If you purchase a vehicle from another person instead of a dealer, it is known as a private party purchase. Buyers have 10 days after purchasing the vehicle to transfer ownership from the seller to themselves, and sellers have 5 days after the sale to report the transfer of ownership to DMV.
To take over ownership of a vehicle, you will need:
You can transfer ownership of the vehicle by mailing your completed form to DMV or visiting a DMV field office in person.
Find out what you need to know about transferring a title into or out of your ownership.
Need to get a smog check to finish registering a vehicle?
Use one of our handy Fee Calculators to plan for registration and title transfer fee estimates.
The Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) website uses Google™ Translate to provide automatic translation of its web pages. This translation application tool is provided for purposes of information and convenience only. Google™ Translate is a free third-party service, which is not controlled by the DMV. The DMV is unable to guarantee the accuracy of any translation provided by Google™ Translate and is therefore not liable for any inaccurate information or changes in the formatting of the pages resulting from the use of the translation application tool.
The web pages currently in English on the DMV website are the official and accurate source for the program information and services the DMV provides. Any discrepancies or differences created in the translation are not binding and have no legal effect for compliance or enforcement purposes. If any questions arise related to the information contained in the translated website, please refer to the English version.
The following pages provided on the DMV website cannot be translated using Google™ Translate: