Selling a car privately in North Carolina? A signed bill of sale gives you and the buyer a clear record of the price, the date and the condition. Download our free, fillable template below, then read how to fill it out and what else the sale needs.
Does North Carolina require a bill of sale?
For a private sale, the NCDMV's list of required documents is the title, any lien release, and the title application and disclosure forms. A bill of sale is listed for vehicles bought from a dealer, not for sales between individuals. See the NCDMV vehicle title page and the forms page.
Even so, a bill of sale is smart. It shows the price you agreed, the exact date and time the car changed hands, and that it was sold as is. If the buyer later gets a ticket or has an accident before the title is changed, your copy helps show that you no longer had the car.
What to put on a vehicle bill of sale
- Date of sale (and the time the buyer took the car)
- Sale price and how it was paid
- Seller and buyer: printed names, addresses and phone numbers
- Vehicle: year, make, model, body style, color and the VIN
- Odometer reading at the time of sale
- Lien status: no lien, lien released, or paid off at sale
- As-is wording: that the car is sold with no warranty unless you write one in
- Signatures of both people, with dates
How to fill out our template
- Download the PDF. On a computer you can type into the fields. You can also print it and write by hand.
- Complete the sale details, seller, buyer and vehicle sections. Copy the VIN straight from the title, not from memory.
- Tick the payment and lien boxes that apply. If a lender is paid off at the sale, write the lender's name.
- Read the terms together, then both sign and date.
- Each of you keeps a signed copy. Take a photo of it too.
What a bill of sale does not replace
The bill of sale is only your record of the deal. The legal transfer still happens through the title and NCDMV forms:
- The certificate of title. A North Carolina title must be notarized when it is signed over. Do not hand it over before you are paid.
- The Odometer Disclosure Statement (MVR-180), when the vehicle needs one. See our guide to the NC forms.
- The Damage Disclosure Statement (MVR-181).
- The buyer's Title Application (MVR-1). The buyer completes this and submits it to NCDMV.
Do not forget the license plate
In North Carolina the plate belongs to the owner, not the car. When you sell, the plate stays with you. You can move it to another vehicle you own, or you must surrender it. See the NCDMV license plate page and G.S. 20-64.
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- NCDMV: Vehicle Titles
- NCDMV: Vehicle Documents & Forms
- NCDMV form MVR-180, Odometer Disclosure Statement
- NCDMV form MVR-181, Damage Disclosure Statement
- N.C. General Statutes 20-64, registration plates