Massachusetts vehicle bill of sale

State form

• For a vehicle exempt from titling because of its age, the Massachusetts RMV accepts the previous owner’s registration together with a bill of sale in place of a certificate of title.¹
• Massachusetts exempts from titling passenger vehicles of model year 1980 and older that were purchased before November 26, 1990.³
• When an older Massachusetts title has no space for the sales price, the RMV requires a bill of sale showing the price with the application.¹
• A bill of sale used as proof of ownership at the Massachusetts RMV must carry the signatures of sellers and buyers and the mileage.⁴
• The Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs lists what goes on the assignment of title on the back of the certificate: sale date, price, both names, addresses and signatures, and the odometer reading.⁵

Signing

• Federal and Massachusetts law require the seller to state the mileage, and both buyer and seller must sign, hand print their names and date the Massachusetts transfer document.¹
• The Massachusetts RMV rejects proof of ownership or applications that show erasures, white-out or other alterations.¹
• If a Massachusetts seller refuses to take back a car returned under the Failed Inspection Law, the buyer and a witness sign a statement of the delivery in the presence of a notary public.⁶

Deadlines

• Massachusetts title law requires motor vehicles, and trailers over 3,000 pounds, to be titled within 10 days of purchase.¹
• A Massachusetts owner who sells or disposes of a registered vehicle has 7 calendar days to register the newly bought one under the transferred plates.⁷
• A vehicle registered in Massachusetts after a private purchase must get an inspection sticker within 7 days of the registration date.¹
• The Massachusetts sales or use tax on a vehicle is due by the 20th day of the month after the purchase.⁸
• A Massachusetts buyer who proves a private seller knew of a safety defect and did not disclose it may cancel the sale within 30 days of purchase.⁵
• To void a sale under Massachusetts General Laws chapter 90, section 7N, the buyer must, within 14 days of the sale, notify the seller, deliver the vehicle back and give the seller a written statement signed by the inspection station.²

Where it is filed

• In Massachusetts the buyer first gets insurance from a licensed Massachusetts insurance agent, who completes, stamps and signs the Registration and Title Application.¹
• For a Massachusetts registration, the insurance policy change or effective date on the application cannot be more than 30 days old or in the future.⁹
• After registration, the Massachusetts RMV mails the paper certificate of title in about 6 to 8 weeks, or to the lienholder when there is a loan.¹
• Massachusetts introduced the Electronic Vehicle Certificate of Title, or E-Title, effective October 26, 2026.³
• Two Massachusetts residents in a private sale can transfer an eligible vehicle electronically if both have myRMV accounts and the seller already holds, or converts to, an E-Title.¹⁰
• Even after an E-Title transfer, Massachusetts registration still follows the in-person process with an insurance stamp.¹⁰
• Once a Massachusetts registration is canceled, the owner must recycle or destroy the license plates.¹¹
• The Massachusetts RMV tells owners to keep the Registration Cancellation Receipt and give a photocopy to the insurance company.¹¹

Taxes and fees

• Massachusetts charges 6.25 percent sales tax on a private sale, computed on the purchase price or the NADA trade-in value, whichever is higher.¹
• Registering a car bought from an individual in Massachusetts costs a $75 title fee plus the registration fee for the plate type and any sales tax.⁹
• In a Massachusetts private sale, trading in another vehicle does not lower the taxable price.⁸
• A vehicle passed to a parent, sibling, spouse or child is exempt from Massachusetts sales tax with Form MVU-26, completed by the family member giving it; the family exemption does not reach grandparents, cousins, uncles or aunts.¹²
• A vehicle registered as a gift with Department of Revenue Form MVU-24 is exempt from Massachusetts sales tax but pays a non-refundable $25 gift transfer fee.¹²
• To ask the Massachusetts Department of Revenue for a motor vehicle sales tax abatement, the buyer needs a copy of the bill of sale and of the registration certificate showing the tax paid.⁸
• A Massachusetts buyer who returns a motor vehicle to the seller within 180 days of the sale can be entitled to a refund of the sales or use tax.⁸

Law

• Massachusetts General Laws chapter 90, section 7N lets the buyer void a vehicle sale, notwithstanding any disclaimer of warranty, if the vehicle fails the state inspection within seven days of the sale.²
• Under chapter 90, section 7N, the Massachusetts right to void applies only when the repairs needed to pass inspection cost more than 10 percent of the purchase price.²
• Massachusetts limits section 7N to vehicles bought for the buyer’s immediate personal or family use.²
• The Massachusetts Lemon Laws require a private party selling a used car to tell the buyer about every known defect that impairs safety or substantially impairs use.⁵
• When a Massachusetts private sale is canceled under the Lemon Laws, the seller refunds the price minus 15 cents per mile driven.⁵
• Massachusetts treats anyone who sells more than three cars in one year as a dealer who needs a used car dealer license from the municipality.⁵
• A Massachusetts buyer who proves the seller reset the odometer can sue for $1,500 or three times the damages, whichever is greater, plus court costs and attorney fees.⁵

• 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.