Georgia vehicle bill of sale

State form

• The Georgia Department of Revenue tells anyone selling a car to fill out a bill of sale on its Form T-7.¹
• Georgia’s Form T-7 exists to prove that the sale took place and that the seller declared the odometer reading and the buyer acknowledged it.²
• Georgia’s T-7 must be filled in completely, printed legibly or typed, and any correction or alteration voids it.²
• For a vehicle 20 model years old or older, the Georgia T-7 lets the seller write “exempt” in place of the odometer reading.²
• In a Georgia casual sale, the buyer brings a bill of sale when the vehicle is a 1985 or older model that does not require a title.⁴

Signing

• By signing Georgia’s T-7, the sellers certify that the odometer shows the actual mileage unless noted and that the vehicle carries no liens beyond those listed on the form.²
• The Georgia Department of Revenue asks for blue or black ink on the title assignment and warns that an alteration or erasure may void the title.⁵
• When a Georgia vehicle has more than one owner, every seller prints and signs the title assignment, and so does every buyer.⁵

Deadlines

• The Georgia Department of Revenue makes the buyer responsible for titling and registering the vehicle at the county tag office within 7 days of the purchase date.³
• The Georgia fee schedule gives owners 30 days from the purchase or transfer date to apply for a title at the buyer’s county tag office.⁶
• Georgia sellers are told to cancel the registration before canceling the insurance on the vehicle they sold, to avoid penalties.¹

Where it is filed

• Georgia’s Form T-7 goes, with the required documents and tax, to the county tag office of the county where the primary buyer lives.²
• A Georgia seller has two jobs: transfer ownership on the title and cancel the registration, online through DRIVES e-Services or in person with Form MV-18J.³
• In Georgia the license plate stays with the seller: it does not go to the new owner with the vehicle.¹
• Georgia generally requires a title for 1986 and newer vehicles, while a title is optional for 1985 and older vehicles that were titled before.⁷

Taxes and fees

• Georgia charges a one-time title ad valorem tax, currently 7.0 percent of fair market value, every time a vehicle changes owners; it replaced the sales tax on vehicles.⁸
• A Georgia-titled vehicle passed to an immediate family member, with Form MV-16, pays a reduced title ad valorem tax of 0.5 percent if the tax was already paid on it.⁸
• A Georgia buyer in a casual sale pays an $18 title fee and a $20 license plate fee at the county tag office.⁴
• Georgia adds a $10 title penalty when the title application comes later than 30 days after the purchase or transfer date.⁶
• In a Georgia casual sale, title ad valorem tax not paid within 30 days carries a 10 percent penalty, plus 1 percent more for every month after that.⁶

Law

• Georgia Code Section 40-3-91(c) makes it a misdemeanor to hand over or accept a title assigned in blank, with a fine of up to $100 or up to 30 days in jail for each title.⁶
• A false statement on a Georgia vehicle registration application counts as false swearing, even when no oath is actually given.⁶

• Vehicle identification number (VIN), year, make, model and plate
• Odometer reading on the day of sale
• Sale price, or the value if it is a gift
• Full legal names and addresses of seller and buyer

It does not replace the title. Ownership moves when the signed title and the state’s title application reach the motor vehicle agency.