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: Washington
Notary: in some cases
- Your signature
- The buyer's transfer paperwork is signed in front of a licensing agent, or in front of a notary if signed before the office visit.
- Deadline
- The buyer has 15 days to transfer ownership; penalties start at $50 on day 16, plus $2 a day up to $125.
- 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: not confirmed whether a notary is needed. Buyer: The buyer's transfer paperwork is signed in front of a licensing agent, or in front of a notary if signed before the office visit."If you sign before coming to a vehicle licensing office, you must sign in front of a notary."
- Get a bill of saleFrom the state's page
Both sign a Vehicle/Vessel Bill of Sale unless the price and date are on the title."unless the sale price and date are included on the title"
- Check the mileage entryFrom the state's page
For model year 2011 or newer, the odometer section on the title is filled out."If the vehicle model year is 2011 or newer, you should fill out the Odometer Disclosure section on the title."
- 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 has 15 days to transfer ownership; penalties start at $50 on day 16, plus $2 a day up to $125."you have 15 days to transfer the ownership into your name."
- Plates and feesFrom the state's page
The seller removes the plates; the buyer gets new ones."As the seller, you are legally obligated to remove the license plates from your vehicle."
Finding a notary: a local notary near the buyer and seller is the simplest route, since everyone usually signs at once. MCC Solutions meets people in person only in New Jersey; for other paperwork in the sale we also offer remote online notarization, where the receiving office accepts it.
Official source: Washington State Department of Licensing (DOL) · 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.
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.