Texas paperwork, plainly
How to sell a car in Texas,start to finish.
Whether you sell to us, to a neighbor or to a stranger off the internet, the Texas paperwork is the same. Here's the checklist we'd give a friend, using the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles' own requirements.
No VIN handy? Start the form without it or call Brian at 214-732-7859.
1. Find the title
If you own the vehicle outright, you need the Texas title in your name. If it's lost, you can request a certified copy from TxDMV with form VTR-34. If a lender still holds the title, you'll need a payoff from them instead; see our page on selling a vehicle you still owe on.
2. Sign it over correctly
TxDMV asks the seller to give the buyer a properly signed title, including the date of sale and the odometer reading, plus a signed Application for Texas Title and/or Registration (Form 130-U) with the sales price clearly shown. Don't sign an open title with the buyer's name left blank.
3. File a Vehicle Transfer Notification
This is the step people skip. File a Vehicle Transfer Notification with TxDMV within 30 days of the sale. Once it's on record, you can't be held responsible for parking tickets and toll violations the next owner racks up.
4. Deal with your TollTag and insurance
- Take the vehicle off your NTTA TollTag account, or the next owner's tolls land on you
- Cancel the insurance after the sale is finished, not before
- Clear your phone, garage codes and any connected-car app off the vehicle
Or let a dealer handle it
When you sell to a dealership, the dealer files the title application, and if there's a loan, deals with the lender. You sign where you're shown, hand over the keys and get paid. You should still file your own Vehicle Transfer Notification; it takes a few minutes online.
No salvage or rebuilt titles — the title has to be clean.