How to Transfer a Car Title in SC: Documents, Costs, and Filing

To transfer a car title in SC, file SCDMV Form 400 with the signed title and a bill of sale, pay the $15 title fee plus the 5% Infrastructure Maintenance Fee (capped at $500), and show proof of active South Carolina auto insurance. You can submit everything in person at any SCDMV branch or by mail to the titles office in Blythewood. The details shift a little depending on whether you bought the car in a private sale, received it as a gift or inheritance, or brought it in from another state.

Documents You Need

The application itself is SCDMV Form 400, the Title and/or Registration Application. You can download it from the SCDMV website or pick one up at any branch. It asks for vehicle details, the purchase price, the odometer reading at the time of sale, and lienholder information if there’s a loan. Federal and state law both require an accurate odometer disclosure when ownership changes; a false reading can bring fines or criminal penalties.¹

The existing title has to be signed by both the seller and the buyer in the assignment sections on the back. South Carolina does not require these signatures to be notarized. A signed bill of sale is required for every title transaction and must show the total sale price minus any trade-in value; the buyer signs it.² If the back of the title already has a filled-in sales price section, the bill of sale is a backup. If it doesn’t, the bill of sale is the only record the SCDMV has to calculate what you owe.

You also need proof of active South Carolina auto insurance. State law requires anyone registering a vehicle to certify it is insured and will stay insured throughout the registration period.³ Without it, the SCDMV won’t issue a title or registration.

What It Costs

Three costs land on the buyer:

The title fee is $15 for standard processing. An expedited title, available only in person, is $35.⁴
The Infrastructure Maintenance Fee (IMF) is 5% of the purchase price for dealer purchases or 5% of fair market value for private sales, capped at $500 either way. Fair market value comes from the purchase price or a national used-vehicle valuation guide adopted by the SCDMV, minus any trade-in.⁵
County personal property tax is owed as part of registration. The amount varies by county and is based on the assessed value of the vehicle, so there’s no single statewide figure. Buyers registering an out-of-state purchase should expect to pay it upfront.

The SCDMV will not issue a title or registration until the IMF is paid.⁵ A South Carolina–licensed dealer collects it at the point of sale and remits it. In a private sale, you pay it directly with your application.

Where to Submit It and How Long It Takes

You have two ways to file. In person, any SCDMV branch will take your application and accept cash, check, or credit card, and same-day expedited processing is available for the extra fee. By mail, send everything to SCDMV, Titles, PO Box 1498, Blythewood, SC 29016-0024. Use a tracked method, since you’re mailing an original title and personal information, and make checks or money orders out to the SCDMV.

Standard processing runs about 15 to 30 business days before your new title arrives.² If you need it faster, the $35 in-person expedited title is the only option.⁴

Don’t sit on the paperwork. South Carolina charges a $25 delinquency penalty if you’re 15 to 30 days late registering the vehicle, and the penalty grows the longer you wait.⁶

If You’re the Seller

Selling a vehicle carries its own step that many people skip. Complete SCDMV Form 416, the Notice of Vehicle Sold, and either drop it off at a branch or mail it in.⁷ This tells the state you no longer own the car.

Until the SCDMV processes that notice, the vehicle stays tied to your name in state records. If the buyer doesn’t transfer the title and then racks up toll violations, red-light tickets, or an abandoned-vehicle tow, those problems can land on you. There’s no published deadline for filing Form 416, but the safe move is to file it the same day you hand over the title.

Moving to South Carolina with a Vehicle

New residents and people who start working in the state have 45 days to register and title any vehicles they bring with them.⁸ Bring your current out-of-state title, your out-of-state registration, and a completed Form 400.

If you don’t hold a South Carolina driver’s license, beginner’s permit, or state ID, you also need SCDMV Form TI-006, the Statement of Vehicle Operation in South Carolina, certifying that the vehicle will be located and primarily operated in the state.⁹ Active-duty military stationed in South Carolina present valid military ID with the form. If a lienholder still holds the original title, provide their name and address so the SCDMV can request it directly. The $15 title fee and the IMF both apply, and missing the 45-day window triggers the same delinquency penalties as any late registration.⁶

Gifts and Inheritances

Family Gifts

A vehicle transferred as a gift between immediate family members is exempt from the IMF. State law defines “immediate family” narrowly for this purpose: spouse, parent, child, sibling, grandparent, or grandchild.⁵ The exemption is worth up to $500. Transfers to a cousin, uncle, aunt, niece, or nephew do not qualify.

You still file Form 400, provide the signed title, and submit a bill of sale showing a zero or gift-value purchase price. The $15 title fee still applies.

Inherited Vehicles

To title an inherited vehicle you need SCDMV Form 400-I, the Affidavit of Inheritance, along with the original title.¹⁰ Also bring a certified copy of the death certificate and probate court documents establishing your legal right to the vehicle. The SCDMV instructs applicants to consult their county Probate Court for the correct documents.¹¹ Vehicles going to a legal heir, legatee, or distributee are exempt from the IMF under the same statute that covers family gifts.⁵

Lost Titles and Active Liens

If the title is lost, stolen, or too damaged to use, you need a duplicate before any transfer can happen. Complete Form 400, check the duplicate title option, and pay the $15 fee. You can apply online, by mail, or in person, and branch offices offer a same-day expedited duplicate for an extra $20 on top of the $15.¹² If there’s an active lien, the duplicate goes to the lienholder, not to you.

You cannot legally sell or mortgage a vehicle in South Carolina without a certificate of title.¹³ When a lender holds the title against a loan, the loan has to be paid off before the lender will release it. Many lenders now hold liens electronically through the state’s Electronic Lien and Title system; once payoff is received, the lender transmits a release, the SCDMV marks the lien satisfied, and a paper title is printed and mailed.¹⁴ If a buyer is waiting, the lender can request an expedited over-the-counter title to pick up at a branch. When you’re buying a car that still has a balance, running the transaction through the lender’s office or sending the buyer’s payment directly to the lender protects both sides.

1
South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles. Title and/or Registration Application (Form 400)
2
SCDMV. Titles
3
South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 56-10-220 – Requirement That Vehicle Sought to Be Registered Be Insured
4
SCDMV. Fees – Section: Title and Registration Fees
5
South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 56-3-627 – Infrastructure Maintenance Fee
6
South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 56-3-840 – Delinquent Registration Penalties
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SCDMV. Buying or Selling a Car
8
South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 56-3-210 – Time Period for Procuring Registration and License
9
South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles. Statement of Vehicle Operation in South Carolina (Form TI-006)
10
SCDMV. Inheriting a Vehicle
11
South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles. Completing a Title and/or Registration Application Instructions (Form 400-IS)
12
SCDMV. Replace a Title
13
South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 56-19-210 – Certificate of Title Required to Sell or Mortgage Vehicle
14
SCDMV. ELT Release