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When you sell your vehicle, there are certain steps you have to take to protect
yourself. Texas law requires a buyer to transfer the title into his or her name
within 20 working days. Not all Texans comply with this requirement and
thousands of vehicles remain titled in the name of the previous owner, which
puts the sellers at risk. The best protection for both the seller and the buyer is to go into the county
tax office together to transfer the title. If you traded or sold your vehicle to a dealership or you cannot
accompany the buyer to the county tax office, however, you only have 30 days to protect
yourself by filing the Vehicle Transfer Notification online. Why am I at risk?
You are shown as the owner of the vehicle in Texas state records until the buyer
transfers the title into his or her name. As long as the title remains in your
name, you could receive parking tickets, toll violations or find yourself part
of a criminal investigation if the vehicle is used to commit a crime. Seller’s Checklist:
- Take the buyer with you to the
county tax office to transfer the title. Make sure you sign and fill in
the vehicle sales price on the
Application for Texas
Certificate of Title form (130-U).
- Be sure you sign, date and enter the odometer reading on the vehicle’s
title.
- If you cannot accompany the buyer to the county tax office, you need to
submit the
Vehicle Transfer Notification (Form
VTR-346) online within 30 days of selling the vehicle. This lets TxDOT
know you no longer own the vehicle. This will remove your financial
liability for possible violations associated with the vehicle.
- Keep your plates! Remove your license plates and peel off the windshield
registration sticker when you sell or trade in your passenger vehicle. This helps to
make the buyer title the vehicle in his or her name. It only cost $5 to
transfer the license plates to another vehicle you own. Ask the car
dealership to transfer the plates to your new vehicle. If it was a private
sale, go to your local county tax office.
- Make sure you keep a record of the sale date, vehicle make, model,
Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), and the buyer’s name, address, and
phone number.
Questions?
See our tips
for buyers.
Instructional Videos
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Protect Your Title, Sellers Videos |
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| Protect Your Title, Sellers (Video - Lo) |
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| Protect Your Title,
Sellers (Video - Medium) |
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| Protect Your Title,
Sellers (Video - High) |
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