To sign a title over in Illinois, fill out the assignment section on the back of your Certificate of Title in blue or black ink, record the odometer reading, hand the signed title to the buyer, and file a Seller’s Report of Sale (Form VSD 703) with the Secretary of State. The signing itself takes minutes. The catch is that a single stray mark, correction, or missing signature will void the title and force you to pay for a corrected one before the sale can close.
What to Have in Hand Before You Sign
Start with the original Illinois Certificate of Title. If it’s lost or damaged past reading, you need a duplicate before you can sell. File an Application for Vehicle Transaction(s) (VSD 190) with the Illinois Secretary of State and pay $50.1Illinois Secretary of State. Duplicate Titles The Secretary of State won’t issue a duplicate within 15 days of an original title being issued, or within 30 days of a previous duplicate.2Illinois General Assembly. 625 ILCS 5 Illinois Vehicle Code – Section 3-111
You’ll also want the buyer’s full legal name and current address, the exact odometer reading at the moment of sale, and a blank Seller’s Report of Sale (Form VSD 703).3Illinois Secretary of State. Title and Registration Publications and Forms Illinois doesn’t require a separate bill of sale, but writing one up as a receipt gives both sides something to point to if a dispute comes up later.
Filling Out the Assignment Section
Use a blue or black ink pen. On the back of the title, print and sign your name on the seller’s lines exactly as it appears on the front. Small mismatches between the two sides are enough for the Secretary of State to reject the transfer.
Enter the buyer’s full legal name and address, the sale price, and the date. Leave no required field blank; the buyer needs every one of those entries to apply for their own title.
Do not use white-out, cross out an entry, or write over a mistake. Any alteration voids the title. If you slip, you can’t repair the document. You’ll have to apply for a corrected title, pay another $50, and wait for it to arrive before the sale can proceed.4Illinois Secretary of State. Fees Slow down on this step. Most botched private sales come from a rushed pen.
Recording the Odometer Reading
Federal law requires you to fill in the Odometer Disclosure section on the title.5eCFR. 49 CFR Part 580 – Odometer Disclosure Requirements Write the reading without the tenths of a mile and check the box that fits: actual mileage, exceeds mechanical limits, or not actual. It’s a sworn statement, and falsifying it carries federal penalties.
Some vehicles are exempt. Trailers and other non-self-propelled vehicles, vehicles with a gross weight rating over 16,000 pounds, and older vehicles by age can skip disclosure. For model years 2010 and earlier, the exemption starts 10 years after the model year. For 2011 and newer, it’s 20 years. A 2006 model year vehicle sold in 2026 is exempt; a 2011 won’t be until 2031.6eCFR. 49 CFR Part 580 – Odometer Disclosure Requirements – Section 580.17
Who Signs When the Title Has Two Names
Look at how the owners are joined on the front of the title. The connector controls who must sign the back:
- “Owner A OR Owner B” — either owner alone can sign.
- “Owner A AND Owner B” — both must sign.
- “Owner A AND/OR Owner B” — both must sign.
- Names listed with no connector between them — both must sign.
The “and/or” rule trips people up because it reads as if either signature would work. It doesn’t. If both owners are required and only one signs, the buyer’s title application will be rejected.
Selling a Vehicle With a Lien on It
If a lienholder appears on the front of the title, you can’t hand over clean paperwork until the lien is released. Pay off the loan, then ask the lender for a lien satisfaction letter on official letterhead.7Illinois Secretary of State. Title and Registration Checklist
With that letter in hand, apply for a new title with the lienholder removed. Submit the original satisfaction letter and a completed application through the Secretary of State’s Electronic Registration and Title system with the title fee, and delete the lienholder’s information from the Lien Information section. You can file in person at a Secretary of State facility or mail everything to the Illinois Secretary of State, 501 S. Second St., Rm. 300, Springfield, IL 62756.7Illinois Secretary of State. Title and Registration Checklist
Some sellers use the buyer’s payment to pay off the loan at closing. If you do that, meet at the lender’s office or use an escrow arrangement. A buyer who hands over cash before the lien is cleared has no legal protection if the seller walks.
Filing the Seller’s Report of Sale
This is the step most sellers forget, and it’s the one that can cost you money after the car is gone. Once the signed title is in the buyer’s hands, file the Seller’s Report of Sale (Form VSD 703) with the Secretary of State. The form severs your link to the vehicle in state records. Until it’s filed, parking tickets, red-light camera violations, and toll charges the buyer runs up can still come back to you.
Many Illinois titles have a detachable stub at the bottom for exactly this purpose. If your title doesn’t have one, or the stub has already been separated, download the form from the Secretary of State’s website. File it at any Secretary of State facility in person, or mail it to the Secretary of State, Vehicle Services Department, Record Inquiry, 501 S. Second St., Rm. 408, Springfield, IL 62756. There’s no fee.
Plates and Insurance After the Sale
In Illinois, license plates belong to the seller, not the vehicle. Take your plates off before the buyer drives away. The buyer arranges their own plates, and leaving yours on the car after the sale exposes you to liability the moment they hit the road.
You have two options for the plates you pulled. Transfer them to another vehicle you own for a $25 transfer fee, or surrender them at any Secretary of State facility. If you’re buying a replacement vehicle and want to transfer plates and title in one transaction, the combined fee is $190.8Illinois Secretary of State. Transferring Plates
Call your insurer promptly to cancel or adjust coverage on the sold vehicle. Paying for a policy on a car you don’t own is wasted money, and a gap between the sale date and the cancellation date can complicate claims if the buyer wrecks the car before registering it.
What the Buyer Handles Next
Your work ends with the signed title, the report of sale, and the plates removed. The buyer has 30 days from the purchase date to apply for a new title with the Secretary of State.9Illinois Department of Revenue. RUT-50 Instructions for Private Party Vehicle Use Tax Transaction The title fee is $165.4Illinois Secretary of State. Fees
Illinois doesn’t charge a percentage-based sales tax on private party vehicle sales. The buyer files Form RUT-50 and pays a flat use tax. For a purchase price under $15,000, the tax is set by the vehicle’s age and runs from $465 for a vehicle a year old or newer down to $100 for one 11 years or older. For a purchase price of $15,000 or more, the tax is based on the sale price and runs from $850 to $10,100.10Illinois Department of Revenue. RUT-5 Private Party Vehicle Use Tax Chart for 2026 Missing the 30-day deadline triggers late filing and late payment penalties.
Family transfers use the same signing process but a different tax. Transfers between a spouse, parent, sibling, or child (including adopted children) qualify for a $15 tax. Step-relatives, in-laws, and grandparent-to-grandchild transfers do not.10Illinois Department of Revenue. RUT-5 Private Party Vehicle Use Tax Chart for 2026 A surviving spouse receiving a vehicle from an estate owes $0. The recipient still files Form RUT-50 and applies for a new title, even when nothing changed hands.9Illinois Department of Revenue. RUT-50 Instructions for Private Party Vehicle Use Tax Transaction