How to Write a Bill of Sale for a Car in New York

To write a bill of sale for a car in New York, use the DMV’s Form MV-912 and fill in the full names and addresses of both the buyer and seller, the vehicle’s year, make, model, and body type, the 17-character VIN, the odometer reading, the purchase price (or a statement that the car is a gift), and the date of sale. Both parties sign and date it. The bill of sale alone doesn’t transfer the car — it travels with the signed title, a tax form called DTF-802, and a registration application so the buyer can put the vehicle in their name.

What to Include on the Bill of Sale

New York’s Vehicle and Traffic Law Section 401 requires every registration application to describe the vehicle, list its factory-assigned identification number, and identify the owner and county of residence.¹ That same information anchors the bill of sale. At a minimum, include:

Full legal names and addresses for both buyer and seller, matching each person’s ID.
Year, make, model, and body type of the vehicle.
The full 17-character VIN, copied exactly from the dashboard plate visible through the windshield or the sticker on the driver-side door jamb.
The odometer reading at the time of sale.
The actual purchase price in dollars, or a clear statement that the vehicle is a gift.
The specific calendar date of the transaction.

The price is not just a record of the deal. It becomes the basis for the buyer’s sales tax, and the state compares reported prices against fair market value. Understating the price to reduce the tax bill is a misdemeanor under New York Tax Law Section 1817(b), with fines up to $10,000 for an individual.²

Form MV-912 and the Other Forms You’ll Need

New York’s official bill of sale is Form MV-912, a downloadable PDF from the DMV website.³ You can write a bill of sale from scratch, but using MV-912 is easier because the form already asks for everything the DMV expects to see.

MV-912 is not the only form the transaction needs. The buyer also has to submit:

Form DTF-802, the Statement of Transaction from the Department of Taxation and Finance. It captures the purchase price (or gift status) and is used to calculate the sales tax the buyer owes at registration.²
Form MV-82, the Vehicle Registration/Title Application. Without it, the DMV won’t issue a new title, even if the bill of sale and tax form are perfect.⁴

Both parties fill in names, addresses, the vehicle description, and the VIN on each of these forms. Keeping the details identical across every document reduces the chance of a rejection at the counter.

Odometer Disclosure on the Title

Federal law requires the seller to disclose the vehicle’s mileage in writing whenever ownership changes. Under 49 CFR Part 580, the seller records the odometer reading on the title certificate at transfer (whole miles only, no tenths) and certifies one of three things: the reading reflects actual mileage, the mileage exceeds the odometer’s mechanical limit, or the reading is not accurate and should not be relied on.⁵ The buyer signs the disclosure as well, and both sides should keep copies. Odometer fraud disputes can surface years later.

Some vehicles are exempt. Vehicles with a gross weight rating over 16,000 pounds and non-self-propelled vehicles never need the disclosure. Age exemptions work on two tracks: vehicles from model year 2010 or older are exempt once the transfer happens at least 10 years after the model year, while vehicles from model year 2011 onward stay covered for 20 years.⁵ A 2015 sedan changing hands today needs the disclosure. A 2005 pickup does not.

Signatures and When You Need a Notary

Both parties must sign and date Form MV-912 and Form DTF-802. Signatures need to match the names on the title. Mismatches between the title name and the bill of sale name are one of the more common reasons the DMV kicks a submission back. If the seller’s legal name has changed since the title was issued, they should bring supporting documentation such as a marriage certificate or court order.

Form MV-912 does not require notarization.³ Form DTF-802 requires notarization in one specific situation: when the vehicle is a gift or sold below fair market value to someone who is not a spouse, parent, child, stepparent, or stepchild, the seller signs Section 6 of the form in front of a notary public.⁴ New York caps notary fees at $2 per signature, so the cost is small, but plan for the extra step.

Check the Title for Liens Before You Write Anything Up

Before drafting the bill of sale, look at the face of the title certificate for any listed lienholders. A lien means a bank or finance company still has a financial interest in the vehicle. If a lien is shown, the seller has to provide the original lien release: a letter or form from the lender confirming the loan was paid off. The seller does not need the DMV to remove the lien before selling; they can hand the buyer the original title and the original lien release together.⁶

When the buyer applies for a new title, the DMV processes the release and issues a clean title. If the buyer arrives without the original lien release, the old lienholder gets carried onto the new title, and unwinding that can take weeks.

What the Buyer Brings to the DMV

Once the paperwork is signed, the buyer takes the full package to a local DMV office:

The original signed title, with the transfer section completed by the seller.
Form MV-912 (bill of sale).
Form DTF-802 (tax statement).
Form MV-82 (registration/title application).
Proof of New York auto liability insurance already in place.⁷
Proof of identity and age.
Payment for sales tax, the $50 title certificate fee, and registration fees.⁸⁹

Sales tax on DTF-802 is calculated at the rate for the buyer’s county of residence, not where the sale took place. The vehicle will also need a New York safety and emissions inspection once registered under the new owner.¹⁰ Some buyers negotiate an inspection before closing the sale so a failure doesn’t turn into a surprise repair bill.

What the Seller Should Do After the Sale

Two things need to happen quickly on the seller’s side. First, remove the license plates before the buyer drives off. Plates are tied to the seller’s registration and insurance, not the vehicle. If the plates stay on and the buyer causes a crash or piles up toll violations, the fallout comes back to the seller.

Second, either surrender the plates at a DMV office or transfer them to another vehicle you own. Surrender the plates before canceling the insurance policy.¹¹ Cancel the insurance first, and the DMV treats it as a lapse and can suspend your registration even though the car is gone.

Lapse penalties escalate: $8 per day for the first 30 days, $10 per day for days 31 through 60, and $12 per day for days 61 through 90. A full 90-day lapse runs to $900 in civil penalties. The alternative to paying is surrendering the plates and serving a registration suspension for the same number of days as the lapse.¹² Sellers who plan to keep the plates on another car can avoid all of this by transferring the registration at the DMV before or on the same day as the sale.¹³

A Note on “As-Is” Sales

Most private car sales in New York are effectively as-is. Private sellers generally are not considered merchants under the Uniform Commercial Code, so the implied warranty of merchantability that applies to dealers does not automatically attach. Writing “as-is, no warranty” on the bill of sale reinforces that.

An as-is clause is not a shield against fraud. If the seller rolls back the odometer, hides known mechanical defects when asked directly, or lies about accident history, the buyer can still pursue claims regardless of what the bill of sale says. The clause is worth including; honesty about the car’s condition is what actually protects a seller from post-sale disputes.

1
New York State Senate. New York Code VAT – Title 4, Article 14, 401
2
NY DMV. Form DTF-802 Statement of Transaction – Sale or Gift of Motor Vehicle, Trailer, All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV), Vessel (Boat), or Snowmobile
3
NY DMV. Vehicle Bill of Sale MV-912
4
Department of Motor Vehicles. Buy, Sell, or Transfer Vehicle Ownership
5
eCFR. Part 580 Odometer Disclosure Requirements
6
Department of Motor Vehicles. Add or Remove a Lienholder
7
Department of Motor Vehicles. New York State Insurance Requirements
8
Department of Motor Vehicles. Apply for a Title Certificate Only
9
The State of New York. Register and Title a Vehicle in New York State
10
Department of Motor Vehicles. New York State Vehicle Safety/Emissions Inspection Program
11
Department of Motor Vehicles. Surrender (Return or Turn-in) Your Vehicle Plates and Registration
12
Department of Motor Vehicles. Pay an Insurance Lapse Civil Penalty
13
Department of Motor Vehicles. How to Transfer a Registration to Another Vehicle