How to Write a Car Bill of Sale in NY: MV-912, DTF-802, and Plates

A car bill of sale in NY is a short document recording the vehicle details, the price, the date, and the signatures of buyer and seller. The easiest way to get it right is to use the DMV’s free Vehicle Bill of Sale, Form MV-912, and pair it with the signed title and a completed Statement of Transaction (Form DTF-802).¹ Those three papers are what the DMV wants to see when the buyer registers the car.

What the MV-912 Has to Contain

The MV-912 is a single-page PDF you can download from dmv.ny.gov and fill out by hand or on a computer.² Both parties sign it, even when the car is a gift. For the form to be accepted, it needs every one of the following:¹

Year and make of the vehicle, matching the title exactly
The 17-character Vehicle Identification Number from the dashboard or door jamb
The exact date of sale
The purchase price in dollars, or $0 if the car is a gift
Full legal names and signatures of both the buyer and the seller

Mismatches between the bill of sale and the title are a common reason the DMV sends people home. Copy the year, make, and VIN straight from the title, and double-check the price against the number you’ll report on the DTF-802. Those two amounts have to agree.

Writing Your Own Instead of Using the MV-912

You can draft your own bill of sale, but there’s little reason to. A custom document still has to contain every item above, and a DMV clerk will look at it more closely than the standard form. If you do write your own, keep it legible and make every detail match the title certificate.

Adding “As-Is” Language

Private sales in New York almost always happen without a warranty. A seller who wants that in writing can add a short line to the bill of sale, such as “Seller makes no warranties regarding the condition of this vehicle; it is sold as-is.” Putting it on paper protects the seller from a buyer who later claims the car had hidden problems.

The Odometer Reading

Federal law requires the seller to disclose the car’s mileage at transfer for most vehicles, and the disclosure is made on the title certificate itself in the transfer section rather than on a separate form.³ Who’s exempt and who isn’t depends on weight and model year:⁴

Vehicles over 16,000 pounds GVWR are exempt from odometer disclosure entirely
Model year 2010 and older vehicles are exempt in 2026 under the previous 10-year rule
Model year 2011 and newer vehicles need an odometer statement; the requirement runs 20 years from the model year

The seller certifies one of three things: that the reading reflects the actual mileage, that the mileage exceeds the odometer’s mechanical limit, or that the reading is inaccurate and shouldn’t be relied on.

The Sales Tax Form (DTF-802)

Every vehicle transfer in New York also requires a Statement of Transaction, Form DTF-802.⁵ The buyer fills it out and the DMV uses it to calculate sales tax at registration. The purchase price on the DTF-802 must match the price on the bill of sale; a discrepancy between those two numbers is one of the fastest ways to trigger a tax audit.

If the reported price looks well below the car’s fair market value and there’s no explanation, the state can assess tax on what it believes the car is actually worth. Section 6 on page 2 of the DTF-802 is where that explanation goes. The seller must complete it whenever the car was sold below fair market value to someone other than a spouse, parent, child, stepparent, or stepchild.¹ Selling to a friend at a steep discount means filling out that section.

Gifts and Family Transfers

Transfers between spouses, parents, children, stepparents, and stepchildren are exempt from sales tax. On the DTF-802, you mark the relationship and enter $0 on the tax line.⁵ Even when no money changes hands, both parties still complete the bill of sale (showing $0) and the DTF-802 (marked as a gift).¹

Gifts outside that immediate family list aren’t exempt. A car given to a sibling, cousin, or friend triggers sales tax based on the vehicle’s fair market value, not the $0 the recipient paid, and the donor must complete Section 6 of the DTF-802. Filing a false statement on the form to avoid tax is a misdemeanor punishable by fines up to $10,000 for an individual or $20,000 for a corporation.⁵

What the Seller Hands Over

Under Vehicle and Traffic Law Section 2113, the seller signs the transfer section on the back of the title certificate and delivers the signed title to the buyer at the time of sale.⁶ That same section requires the seller to include a statement about any facts that could affect the title’s validity, or to certify there are none. Along with the title goes the signed MV-912 and the seller’s portion of the DTF-802.

Take Your Plates Off the Car

This is the step sellers forget most often. In New York, license plates belong to the owner, not the vehicle. Before the car leaves your driveway, remove the plates and the windshield registration sticker.⁷ Skip this and you can end up responsible for parking tickets and tolls the new owner picks up. Turn the plates in at a DMV office, or transfer them to a replacement vehicle.

What the Buyer Does Next

Once you have the signed title, the bill of sale, and a completed DTF-802, head to a DMV office. New York gives you 30 days from the transfer date to apply for a new title in your name.⁶ Bring:

The signed title with the seller’s transfer section completed
The signed MV-912 (or your equivalent bill of sale)
The completed DTF-802
Proof of a New York State automobile liability insurance policy in your name

Out-of-state insurance isn’t accepted, and the name on the policy must match the name on the registration.⁸ You’ll pay sales tax at the counter, calculated from the DTF-802, along with the DMV’s title, plate, and registration fees.

Two Situations That Stop the Sale

There’s a Lien on the Title

If the seller still has a loan on the car, the title shows a lienholder and the DMV won’t transfer ownership until the lien is cleared. The seller pays off the loan, the lender releases the lien and notifies the DMV, and a clean title gets issued.⁹ A buyer who accepts a title with an active lien is buying a legal problem, not a car.

The Title Is Lost

A missing title doesn’t have to kill the deal. The seller applies for a duplicate using Form MV-902 (Application for Duplicate Certificate of Title) before the transfer goes through. The replacement fee is $20, and the application can be filed at a DMV office or by mail.¹⁰ Even when you apply in person, the duplicate is printed at a secure facility in Albany and mailed to you, so build in extra time. The buyer can’t register the car without a physical title to present.

1
New York State Department of Motor Vehicles. Buy, Sell, or Transfer Vehicle Ownership
2
NY DMV. Vehicle Bill of Sale
3
eCFR. Part 580 – Odometer Disclosure Requirements
4
eCFR. 49 CFR 580.17 – Exemptions
5
NY DMV. Statement of Transaction – Sale or Gift of Motor Vehicle, Trailer, All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV), Vessel (Boat), or Snowmobile
6
New York State Senate. New York Vehicle and Traffic Law VAT 2113 – Transfer
7
New York State Department of Motor Vehicles. Let the Buyer Be Aware
8
New York State Department of Motor Vehicles. New York State Insurance Requirements
9
Department of Financial Services. Obtaining a Lien Release on a Vehicle
10
New York State Department of Motor Vehicles. Replace a Title Certificate