How to Transfer a Car Title to a Family Member in Florida

To transfer a car title to a family member in Florida, both people sign the paper title over at a county tax collector’s office or licensed tag agency within 30 days of the transfer, and the new owner pays a $75.25 title fee plus registration costs. When the vehicle is a genuine gift between close relatives with no money changing hands, Florida’s 6% sales tax does not apply. Missing the 30-day window adds a $20 late penalty.

Who Qualifies as Family for the Tax Exemption

Florida Statute 212.08 exempts vehicle gifts between close family members from sales tax, but the list is narrower than most people expect. A spouse, parent, child, sibling, grandparent, or grandchild qualifies.¹ Step-parents, in-laws, aunts, uncles, and cousins do not.

The transfer must actually be a gift. If any money or other consideration changes hands, the transaction becomes a sale, and the recipient owes sales tax on the purchase price or the vehicle’s book value, whichever is higher. Even for a true gift, you still fill in a price on the title assignment: write “$0” or “gift.” FLHSMV recommends the parties also complete a bill of sale or gift affidavit for the Department of Revenue’s records, and Form HSMV 82050 handles this while also serving as the seller’s liability release.²

Documents to Bring

Gathering paperwork before you go is the difference between a 20-minute visit and multiple trips. Both parties should arrive with:

The Florida Certificate of Title, with the assignment section on the back completed. The giver fills in the recipient’s full legal name and address, the date, the sale price ($0), and signs; the recipient signs as buyer.³
Valid photo ID for both people: driver license, state ID card, or passport.
An odometer disclosure for any vehicle model year 2011 or newer. Vehicles model year 2010 or earlier are exempt. If the title has no odometer field or too little space, use Form HSMV 82993.⁴
Proof of Florida insurance in the new owner’s name, showing at least $10,000 in Personal Injury Protection and $10,000 in Property Damage Liability.⁵
Application for Certificate of Title, Form HSMV 82040, completed by the new owner.⁶
A lien satisfaction from the lender if the vehicle still has a loan against it. FLHSMV must show the lien cleared before the title can be reassigned.³

If the vehicle was last titled in another state, add a VIN verification. A Florida notary public, law enforcement officer, licensed dealer, or FLHSMV compliance examiner physically inspects the VIN and completes Form HSMV 82042.⁷ Handle this before your tax collector visit; the office will not process the transfer without it.

If the Title Is Electronic

Florida holds most titles electronically by default, and you cannot sign the back of a title that only exists in a database. Before the transfer can happen, the current owner has to request a paper title from FLHSMV so the assignment section can be filled in.⁸

You can request the paper title at any county tax collector’s office or tag agency. The fee is $75.25 for a duplicate title plus $2.50 for printing.⁹ Some offices can handle both the paper title request and the transfer in a single visit, but call ahead to confirm. Showing up with an electronic-only title is the most common reason people leave and come back.

What Happens at the Tax Collector’s Office

Both parties should go to the county tax collector’s office or a licensed tag agency together. Florida does not always require both to appear, but having everyone present avoids problems if a clerk questions signatures or the family relationship. When one party truly cannot attend, Form HSMV 82053 lets someone act under a power of attorney for either the buyer or the seller, though not both.¹⁰

At the counter, a clerk reviews the title assignment, checks IDs, confirms insurance, and processes Form 82040. The new owner pays all fees at the window. In most cases the office issues a temporary registration on the spot, and the new title arrives by mail. If you need the printed title the same day, ask about the fast title option, which costs extra.

Fees the New Owner Will Pay

The sales tax exemption saves the most money, but other charges still apply:⁹

Title transfer fee: $75.25 for an electronic title.
Paper title surcharge: $2.50 if you want a printed title.
Initial registration fee: $225 if the new owner does not already have a Florida plate to transfer.
Annual registration fee: based on vehicle weight, from $14.50 for cars under 2,500 pounds to $32.50 for cars 3,500 pounds and over.
Lien recording fee: $2 if the new owner is financing.
Late transfer penalty: $20 after the 30-day deadline.

The $225 initial registration fee is the one that stings, and there is a catch worth knowing. If the new owner already has a Florida plate on another vehicle they own, they can transfer that plate onto the gifted car and skip the $225 charge. Florida only allows plate transfers when the plate stays with the same owner or moves to a surviving spouse.¹¹ The person giving the car cannot hand their plate over to the family member receiving it. The giver keeps that plate for their next vehicle; the recipient uses one they already own or pays for a new one.

The 30-Day Deadline and the Notice of Sale

The title must be transferred within 30 days of the transfer date, or the $20 late penalty applies. Alongside that deadline, the person giving up the vehicle should file a Notice of Sale using Form HSMV 82050.² This is easy to skip when the car is going to your own kid or sibling, and that is exactly when it matters.

Filing the notice tells FLHSMV you no longer own the vehicle, which protects you from parking tickets, toll violations, and liability claims tied to the vehicle after the transfer date. It also documents the gift for the Department of Revenue. The seller completes sections 1 and 3 and can submit the form at the same tax collector visit.

Federal Gift Tax If the Car Is Worth More Than $19,000

Florida has no state gift tax. The federal one can still apply. In 2026 you can give up to $19,000 per recipient per year without any reporting requirement.¹² If the vehicle’s fair market value is above that, the person giving the car files IRS Form 709 with their tax return for the year of the gift.¹³

Filing Form 709 does not mean you owe tax. It reports the gift and reduces your lifetime estate and gift tax exclusion, which sits above $13 million per person. Unless you have already given away millions over your lifetime, nothing is actually due. Failing to file when required is still a compliance issue worth avoiding. Gifts between spouses who are both U.S. citizens are generally unlimited and do not require Form 709.¹³

If You Inherited the Vehicle Instead

The family transfer process above assumes the original owner is alive and signing the title over. When the owner has died, the paperwork is different.

A surviving spouse can put a jointly titled or solely titled vehicle into their own name by submitting Form HSMV 82152 to a motor vehicle service center with a certified copy of the death certificate and proof of identity.¹ A marriage certificate is required unless the surviving spouse appears on the death certificate. The replacement title itself is free; an expedited same-day title costs $10.

For any family member other than a surviving spouse, the path depends on probate. If there was a will and it went through probate, the personal representative named in the probate order signs the title to the heir. If there was no will and no probate, the county tax collector’s office will tell you what they require, which may include a court order. Call the office before making the trip.

1
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Frequently Asked Questions – Liens and Titles
2
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. HSMV 82050 – Notice of Sale and or Bill of Sale
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Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Liens and Titles
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eCFR. 49 CFR Part 580 – Odometer Disclosure Requirements
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Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Florida Insurance Requirements
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Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. HSMV 82040 – Application for Certificate of Motor Vehicle Title
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Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. HSMV 82042 – Vehicle Identification Number and Odometer Verification
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Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Electronic Liens and Titles
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Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Fees
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Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. HSMV 82053 – Power of Attorney
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Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. RS-05 Transfer of License Plates
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Internal Revenue Service. Whats New – Estate and Gift Tax
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Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Form 709