Massachusetts vehicle bill of sale

Fill in the free Massachusetts bill of sale on this page and print it.

Needed only in some cases. If the title has no space for a sales price, the buyer must submit a bill of sale showing the price. For vehicles exempt from titling because of their age, the previous owner's registration plus a bill of sale is the proof of ownership. The RMV does not mention notarization and has no official bill of sale form.

Massachusetts lists these items:

• Sales price
• Mileage
• Signatures of the seller and buyer

1. Fill in the title's transfer section: state the mileage and write the sale price if the title has a space for it.
2. Sign, hand print your name and date the title, and have the buyer do the same. Do not use white-out or make erasures.
3. If the title has no price space, or the vehicle is exempt from titling because of its age, give the buyer a signed bill of sale showing the price (plus your previous registration for an exempt vehicle).
4. Tell the buyer about any known defect that impairs the car's safety or use.
5. Take your plates off the car and either move them to your next vehicle or cancel the registration online for free.
6. After you cancel, recycle or destroy the plates. You do not return them to the RMV.
7. Keep the Registration Cancellation Receipt and give a copy to your insurance company.

The transfer (assignment) section of the Massachusetts certificate of title. The seller states the mileage and fills in the sale price if the title has a space for it, and both seller and buyer sign, hand print their names and date it. Erasures, white-out or other changes are not accepted. Two Massachusetts residents with myRMV accounts can instead transfer an E-Title online, with the seller releasing ownership in myRMV. The title signature does not need a notary in Massachusetts.

Required: registration cancellation. File Affidavit for Cancellation of Registration (needed when there are two owners), REG100_0922. Massachusetts has no separate notice of sale form, so cancel the registration after the sale. You can file it online.

Plates stay with the seller. You can transfer your registration and plates to a newly bought vehicle of the same type, and the RMV gives you 7 calendar days from disposing of the old vehicle to register the new one. Otherwise, cancel the registration online at no fee (use the Affidavit for Cancellation of Registration if there are two owners), then recycle or destroy the plates, for example by cutting them in half. Plates do not have to be returned to the RMV. A registration that is not cancelled keeps generating excise tax bills.

Inspection. None required of the seller. The buyer must get a Massachusetts inspection sticker within 7 days of registering the car. Under the private party lemon law, the buyer may be entitled to a refund if the car fails inspection within 7 days of the sale and repairs would cost more than 10% of the price, and may cancel the sale within 30 days if the seller knew about a defect that impairs safety or use and did not disclose it.

Odometer disclosure. Federal and Massachusetts law require the seller to state the mileage when ownership transfers. It goes on the title transfer, and the RMV checklist says mileage must be recorded on the title or on the bill of sale for title-exempt vehicles. The RMV does not list exemptions. Under federal rules (49 CFR 580.17), in 2026 vehicles of model year 2010 or older are exempt from the federal disclosure, and model year 2011 and newer vehicles need it until they are 20 years old. Vehicles over 16,000 pounds GVWR are also exempt.

Sales tax. The buyer pays. A private (casual) sale is subject to a 6.25% use tax on the greater of the actual price or the vehicle's clean trade-in (book) value, adjusted for mileage. The book value is not lowered for mechanical or body condition. The buyer pays it to the RMV with the Registration and Title Application, which is due within 10 days of the purchase. Some family transfers are exempt.

The buyer has 10 days to apply for a new title. The title fee is $75.

Forms used in the transfer:

• Registration and Title Application (completed by the buyer and insurance agent), TTLREG100_0923
• Vehicles Purchased From an Individual Checklist (TTLREG105_0523)
• Affidavit for Cancellation of Registration (REG100_0922)

This is general information, not legal advice. Rules and fees change, so check with the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) if anything about your sale is unusual. Last verified October 20, 2026.

Listing it first? Good photos sell cars faster: see how to take pictures of a car to sell, and read the full guide to selling a car. Buying or selling in another state? Pick it on the bill of sale page.