate
For a change of ownership, the seller is legally responsible for providing a valid smog certificate, but only if the vehicle is more than four model years old.7California Bureau of Automotive Repair. Smog Check: When You Need One and What’s Required Buying a 2022 or newer gasoline, hybrid, or alternative-fuel car in 2026? No inspection needed. You’ll pay an $8 smog transfer fee at the DMV instead.
Several vehicle types are exempt regardless of age:
- Electric vehicles8California State Department of Motor Vehicles. Smog Inspections
- Diesel vehicles from 1997 or older, or with a gross vehicle weight rating above 14,000 pounds
- Natural gas vehicles weighing more than 14,000 pounds
- Gasoline vehicles from 1975 or older
- All motorcycles
A smog certificate is valid for 90 days from the test date for a title transfer. If the sale drags on past that window, the seller has to pay for a fresh test. Ask to see the certificate before you hand over money. If the car fails after you’ve paid and the seller is gone, the repair bill lands on you.
What You’ll Pay
The fixed DMV charges are predictable:
- Transfer fee: $15 to update the ownership record9California State Department of Motor Vehicles. Registration Fees
- Vehicle license fee: 0.65% of the purchase price or assessed value
- Smog transfer fee: $8 if the car is exempt from inspection because it’s four model years old or newer
- Duplicate title fee: $28 if the original is lost or damaged
Use tax is the big line item. It’s calculated on the purchase price using your local combined sales tax rate, which runs from the 7.25% statewide floor up to 11.25% in the highest-rate cities.10California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. California City and County Sales and Use Tax Rates On a $15,000 car at a 9.5% rate, that’s $1,425 in use tax by itself. Look up your rate on the CDTFA site before your appointment so you aren’t surprised at the counter.
The DMV also collects a base registration fee and a California Highway Patrol fee, both relatively small. Totals vary by vehicle and location, so the DMV’s online fee calculator is worth running ahead of time. Payment at the counter is accepted by cash, check, or debit card.
Family Transfers and Gifts
Buying from a close family member can wipe out the use tax entirely. California waives it when the seller is a parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, or spouse or registered domestic partner, provided the seller isn’t in the business of selling cars.11California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. Tax Guide for Purchasers of Vehicles Siblings qualify only if both are minors at the time of sale. Stepparents and stepchildren don’t qualify unless a legal adoption exists.
Bring proof of the relationship to the DMV: a birth certificate, marriage license, or adoption paperwork, along with the title. Transfer, registration, and other DMV fees still apply. Only the use tax is waived. If the car is a gift with no money changing hands, the same family rules and documentation requirements apply.
If the Car Comes From Another State
A car previously registered outside California needs a VIN verification on Form REG 31 before the DMV will process your registration.12California Department of Motor Vehicles. 1.165 Vehicle Verifications Only DMV employees or licensed vehicle verifiers can complete it. They physically inspect the VIN and the federal emissions label. Get this done before your DMV visit, not during it.
Out-of-state vehicles have to pass a California smog inspection. A certificate from another state won’t be accepted. If the car was built to 49-state federal standards rather than California’s stricter ones, it may need modifications to pass. The emissions label under the hood tells you which standard the car was certified to.
You may get a use tax credit if you already paid sales tax in another state. California applies that amount against the use tax owed here. Pay $1,500 to another state on a car with $2,000 of California use tax due, and you owe $500.11California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. Tax Guide for Purchasers of Vehicles If the tax you paid elsewhere was higher than California’s, you won’t get a refund of the difference, but you won’t owe more either.
If you need more time to gather documents or complete the smog test, the DMV issues a one-time 30-day Temporary Operating Permit for vehicles currently registered in another state.13California State Department of Motor Vehicles. Temporary Operating Permits That keeps you legal on the road while you finish the California-specific requirements.
After You File
Once the DMV accepts your application, you walk out with a validated registration card and year stickers for your plates. If the seller kept personalized plates or the plates are missing, the DMV issues new standard plates on the spot. The year sticker goes on the rear plate in the designated corner. That sticker is what tells officers your registration is current.
The official Certificate of Title arrives by mail from Sacramento, usually within 15 to 30 days.14California State Department of Motor Vehicles. Title Transfers and Changes That document, commonly called the pink slip, is your proof of ownership. Store it somewhere secure, not in the car. If you need it faster, rush processing turns it around in 72 hours (three business days) for an added fee, and the application has to be mailed to a specific Sacramento address.15California State Department of Motor Vehicles. Rush Title Processing (VC 9270)
What Happens If You’re Late
There is no grace period on the 10-day deadline, and penalties escalate on a schedule that combines a percentage of the vehicle license fee with flat late fees for registration and the CHP:16California State Department of Motor Vehicles. Penalties
- 1–10 days late: 10% of the VLF, plus $10 registration and $10 CHP late fees
- 11–30 days late: 20% of the VLF, plus $15 registration and $15 CHP late fees
- 31 days to one year late: 60% of the VLF, plus $30 registration and $30 CHP late fees
- One to two years late: 80% of the VLF, plus $50 registration and $50 CHP late fees
- More than two years late: 160% of the VLF, plus $100 registration and $100 CHP late fees
A vehicle with registration expired for six months or more can be towed and impounded. If the DMV also flags an insurance lapse, your registration gets suspended, and clearing it costs a $14 reinstatement fee plus proof of active coverage.17California State Department of Motor Vehicles. Vehicle Registration Suspension / Submitting Proof of Insurance Unpaid parking tickets or toll violations attached to the car can also block the transfer entirely. Ask the seller about any outstanding violations before you buy. Once the title is in your name, those become yours to clear.