Texas Bill of Sale (TX)
A free blank Texas bill of sale template for selling a car, truck or van, as a fillable PDF or a Word file, with what Texas government sources say about the sale.
Forms for a Texas sale
The template is created in your browser, and nothing you type is sent to us.
We couldn't confirm what the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles accepts as a bill of sale. If that matters for your sale, confirm it with the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles.
We could not confirm in a Texas government source whether a bill of sale is required to transfer a vehicle title, or whether it has to be notarized. That does not mean the answer is no.
Last checked against the sources below on September 20, 2026. Rules can change, so confirm with the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles before you file.
This page covers selling a car, truck or van in Texas. Other items have national templates, which don't cover state rules, and the Texas overview lists this site's other Texas pages.
After the sale in Texas
What the sources say happens after the sale. A step is marked Seller or Buyer where its source names that party, and each step links to its source.
- Seller The seller may remove the plates and transfer them to a vehicle to be purchased, if the classification is the same, or keep them for future transfer. Removed plates that are neither transferred nor kept
“must be disposed of by defacing the front of the plates,”
the Texas DMV says. Source: txdmv.gov: buying-or-selling-a-vehicle (opens in a new tab) - Form VTR-346, the Texas Motor Vehicle Transfer Notification, is the department's notice of sale. The instruction on the form is to submit it within 30 days of the transfer. Source: txdmv.gov: VTR-346 (PDF) (opens in a new tab)
- Buyer The vehicle has to be titled in the buyer's name within 30 days of the date of sale. Form 130-U lists $28 or $33 for the title application and adds,
“Contact your county tax assessor-collector for the correct fee.”
Other fees include a $2.50 fee to transfer current registration. Source: txdmv.gov: buying-or-selling-a-vehicle (opens in a new tab), txdmv.gov: Form-130-U (PDF) (opens in a new tab) - Buyer A Texan who buys a used vehicle from anyone other than a licensed vehicle dealer pays motor vehicle sales tax of 6.25 percent, on the purchase price or the standard presumptive value, whichever is higher. Source: txdmv.gov: standard-presumptive-calculator (opens in a new tab)
What's different in Texas
In Texas, a vehicle has to be titled in the buyer's name, and the application is filed at the county tax assessor-collector's office, accompanied by any required application fee. Form 130-U, the Application for Texas Title and/or Registration, gives that fee as $28 or $33, with the words “Contact your county tax assessor-collector for the correct fee.”
The form also lists other fees, among them a $2.50 transfer fee to transfer current registration. Motor vehicle sales tax applies when a used vehicle is bought from anyone other than a licensed vehicle dealer. A properly signed title includes both the date of sale and the odometer reading. License plates are a separate matter from the title: the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles describes taking them off as the seller's option. Removed plates may be transferred to a vehicle to be purchased, if the vehicle classification is the same, or kept for future transfer; for plates that are neither transferred nor kept, the department's page says they “must be disposed of by defacing the front of the plates”
.
The blank template on this page is the same vehicle bill of sale as the one on the national page.
Texas rules at a glance
| Topic | What the source says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Odometer disclosure | A properly signed title includes the date of sale and the odometer reading. | txdmv.gov: buying-or-selling-a-vehicle (opens in a new tab) |
| Title transfer | Title transfers in Texas are handled by the county tax assessor-collector's office. The fee is $28 or $33 for the title application, and Form 130-U lists other fees, including a $2.50 transfer fee to transfer current registration. The deadline is 30 days. The 30 days run from the date of sale. With the $28 or $33 application fee, Form 130-U says, “Contact your county tax assessor-collector for the correct fee.” | txdmv.gov: buying-or-selling-a-vehicle (opens in a new tab) txdmv.gov: Form-130-U (PDF) (opens in a new tab) |
| Sales tax | A Texan who buys a used vehicle from anyone other than a licensed vehicle dealer pays motor vehicle sales tax of 6.25 percent. The tax is charged on the purchase price or the standard presumptive value, whichever is higher. | txdmv.gov: standard-presumptive-calculator (opens in a new tab) |
| License plates | The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles says, “The seller has the option to remove their license plates and registration sticker from the vehicle.”For removed license plates, it says, “The seller may transfer their license plates to a vehicle to be purchased, if the vehicle classification is the same. The seller may keep their license plates for future transfer to another vehicle, but the registration sticker is not transferred. If the seller does not transfer or keep their license plates, the license plates must be disposed of by defacing the front of the plates, either with permanent black ink or another method in order to prevent fraudulent use.” | txdmv.gov: buying-or-selling-a-vehicle (opens in a new tab) |
| Notice of sale | The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles has a notice of sale on form VTR-346 (Texas Motor Vehicle Transfer Notification), which says to submit it within 30 days. | txdmv.gov: VTR-346 (PDF) (opens in a new tab) |
What the template looks like
Vehicle Bill of Sale
This document records the sale of the vehicle described below.
Seller
Seller's full name:
Seller's address:
Seller's phone or email:
Second seller's full name, if there is one:
Buyer
Buyer's full name:
Buyer's address:
Buyer's phone or email:
Second buyer's full name, if there is one:
Show the whole template
Vehicle
Year, make and model:
Body type and color:
VIN:
License plate number:
Title number:
Odometer reading (miles, no tenths):
Odometer status (write one: actual mileage; exceeds mechanical limits; not the actual mileage):
The odometer reading and status in this bill of sale are the buyer's and the seller's own record. They do not replace the odometer disclosure that the federal rule (49 CFR 580.5) or the state asks for.
Condition as described by the seller:
Sale
Sale price:
Date of sale:
Method of payment:
The seller sells the vehicle to the buyer for the price above. The seller states that the odometer reading is as written above.
Anything else the parties agree on:
Place and date of signing:
Seller's signature and printed name
Second seller's signature and printed name, if there is one
Buyer's signature and printed name
Second buyer's signature and printed name, if there is one
Texas bill of sale questions
How long is there to title a vehicle after a sale in Texas?
Thirty days. The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles states that a vehicle has to be titled in the buyer's name within 30 days from the date of sale.
How much sales tax is due on a private vehicle sale in Texas?
Motor vehicle sales tax is 6.25 percent when a used vehicle is bought from anyone other than a licensed vehicle dealer, on the purchase price or the standard presumptive value, whichever is higher.
Who keeps the license plates when a car is sold in Texas?
The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles says removing them is the seller's option. The seller may transfer the plates to a vehicle to be purchased, if the vehicle classification is the same. The seller may also keep them for future transfer to another vehicle, but the registration sticker is not transferred. Removed plates that are neither transferred nor kept “must be disposed of by defacing the front of the plates,”
the department says.
What is Form VTR-346?
It is the Texas Motor Vehicle Transfer Notification, the department's notice of sale. The instruction on the form is to submit it within 30 days of the vehicle's date of transfer.
Sources
Last checked against the sources below on September 20, 2026. Rules can change, so confirm with the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles before you file.