How it works. Pick the state and whether you're the buyer or the seller. You get the steps in order, whether your signature needs a notary, the paperwork to bring, and the buyer's deadline, each marked as the state's own rule or as good practice.
Make your checklist
Buying a car: Indiana
Notary: not required on the state's page
- Your signature
- The buyer checks that the seller completed both the seller and purchaser sections of the title, then applies for the title at a branch within 45 days and pays sales tax there; the BMV page has no notary step.
- Deadline
- The buyer applies for the title within 45 days of buying.
- Paperwork
- Bill of sale: sometimes
- The original title, signed over
- Odometer entry or disclosure
- The agency's title application, proof of insurance and ID
Your steps
- Check the title against the car and the sellerGood practice
The VIN on the title should match the car, and the seller's ID should match the owner's name on the title. Ask about any lien listed on it. - Watch the title get signedFrom the state's page
Seller: Indiana BMV's seller steps: every owner signs and prints in the seller section and fills in the odometer, sale date, price and buyer details; no notary step. Buyer: The buyer checks that the seller completed both the seller and purchaser sections of the title, then applies for the title at a branch within 45 days and pays sales tax there; the BMV page has no notary step."ensure the seller has completed in their entirety both the seller and purchaser sections on the certificate of title"
- Get a bill of saleFrom the state's page
Only in very limited cases can a bill of sale transfer ownership; it can't replace a required title, and it doesn't have to be notarized."The bill of sale is not required to be notarized or signed under penalties for perjury."
- Check the mileage entryFrom the state's page
A separate odometer disclosure statement (State Form 43230) is needed when the title's odometer section isn't completed."Odometer Disclosure Statement – State Form 43230"
- Insure the car before you drive itGood practice
Most states require insurance to register. Arrange it before driving away. - Title it in your name in timeFrom the state's page
The buyer applies for the title within 45 days of buying."The certificate of title must be applied for within 45 days after the vehicle is purchased or otherwise acquired."
- Plates and feesFrom the state's page
The seller takes the plate off at the sale. Title fee: $15 title application fee; a $30 late penalty applies after 45 days."The seller should remove the license plate from the vehicle at the time of the transaction."
Official source: Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) · More on this state
Before the money changes hands
Meet in daylight somewhere public, or at the bank or tag office where the payment can be checked. Count cash or confirm a cashier's check with the issuing bank before signing anything. The seller signs only when payment is final; the buyer pays only when the title is in hand with no open lien.
Need this notarized? Get it notarized online by a New Jersey notary over video, or book a notary visit in New Jersey.
Every state on one page: car title notarization by state. For the full private-sale walkthrough, see the title transfer guide.
General information, not legal advice; we are not lawyers. Checked November 2026 against the official pages linked in each checklist. Forms, fees and deadlines change, a county office can add its own steps, and gifts, estates, liens and out-of-state titles follow other rules; the agency or an attorney can tell you how a rule applies to your sale. MCC Solutions is not affiliated with any motor vehicle agency.
Questions about the checklist
Which state's rules apply?
Usually the state that issued the title governs how it's signed over, and the buyer's home state governs titling and registration. When the two differ, read both: a title from a notary state still needs its notary even if the buyer lives somewhere that doesn't ask for one.
What does 'Not confirmed' mean in my checklist?
That step's rule wasn't stated on the official pages we could open for that state. The checklist still gives the safe default, and the agency link at the bottom is where to confirm it.
How is the due date worked out?
From the sale date you enter, using the state's own count. Calendar-day rules count every day; business-day rules skip weekends but not holidays, so a holiday can make the true deadline a day later, never earlier.
Can I sign the title before meeting the buyer?
Don't. In states that require a notary, the signature has to be made in front of the notary. Everywhere, a pre-signed open title invites fraud, and corrections or cross-outs can void it.
Does this page save what I enter?
No. The state, role and date travel in the page address only, so a link such as ?state=oh&role=seller opens the same checklist, and it works without JavaScript.