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I’ve done my fair share of buying and selling cars here in California over the years, but every time I do it I swear, I’m always questioning whether or not I’m filling it out correctly. If you’re just selling between one person and another, filling out a title (a.k.a. pink slip) is pretty simple. There are certain things you’ll need to fill out, but I’ve made it simple by outlining the required areas to be filled out by the buyer and seller down below.
How to Fill Out a Title In California When Buying or Selling Your Car
Typically if you’re buying or selling a car, the seller will have the title. The title will be the proof of ownership, but it also has everything you need to transfer ownership of the vehicle. The title itself goes to the new owner of the car. There is a tear-off section that stays with the seller and goes to the DMV. If the seller does not have a title, it is still possible to transfer the vehicle, but additional forms will need to be filled out with the DMV.
Everything I’m showing here will relate to a private party sale with a title in hand. I know people don’t typically buy or sell cars that often so this is a reference guide to show what the buyer and seller needs to fill out. Everything in red text will be for the seller to fill out and everything in blue text will be for the buyer to fill out.
The California Title (a.k.a. Pink Slip)
The seller needs to sign and date the title to release interest in the car. The odometer reading needs to be filled out, and then both the buyer and seller sign and date at the bottom as shown.
On the back of the title, the seller needs to fill out their personal information. They also need to sign and date, enter their driver’s license number, sale price, and the date of sale.
This filled out title stays with the buyer who now needs to send the form to the DMV, or take it into the DMV in person to get the vehicle transferred into their name. If the buyer has a AAA membership, they can even take it into a local AAA branch to turn in.
The Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability
This form is the small section that is connected by the perforated tearoff on the title. This section requires the buyer personal information and seller personal information, as well as the odometer reading, date of sale, sale price, and seller’s signature.
This form stays with the seller so that they can send it to the DMV or take it into DMV in person to prove that they are now released of liability of the vehicle. This can also be turned into a local AAA branch to process. However, the easiest way is probably filling out the online form on the DMV website to process this: https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/vehicle-registration/titles/title-transfers-and-changes/notice-of-transfer-and-release-of-liability-nrl/
My goal with this post is provide a quick and effective guide to help you with determining who needs to fill out what, whenever buying or selling a vehicle in California. Of course, when you have other factors such as an agent involved on a private party’s behalf, or there is a lien on the vehicle, then the form would need additional information filled out. However, for the vast majority of these private party sales, this is all you need to fill out to complete the sale and transfer of the vehicle.
