Missouri Form 768 is the Department of Revenue’s General Affidavit — a single sworn, often notarized statement that covers six common situations during a vehicle, trailer, or vessel transaction: gifts, non-use, out-of-state vehicles, abandoned vehicles on your property, repossessions of watercraft, and a catch-all “other” category for things like odometer corrections. You check the box that fits your situation, fill in the vehicle details, sign in front of a notary when required, and submit it alongside Form 108 (Application for Missouri Title and License) at any license office or by mail to the Motor Vehicle Bureau. The form is free to download from dor.mo.gov.
Which Box to Check
Form 768 has checkboxes near the top for six different declarations. Pick the one that matches your situation:
- Non-Use. You declare that a vehicle has not been driven on Missouri roads during a specific date range, which lets you prorate the registration fee. Requires notarization.
- Gift. You state that you are giving the vehicle to another person with no money or other valuable consideration involved. No sales tax is due on a legitimate gift from someone who previously titled and paid tax on it.
- Vehicle Out-of-State. You certify that the vehicle has not been in Missouri for the 60 days before you apply to renew its plates, and that you will have it inspected within 10 days of bringing it back into the state.
- Abandoned Vehicle on Real Property. You explain how a vehicle came to be abandoned on land you own or purchased, give the property address, and estimate the vehicle’s fair market value.
- Repossession Certification. Used when repossessing a boat, vessel, or outboard motor. You must show that all owners and lienholders on record gave written consent or received proper notice. Requires notarization.
- Other. A blank field for anything that doesn’t fit the categories above, including correcting a name on a title or explaining an odometer discrepancy.
The current form also includes checkboxes for drivers age 75 and older renewing a disabled-person placard without a new physician’s statement, and for firefighter license plate applicants confirming active service.
Filling In the Vehicle Information
Download the most recent version of the form from the Department of Revenue’s forms page at dor.mo.gov. The top asks for the owner’s name, the year, make, and model of the vehicle, the Vehicle Identification Number, the original title number, and the current license plate number.
Copy every digit of the VIN directly from the metal plate on the vehicle, not from memory and not from a prior document that might contain a typo. A single wrong character will delay processing because the number won’t match what the state has on file. For boats and vessels, put the Hull Identification Number in the same field.
Writing the Statement of Facts
For the gift, non-use, out-of-state, and abandoned vehicle boxes, most of the statement is pre-printed. You just fill in names, dates, addresses, or dollar amounts in the blanks provided.
The “Other” box is where people run into trouble because the field is open. Keep the explanation short and specific. A workable statement identifies the wrong figure, the correct figure, and why the mistake happened. For example: the seller wrote 45,200 miles on the title, the correct odometer reading at the time of sale was 145,200 miles, and this was a clerical error rather than an attempt to misrepresent mileage. A statement that buries the key fact in paragraphs of backstory is the kind clerks send back.
Documents to Attach
Form 768 rarely travels alone. Depending on the situation, plan to include:
- Form 108, the Application for Missouri Title and License, for most titling and registration transactions.
- The assigned title, signed over by the seller or previous owner, with the Notice of Sale or Transfer completed.
- A bill of sale, when the sale price or terms are relevant to what you’re swearing to.
- Form 5049 or the tear-off Form 5049A (Notice of Sale or Transfer). This is required for gift transfers and any change of ownership. Both the original owner and the new owner must sign it, even for a gift.
Before you leave for the notary or the license office, check that every name, date, and VIN on Form 768 matches what appears on the title and any other paperwork. Mismatched information across documents is one of the most common reasons clerks turn people away.
Notarization
The non-use and repossession boxes must be notarized — the form marks those with an asterisk. For gift, out-of-state, abandoned vehicle, and “other,” notarization practice varies by transaction. Many license offices have a notary on staff who can handle it on the spot. If you’re mailing your paperwork, you’ll need to see a notary first.
Under Missouri law, when a notarial certificate says “subscribed and sworn to before me,” you must sign the document in the notary’s presence. Don’t sign it at home and bring it in already completed; if you do, the notary should ask you to re-sign in front of them before administering the oath.1Missouri Secretary of State. Missouri Notary Public Handbook
Bring a valid government-issued photo ID, such as a driver’s license or passport. The notary will verify your identity, administer an oath or affirmation that your statements are truthful, watch you sign, and apply their official seal. Missouri caps notary fees at $5 per signature for both acknowledgments and jurats.2Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 486.685 – Fees for Notarial Acts
If more than one person is listed as an owner on the title, each has to sign the affidavit and be identified by the notary. Coordinate schedules so everyone appears at the same appointment. Having one owner sign Tuesday and another sign Friday with a different notary creates complications.
Where to Submit and What to Pay
Two options:
- In person at a license office. Any Missouri license office will accept the paperwork. The clerk can review everything on the spot, flag problems immediately, and in many cases issue your registration materials the same day.
- By mail. Send your completed forms, supporting documents, and payment to the Motor Vehicle Bureau, PO Box 2046, Jefferson City, MO 65105-0100. Expect several weeks before a new title arrives.3Missouri Department of Revenue. Motor Vehicle License Contact Information
Either way, include the required fees. Missouri charges an $8.50 title fee and a $9 processing fee for motor vehicles, plus state sales tax of 4.225 percent and your local sales tax rate on the purchase price less any trade-in allowance. Gift transfers with a properly completed Form 768 owe no sales tax.4Missouri Department of Revenue. Motor Vehicle Titling and Registration5Cornell Law Institute. 12 CSR 10-103.350 – Sales Tax on Motor Vehicles
Photocopy the entire notarized packet before you hand it over or drop it in the mail. The affidavit becomes part of the vehicle’s permanent record with the state, and you’ll want your own copy if questions come up later.
Penalties for a False Statement
The bottom of Form 768 warns that “any false statement in this affidavit is a violation of law, and may be punished by fine, imprisonment, or both.” Missouri backs that up with a specific criminal statute. Making a false affidavit — swearing to a material fact you know is untrue — is a class C misdemeanor. If the false statement is meant to mislead a public servant performing official duties, which includes the license office clerk processing your title, the charge jumps to a class A misdemeanor.6Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 575.050 – Making a False Affidavit
The most common trouble spot is the gift box. Calling a sale a “gift” to dodge sales tax is fraud. If the Department of Revenue finds that money changed hands, you’ll owe the unpaid tax plus penalties, and the false affidavit itself is a separate criminal offense.
Two Situations Form 768 Doesn’t Fully Handle
If you’re checking the “other” box to fix an odometer reading, note that federal disclosure rules run alongside the state process. Since January 2021, odometer disclosures are required for every transfer of ownership during the first 20 model years for vehicles built in 2011 or later. Model year 2010 and older vehicles follow the previous 10-year rule and are now exempt from federal odometer requirements.7National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Consumer Alert: Changes to Odometer Disclosure Requirements
If you’re using the gift box, Missouri won’t charge sales tax on a genuine gift, but the IRS has its own rules. For 2026, the federal gift tax annual exclusion is $19,000 per recipient. If the fair market value of the vehicle exceeds that amount, you need to file IRS Form 709 by April 15 of the following year. Filing doesn’t necessarily mean you owe gift tax; it counts against your lifetime exemption. Skipping the filing when required is a separate problem.8Internal Revenue Service. Gifts and Inheritances For vehicles worth less than $19,000, no federal filing is needed, and the Missouri side is finished once you check the gift box on Form 768 and complete the Notice of Sale or Transfer.