Yes, a notary is required.
Yes. The seller's signature on a Pennsylvania title is notarized or verified by an authorized agent.
In the official wording
"The seller's signature is required to be notarized or verified on the Pennsylvania title."
From the official pages listed below, checked November 2026.
What else the signing needs
- Buyer's signature
- Yes. Buyer and seller meet at a notary, tag service or dealer, and both sign in front of the authorized agent.
"The buyer and seller should meet at a notary, tag service, or motor vehicle dealer."
- Odometer
- The seller writes the mileage in the spaces on the title.
"The seller must indicate the mileage of the vehicle in the appropriate spaces provided on the ownership document."
- Buyer's deadline
- The buyer applies for a new title within 20 days of the assignment (75 Pa.C.S. §1111(b)).
"within 20 days of the assignment or reassignment of the certificate of title"
- Plates
- After the transfer the seller removes the plate; it is never given to the buyer.
"After the title is transferred, the seller must remove the license plate from the vehicle."
Not confirmed on the pages we read: the title fee. Check with PennDOT Driver and Vehicle Services.
Next step
The seller signs the paper title in front of a notary, usually with the buyer there too, so a local notary near both of you is simplest. We don't notarize titles by video.
Request a mobile notary in Pennsylvania
In person, we look for a notary commissioned in Pennsylvania near you; you approve the price first.
If a local notary in Pennsylvania does it: Acknowledgment, first signer named in the certificate, $5; Acknowledgment, each additional name in the same certificate, $2, under the state's fee rules (Pennsylvania notary fees).
Official sources
- PennDOT: Buying or Selling a Vehicle (checked November 2026)
- PennDOT fact sheet: Buying or Selling Your Vehicle in Pennsylvania (Oct. 2023) (checked November 2026)
- 75 Pa.C.S. §1111: Transfer of ownership of vehicle (checked November 2026)
We are not lawyers, and this is general information, not legal advice. Checked November 2026. Rules change, and whoever receives the document decides what it accepts; we can't guarantee acceptance.
Common questions
Is notarization required to sign over a Pennsylvania car title?
Yes, a notary is required. The seller's signature on a Pennsylvania title is notarized or verified by an authorized agent.
Does the buyer's signature need a notary in Pennsylvania?
Yes. Buyer and seller meet at a notary, tag service or dealer, and both sign in front of the authorized agent.
How long does the buyer have to title the car in Pennsylvania?
The buyer applies for a new title within 20 days of the assignment (75 Pa.C.S. §1111(b)).
Can a Pennsylvania car title be notarized online?
We don't offer that for titles. The seller usually signs the paper title with a local notary, often with the buyer there. Outside New Jersey, our mobile notary request page can look for a notary commissioned in Pennsylvania.
What does a notary charge in Pennsylvania?
$5 for most acts, under the state's fee rules. A mobile notary may add a travel fee; ask for the total first.
Keep going
- Pennsylvania car title transfer
- Seller's checklist
- Car title rules in every state
- A power of attorney in Pennsylvania
A car title in another state: Oklahoma · Utah · every state