Texas title transfers run through your county tax assessor-collector’s office, not TxDMV and not DPS. Both the buyer and the seller have something to do, and both have deadlines.
Bought from a dealer? The dealership files the paperwork for you. Just moved to Texas? You’re registering an out-of-state vehicle, which is a different process — start with transferring your license and vehicle to Texas.
The short version
- 30 days from the sale date, or penalties start at $25 and climb to $250.
- Sales tax is 6.25% of the sale price or 80% of the state’s Standard Presumptive Value, whichever is higher. Writing a low price on the paperwork doesn’t lower the bill.
- Sellers: file Form VTR-346. It’s free, takes five minutes, and it’s the only thing standing between you and the buyer’s toll bills.
Texas Title Transfer Deadline and Late Penalties
The buyer has 30 calendar days from the date the seller signed the title. Active-duty military personnel get 60 days.
Miss it and a delinquent transfer penalty starts at $25 on the 31st day, with another $25 for each additional 30-day period, up to a maximum of $250. County tax offices cannot waive it — the penalty is set in state law.
The transfer still goes through. It just costs more.
How to Transfer a Texas Car Title Step by Step
Step 1: What the Seller Does
- Sign the title. Complete the Assignment of Title section on the back — buyer’s full legal name, sale date, sale price and odometer reading.
- Remove your license plates. In Texas, plates stay with the seller, not the vehicle.
- File Form VTR-346 (Vehicle Transfer Notification) online at TxDMV within 30 days. This is free and it matters: until the buyer titles the vehicle, toll violations, parking tickets and red-light camera fines come back to you. The notification puts a dated remark on the vehicle record.
- Hand over the signed title and a copy of Form 130-U.
Never use whiteout or scratch out an error on a title. Any alteration can void it, and you’ll need a corrected title before the transfer can proceed.
Step 2: What the Buyer Brings
- The signed title from the seller
- Form 130-U, Application for Texas Title and/or Registration
- Proof of Texas liability insurance in your name, showing the VIN
- Valid photo ID — and note that TxDMV’s enhanced identification requirements took effect for these transactions on March 5, 2026, so bring a REAL ID-compliant license or another accepted document
- Payment for the title fee, sales tax and registration
- A Vehicle Inspection Report, if you’re in one of the 17 emissions counties and the test isn’t already in the state database
Worth knowing: TxDMV states the seller’s signature is not required on Form 130-U, and the form may be a copy. Plenty of guides tell you otherwise.
Step 3: File at the County Tax Office
Take everything to your county tax assessor-collector. This has to be done in person — there’s no online option for private-party transfers, though some counties accept mail-in submissions.
Don’t go to a DPS driver license office or a TxDMV regional service center. Texas splits driver and vehicle services across separate agencies, and only the county tax office handles titles.
Allow about 20 business days for TxDMV to process and mail the new title.
Do You Need a Bill of Sale in Texas?
Legally, no. Form 130-U captures the sale price, date and parties, so Texas treats the signed title plus 130-U as sufficient.
Practically, write one anyway. Cash usually changes hands days or weeks before anyone files paperwork, and during that window a bill of sale is the only written record of what happened. It gives you a receipt marked paid in full, evidence of the sale date that drives both the seller’s VTR-346 deadline and the buyer’s tax clock, and a documented price if the county questions your tax calculation.
A Texas bill of sale needs no notarization and no special form. Include:
- Year, make, model and VIN
- Sale price and date
- Odometer reading
- Buyer and seller names, addresses and signatures
- The words “sold as is” if that’s the agreement
Keep the price consistent with what you put on Form 130-U. A mismatch is a red flag at the counter.
Texas Title Transfer Fees and Sales Tax
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Title application fee | $28 or $33, depending on county |
| Motor vehicle sales tax | 6.25% of sale price or 80% of SPV, whichever is higher |
| Registration | Around $75–$85 including county fees |
| Late transfer penalty | $25 per 30-day period, max $250 |
The SPV trap is the one that surprises people. Texas publishes a Standard Presumptive Value for most used vehicles, and tax is calculated on the greater of your sale price or 80% of that figure. Buy a car for $8,000 when the SPV says $12,000 and you’ll be taxed on the SPV-based amount, not what you paid. Check the SPV calculator on TxDMV.gov before you agree a price.
If the sale price is genuinely below market — a rough vehicle, a family arrangement — a certified appraisal is the only way to have tax assessed on the lower figure.
Registration is usually handled at the same visit, so budget for both. Our guide to Texas vehicle registration renewalcovers what that costs each year afterwards.
How to Transfer a Car Title as a Gift in Texas
Gifts between qualifying family members are taxed at a flat $10 instead of 6.25%. Qualifying relationships include spouse, parent, stepparent, grandparent, grandchild, child, stepchild, sibling, legal guardian, and a decedent’s estate.
Complete Form 14-317, Affidavit of Motor Vehicle Gift Transfer, alongside Form 130-U. This affidavit does require notarization — unless it’s signed in front of a county tax office employee. That’s the one part of a Texas transfer where a notary may be needed.
Texas Car Title Transfer FAQs
Not on the seller’s plates — those come off at the sale. You’ll need a temporary tag from your county tax office, or you register the vehicle at the same visit and get plates then.
The lienholder must release it before the transfer can proceed. The lender will either mail a signed lien release or process it electronically through TxDMV. Bring the release documentation with everything else.
The seller has to apply for a certified copy before they can sell. A buyer can’t transfer a vehicle without the title, and a bill of sale alone doesn’t substitute for one.
No. Texas plates belong to the owner, not the vehicle. You’ll be issued new ones when you register, or you can transfer a personalized plate you already own onto the new car.
You can apply for title only, which records you as the owner without registering the vehicle. You won’t be able to drive it legally until you add insurance and register.
Two things account for most problems: sellers who skip the VTR-346 and end up paying someone else’s tolls, and buyers who budget for the sale price instead of the SPV. Sort both before the money changes hands.
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