How to Transfer a Car Title in Indiana: Documents, Fees, and Taxes

To transfer a car title in Indiana, submit the signed original title, an Application for Certificate of Title (State Form 205), and a Bill of Sale (State Form 44237) to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles within 45 days of the sale date, along with a $15 title fee and 7% sales tax on the purchase price.¹ Miss that 45-day window and the BMV adds an automatic $30 late penalty that staff cannot waive.²

The Documents You Need

The centerpiece is the existing certificate of title. The seller completes the assignment section on the back, printing and signing exactly as their name appears on the front. The buyer fills in their full legal name and current address. Erasures, white-out, and any other alteration void the document.³

Two forms accompany the signed title in a standard sale:

Application for Certificate of Title (State Form 205). This is the buyer’s application to the BMV. It asks for the VIN, year, make, and the buyer’s Social Security number (or federal ID number for a business).⁴
Bill of Sale (State Form 44237). This records the purchase price, VIN, year, make, model, and sale date, signed by both parties.⁵

If the back of the title doesn’t have a dedicated mileage field, both parties also sign an Odometer Disclosure Statement (State Form 43230). Federal and state law require the seller to disclose mileage in writing at the time of transfer, recorded in whole miles.⁶

If either party can’t appear in person, a representative can handle the paperwork using a notarized Limited Power of Attorney for Vehicle and Watercraft Transactions (State Form 1940). If both sides need representation, each completes a separate power of attorney.⁷

Deadline and Fees

The 45-day clock starts on the sale date recorded in your paperwork.¹ Under the fee chart revised January 1, 2026:²

Standard title: $15.
Speed title: $25 on top of the $15 base, for $40 total. The physical title prints and mails within a few business days.
Late title penalty: $30, added to the base fee once the 45-day window closes.
Duplicate title: $15.

Standard processing generally runs 10 to 21 business days from the date the BMV receives a complete application. The printed title is mailed to the address on file.

Sales Tax at the Time of Transfer

Indiana charges 7% sales tax on motor vehicle purchases, calculated on the purchase price. Private-party buyers pay it directly to the BMV when applying for the title, based on the price listed on the Bill of Sale.

Buying from a dealer and trading in? The trade-in value reduces the taxable amount, but only for like-kind exchanges. Car for car qualifies; trading a motorcycle toward a car does not. Negative equity is not added back in: if you owe $9,000 on a trade-in worth $5,000, the $4,000 gap doesn’t increase your tax on the new vehicle.⁸

Special Situations

Vehicle Purchased or Brought From Another State

Any vehicle coming into Indiana from another state needs a physical VIN inspection before it can be titled here. This applies to out-of-state purchases and to vehicles you bring with you when you move. Any BMV branch or a law enforcement officer can do the inspection. Branches and certified service providers charge nothing; a law enforcement officer may charge up to $5.⁹ The inspector completes the Physical Inspection of a Vehicle or Watercraft form (State Form 39530).¹⁰

Gifted Vehicle

When a vehicle changes hands as a gift, the recipient files the Certificate of Gross Retail or Use Tax Exemption (State Form 48841) to avoid the 7% tax. The form lists qualifying categories, including transfers between individuals with no money exchanged and transactions that add or remove a spouse, child, parent, grandparent, or sibling from the title. One trap: if the recipient takes over loan payments, the BMV treats those payments as consideration and the gift exemption doesn’t apply, unless the recipient was already on the original loan.¹¹

Inherited Vehicle

When an owner dies and the estate doesn’t go through full probate, the person claiming the vehicle can use the Affidavit of Inheritance (State Form 230). The claimant swears that the decedent’s personal property falls below a statutory threshold and that a minimum waiting period has passed since the date of death. If the deceased owner shared the title with a co-owner under an “OR” designation, the survivor instead uses the Affidavit of Transfer to a Surviving Co-Owner (State Form 52730) to take sole ownership without probate paperwork.

Title With an Active Lien

A title with an open lien can’t be transferred. The lien must be released first.

For liens held by financial institutions or dealers, the lienholder either signs the release section on a paper title or releases the lien electronically through the BMV’s system. Electronic releases automatically generate a new title with the lien removed, mailed to the owner.¹² If the lienholder is no longer in business, you’ll need a court order directing the BMV to release the lien.¹³

For a lien held by an individual, the lienholder can sign the release section, provide a lien release letter, or complete a general affidavit (State Form 37964). A release letter must sit on the lienholder’s letterhead and include the owner’s name, the vehicle’s year, make, and VIN, the release date, and the signature and title of the signer.¹³

Lost or Damaged Title

If the current title is missing or damaged, the owner has to obtain a duplicate before selling. Duplicates cost $15 and can be ordered through a myBMV account online, at a BMV Connect kiosk, or at any branch.¹⁴² If information on the title has changed, such as the owner’s name or a lien status, the online and kiosk options may not work and you’ll need to visit a branch.

Where to File

You can file in person or by mail.

In person is faster and safer. A BMV agent reviews the packet at the counter and can flag missing signatures or forms before you leave. Branches are closed on Mondays, so plan around that.

By mail, send the completed packet to the BMV Central Office at 100 North Senate Avenue, Indiana Government Center North, 4th Floor, Indianapolis, IN 46204.¹⁵ The risk is that any error surfaces only after review, which can push you past the 45-day deadline. Check every signature and field before sealing the envelope.

BMV Connect kiosks can handle a duplicate title order but do not process standard title transfers.¹⁶

After the Title: Registration and Insurance

Titling the vehicle in your name doesn’t put you on the road. Before driving legally in Indiana, you need to register the vehicle and carry the state’s minimum liability coverage of 25/50/25: $25,000 for bodily injury to one person, $50,000 for bodily injury to two or more people in a single accident, and $25,000 for property damage.¹⁷ Have the policy in place before you go in for registration. Registration also triggers Indiana’s annual vehicle excise tax, and some counties add local surtaxes or wheel taxes on top.¹⁸

1
IN.gov. Buying and Selling a Vehicle
2
IN.gov. BMV Fee Chart
3
Justia. Indiana Administrative Code Title 140, Article 6, Rule 1, Section 14
4
Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 9-17-2-2 – Application Contents
5
Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Bill of Sale State Form 44237
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Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Odometer Disclosure Statement State Form 43230
7
Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Limited Power of Attorney – Vehicle and Watercraft Transactions State Form 1940
8
IN.gov. Sales Tax Information Bulletin 28S – Sales of Motor Vehicles and Trailers
9
IN.gov. Buying and Selling a Vehicle – Section: Vehicles Purchased in a Different State
10
Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Physical Inspection of a Vehicle or Watercraft State Form 39530
11
Indiana Department of Revenue. Certificate of Gross Retail or Use Tax Exemption State Form 48841
12
IN.gov. Electronic Lien Informational Guide
13
IN.gov. Liens
14
IN.gov. My Title Was Lost or Was Damaged – How Do I Obtain a Duplicate Title
15
IN.gov. BMV Titles Home
16
IN.gov. BMV Connect Kiosks
17
Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Proof of Financial Responsibility
18
IN.gov. Excise Tax Information