To transfer a car title in Arkansas, the seller signs the existing title over to you, and within 60 calendar days of the purchase date you bring that title, a completed Vehicle Registration Application (Form 10-381), proof of liability insurance, and your county property tax documentation to a state revenue office or submit everything through the MyDMV online portal. You pay a $10 title fee, a weight-based registration fee, and sales tax calculated on the purchase price. Get the paperwork right the first time and you avoid a return trip and the penalties that start the day after the 60-day window closes.
Documents You Need
The seller must sign the back of the Certificate of Title in the assignment area and write in your full legal name and address. Signatures have to match the names printed on the title exactly. A mismatch is the most common reason revenue offices reject applications at the counter.
You then complete Form 10-381, the Vehicle Registration Application, which asks for the VIN, make, model, year, and body type. The form is available at any revenue office or as a download from the Department of Finance and Administration website.1Arkansas Department of Finance & Administration. Vehicle Registration Application
If the purchase price isn’t written on the title assignment, bring a separate bill of sale showing the date, price, and both parties’ signatures. For any vehicle with a model year of 2011 or newer, federal rules require the seller to record the exact mileage at the time of sale on the title or on a separate odometer disclosure form.2eCFR. 49 CFR Part 580 – Odometer Disclosure Requirements Vehicles with a 2010 or older model year are exempt.
You also need two things from your own side of the transaction. First, proof of Arkansas liability insurance — your insurance card or a printed declarations page is fine. Second, proof that you’ve assessed the vehicle with your county assessor for the current year and paid any personal property taxes that were due by the previous October 15. Acceptable proof is your tax receipt from the county collector or an assessment form stamped by the collector showing payment.3Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration. Vehicle Tag Renewal Visit the assessor before the revenue office. Without this documentation the transfer won’t be processed.
What It Costs
The title fee is $10.00.4Department of Finance and Administration, Arkansas. Motor Vehicle Registration Fee Schedule Registration fees depend on the vehicle’s unladen weight:5Justia. Arkansas Code 27-14-601 – Fees for Registration and Licensing of Motor Vehicles
- 3,000 lbs. or less: $17.00
- 3,001 to 4,500 lbs.: $25.00
- 4,501 lbs. and over: $30.00
A $1.00 tag transfer fee applies if you’re moving a license plate from another vehicle you own.4Department of Finance and Administration, Arkansas. Motor Vehicle Registration Fee Schedule
Sales Tax
New vehicles are taxed at the full 6.5% state rate regardless of price. Used vehicles follow a tiered scale under Act 1013:6Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration. Recent Changes in the Law
- Under $4,000: no state sales tax.
- $4,000 to $9,999: 3.5% state rate on the full purchase price.
- $10,000 and above: the standard 6.5% state rate.
Local sales taxes from your county and city are added on top in every tier and are not subject to the reduced 3.5% rate. The rate is set by the date of sale, not the date you register, so delaying the revenue office visit doesn’t change what you owe.
If you traded in a vehicle, or sold one privately before registering the new one, you can deduct that trade-in or sale value from the purchase price before sales tax is calculated. For a private sale, bring a bill of sale signed by both parties and including the price, vehicle description, and VIN.7Cornell Law School. 006.05.08 Ark. Code R. 12.1 – Sales Tax Credit for Private Sale of a Used Vehicle If you already registered and paid tax on the new vehicle before selling the old one, file a refund claim with the DFA’s Tax Credits and Special Refunds Section.
Where to File
Arkansas gives you 60 calendar days from the date of purchase to title and register a motor vehicle, or 60 days from the date a prior lien is released, whichever is later.3Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration. Vehicle Tag Renewal Trailers, mobile homes, ATVs, and motorboats have a shorter 30-day deadline.
In Person
Take your signed title, completed Form 10-381, bill of sale if needed, proof of insurance, and county property tax documentation to any state revenue office. A clerk reviews the paperwork, verifies your ID, and processes the fees. You leave with a receipt that works as temporary proof of title. The permanent certificate is printed and mailed, which typically takes about three weeks. If the vehicle has an active lien, the title is mailed to the lienholder instead of to you.
Online Through MyDMV
The MyDMV portal lets you register a vehicle, apply for a title, transfer a plate, and pay sales tax online. DFA estimates the process takes about 15 minutes.8Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration. MyDMV You upload digital copies of your documents and receive a transaction summary. Not every situation qualifies online. If MyDMV flags yours, you’ll need to go in person.
If You Miss the 60-Day Deadline
Two penalties kick in. The registration penalty is $3.00 for every 10-day period, or fraction of one, past the deadline, and it keeps accumulating up to the full annual registration fee for the vehicle. On top of that, a 10% penalty is added to any unpaid sales tax.3Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration. Vehicle Tag Renewal On an $800 tax bill that’s an extra $80. The registration piece is modest. The sales tax piece is where waiting gets expensive.
Special Situations
Vehicles With a Lien
You can’t transfer a title while a lien is active without the lienholder’s involvement. Once the loan is paid, the lender issues a lien release. If the lien was on a paper title, the lender should send the title back with the lien marked satisfied. Some lenders use electronic lien and title systems that transmit the release directly to the state.
Buying from a private seller who still owes on the car? The safest move is to close the deal at the seller’s bank, so the lien is paid off and released at the same time the title is signed over. Without that release, the revenue office won’t issue a clean title in your name.
Gifts Between Family Members
When a vehicle is gifted between qualifying family members, the recipient can skip sales tax by filing an Affidavit of Relationship with the transfer paperwork. The form is on the DFA’s motor vehicle forms page or available at any revenue office.9Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration. Motor Vehicle Forms The affidavit is a sworn declaration that the transfer is a genuine gift, not a disguised sale. The $10 title fee and registration fees still apply.
Inherited Vehicles
If the deceased owner’s estate isn’t going through probate, the heir can transfer the title using an Affidavit of Inheritance of a Motor Vehicle (Form 10-306). The heir certifies that the estate hasn’t been administered and that any will hasn’t been and likely won’t be admitted to probate. All heirs must sign and must agree on who gets the vehicle. A copy of the death certificate goes with the affidavit.10Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration. Affidavit of Inheritance of a Motor Vehicle If the estate is going through probate, the executor needs court documentation instead.
Arkansas also lets owners name a transfer-on-death beneficiary directly on the title, so the vehicle passes to that person automatically without probate.11FindLaw. Arkansas Code Title 27 Transportation 27-14-727 After the owner’s death, the beneficiary brings a death certificate and the existing title to a revenue office for a new title.
Vehicles Titled in Another State
If you move to Arkansas or buy a vehicle titled elsewhere, register it within 30 days of becoming a resident. You need the out-of-state title (signed over if it was a purchase), Form 10-381, proof of Arkansas liability insurance, and county property tax documentation. Because this is your first assessment in the state, the county assessor stamps the paperwork “FIRST ASSESSMENT,” and the county tax collector provides a statement that no property taxes are owed.3Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration. Vehicle Tag Renewal The same title fee, registration fees, and sales tax apply. If you already paid sales tax to another state, Arkansas may credit the amount paid, though you could owe the difference if that state’s rate was lower.
Lost or Damaged Title
Apply for a replacement at any revenue office or through MyDMV. The fee is $10.00, and you’ll identify the vehicle by its registration certificate, license plate, title number, or VIN. The last titled owner of record signs the application. If the title lists two owners joined by “and,” both must sign; joined by “or,” either can sign.12Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration. Replacement Titles
If an active lien is recorded, the lienholder can complete a Permission to Issue a Replacement Title form (Form 10-315), and the new title is mailed to the lender. If the lien has been paid but not yet released, the revenue office notifies the lienholder and gives them 10 business days to respond before printing the title. Allow at least three weeks for processing.
Using a Power of Attorney
If the buyer or seller can’t appear in person, a power of attorney can authorize someone else to sign the title transfer documents. It must name a specific individual, not a business, and include that person’s full legal name. One limit: a power of attorney generally can’t be used to sign the odometer disclosure on vehicles that require one. The actual buyer or seller typically has to sign that personally.