Alabama Motor Vehicle Bill of Sale Form

If you used to take part in the property sale transactions, the chances are that you have held such a document as a Bill of Sale in your arms. However, this article will be rather informative for those who have never dealt with the bill of sale forms, especially motor vehicle bill of sale forms.

Bill of Sale, in the United States, is a document that fixes the fact of a transaction of the property from the former owner to the new one. You can create forms of this document when selling or buying various things, starting from pets, like horses, and finishing with motor vehicles.

If you are about to sell or buy a motor vehicle in some states of the USA, creating this document is obligatory. If you want your deal to be legal and official, you will have to fill the form in multiple copies. Besides “having to obey the law,” one might also want to create a bill of sale to protect oneself and property.

Documents of such kind usually keep sellers and buyers from fraud and cheatings.

What Are the Components of an Alabama Vehicle Bill of Sale?

In Alabama, there is no one concrete version of the Motor Vehicle Bill of Sale to be used by everyone during transactions. Different counties suggest different options, and you should check the one that fits your residence. Usually, the appropriate Bill of Sale version can be found on the county’s website.

However, some points should necessarily be added to the document so that it has legal power. If you already have a version of the Motor Vehicle Bill of Sale on your hands, you can check it for the following aspects:

• Personal information of both sides
• Series number of your vehicle
• The body type of the vehicle
• The make and model of the vehicle
• The year of the vehicle
• VIN
• Odometer reading
• Signatures of both sides
• The price of the vehicle
• The date of signing the document

How to Register a Motor Vehicle in Alabama?

Registration of the Motor Vehicle in Alabama is a common procedure. To register a vehicle, you will have to come through the common steps required for registration in the majority of states.

1. Documentation
2. VIN inspection
3. Fees
4. Registration

This is the general list of what you have to keep in mind when registering a vehicle here. Check for the Alabama title, collect the required documents (do not forget to include a Bill of Sale). After that, you will have to complete a Vehicle Identification Number Inspection. Then, do not forget to pay all required fees. Only after this step will you be able to complete the registration.

If you are buying your vehicle from another person (not from the dealership), you will only have no more than 30 days to finish registration. If you are a local resident, the state provides you only 20 days for this procedure.

Alabama Vehicle Bill of Sale Laws and Requirements

In Alabama, creating a Motor Vehicle Bill of Sale is always advisory but not always obligatory. However, this rule only applies to the vehicles that already have the title. If it is not so, filling out a couple of copies of the Vehicle Bill of Sale will be mandatory.

Also, if you are planning to register a vessel here, in Alabama, you will have to provide a bill of sale as well. For better or for worse, this is what the law of the state requires. Also, for the Bill to be legal, it has to be either notarized or be signed in the presence of two witnesses.

For Alabama residents, there are also some peculiarities concerning the language of the Bill of Sale. There are two general cases: when the bill is used to stay in the hands just of the buyer and the seller, or when the bill goes further.

In the first case, the situation is simple. The form can be created and filled in the language that both sides can speak, and it does not necessarily have to be English. In the second situation, on the contrary, English is preferable. The Department of Revenue itself does not create forms in any language but English, neither does it provide a translator — this is completely a problem for the transaction participants. Even though a lot of Alabama residents speak Spanish better than English, Spanish is also not considered to be an official language for creating documents of such type.

In general, there have to be at least two copies of the Motor Vehicle Bill of Sale — one for the seller, one for the buyer — this is what common sense applies. Sometimes, if the concrete state requires, parties should prepare one more copy for the state.