California Motor Vehicle Bill of Sale Form

In California, as in other states, people use the bill of sale forms for the official sale of any personal items. Indeed, people sell the following things:

• Vehicles (motorcycles, cars, and boats)
• Firearms (revolvers, rifles, submachine guns)
• Personal property (jewelry, clothing)
• Intellectual property (poems, paintings)
• Real estate (houses and apartments)

The most common type of bill of sale is a transport sales document. The California motor vehicle bill of sale is a significant legal paper containing information about a transaction between two parties (the buyer and the seller).

As a rule, such a document includes the following information:

• Data of the participants of the transaction
• Purchase price
• Date of sale and verification
• Description of the main characteristics of transport

A significant role of a motor vehicle bill of sale is to help people buy a transport, avoiding fraudsters. After agreeing and filling out the document, the parties to the transaction sign the bill of sale.

What Are the Components of a California Vehicle Bill of Sale?

The California vehicle bill of sale is not a mandatory document to be completed and executed. According to California laws, car owners have the right not to fill out this act. However, if you want to secure such a transaction, it is better to issue a vehicle bill of sale with the buyer.

Firstly, this document serves as an official proof of purchase. It is a receipt for the completed transaction (the transfer of the car from one person to another). Secondly, the bill of sale also helps the California DMV determine the vehicle license fee. Finally, nobody is immune from fraudsters who may buy a vehicle by deception and fraud.

As already noted, the main components of the vehicle bill of sale are the following information:

• The name, address, and signature of the participants in the transaction
• Make, model, and year of manufacture of the vehicle
• Vehicle identification number
• The price paid by the buyer
• Date of sale or donation of the vehicle
• Any other information

You may independently determine the range of information that you want to specify in the form. The structure and info of this blank depend only on you.

How to Register a Motor Vehicle in California

Below, review the main steps of registering the California Vehicle Bill of Sale.1. Call the Division of Motor Vehicle office

After completing the purchase and sale transaction, call the Division of Motor Vehicle office. You need to make an appointment for any day to register a vehicle. Keep in mind that the Department provides 30 days to register a new transport for you from the date of its purchase.2. Collect the necessary documents

Collect and provide the necessary documents to the Department. If you bought a vehicle from a dealer, the owner draws up the registration documents for you. Otherwise, if the seller is an individual, you should be engaged in collecting the necessary papers.

As a rule, the auto bill of sale is a mandatory document to prove the transfer of ownership. It includes an odometer reading. Odometer readings are required only if the car is less than ten years old. If you do not have the title, you must apply for Reg 343 Form.

Among other things, you must also provide the following documents:

• Smog Certificate
• Identification card
• Info about the insurance agency
• Receipt for payment of expenses for ownership and registration
• Receipt for payment of other applicable taxes
• Approved residency document

3. Check whether the Department has received your documents

Finally, the last step is to ask the Department whether the office staff has received your documents. Do not delay this check until the last moment. It is worth noting that a safety check is not necessary when registering a new vehicle.

California Vehicle Bill of Sale Laws and Requirements

As for California laws, the registration of a vehicle bill of sale is not a mandatory requirement. You may fill it out to conduct a secure transaction, or you may refuse to fill it out.

However, if you decide to fill out a bill of sale, you must fulfill some requirements. Firstly, you may write the bill of sale in any other language. You must fill out two identical copies and transfer one form to another participant of the transaction. Besides, there is a so-called junk receipt. It is a document confirming the ownership and registration of the vehicle in the state register as “discarded.” Do not forget to check the correctness of filling out all the documents and submit them on time.