Legal form · Vehicles · official sources
Texas vehicle bill of sale
As of October 25, 2026, in Texas a sold vehicle must be titled in the buyer’s name within 30 days; the seller hands over the signed title and a signed Form 130-U with the price.1,2
Texas Form 130-U must carry the buyer’s original signature, while the seller’s signature may be reproduced or faxed.2
The Texas title application is filed at the county tax assessor-collector’s office with the fees and any motor vehicle tax due.2
Texas at a glance
A dash or a missing box means the official pages we read do not state that rule; we never fill it in from memory.
Preview of the document
Vehicle Bill of Sale
State of Texas
1. The parties
This Vehicle Bill of Sale is made on Date between Seller’s full name (the “Seller”) and Buyer’s full name (the “Buyer”).
2. The vehicle
The Seller sells and transfers to the Buyer the following motor vehicle (the “Vehicle”): year Year, make Make, model Model, vehicle identification number (VIN) VIN.
3. Purchase price or gift
4. Odometer statement
5. Condition and warranty
6. Ownership and title
7. Title, registration and taxes
8. Entire agreement
9. Signatures
Sections 3–9 unlock after purchase. Prepared with SimplePaperwork, which is not a law firm.
Texas’ rules, with sources
- State form
- The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles tells sellers to give the buyer a properly signed title, with the sale date and odometer reading, and a signed Form 130-U that shows the sales price.1
- TxDMV advises Texas sellers to keep detailed written records of the sale, including the buyer’s contact information, the date and the vehicle identification number.1
- TxDMV publishes a bill of sale for one special case, a junk motor vehicle, as Form VTR-203.3
- Parts sold off a vehicle have their own TxDMV form, the Component Part(s) Bill of Sale (VTR-63).3
- Signing
- Texas Form 130-U must carry the buyer’s original signature, while the seller’s signature may be reproduced or faxed.2
- Deadlines
- Where it is filed
- The Texas title application is filed at the county tax assessor-collector’s office with the fees and any motor vehicle tax due.2
- Taxes and fees
- Texas charges a 6.25 percent motor vehicle sales and use tax on the sales price of a vehicle.2
- For most private-party sales of used vehicles, Texas computes the tax on the greater of the sales price or 80 percent of the standard presumptive value.2
- Moving current registration to the new owner costs a $2.50 transfer fee in Texas, on top of the title application fee.2
- Texas adds an escalating delinquent transfer penalty of up to $250 when the title application is not made within 30 days.2
- A Texas buyer who pays the motor vehicle tax 1 to 30 days late owes a 5 percent penalty, and 10 percent after 30 days.2
- A vehicle received as a gift from an immediate family member carries a $10 gift tax in Texas instead of the sales tax.2
- Law
- Form 130-U warns that falsifying information on it is a third-degree felony under Texas law.2
Questions about a Texas bill of sale
What does a Texas seller give the buyer?
TxDMV lists two things: the title, signed with the date of sale and the odometer reading, and Form 130-U, the application for Texas title, signed and showing the sales price.
A bill of sale is not on that list. It is the written record TxDMV tells sellers to keep: who bought the vehicle, when, and the VIN.1
Does Texas have an official bill of sale form?
Not for an ordinary used-car sale. The TxDMV forms list has three bills of sale, all for special cases: Form VTR-203 for a junk motor vehicle, Form VTR-63 for component parts and Form VTR-207 for an inventory of purchased parts.
For a regular sale between two people, the documents TxDMV names are the signed title and Form 130-U; a bill of sale you write yourself is the record of the deal that TxDMV tells sellers to keep.1,3
How long does a Texas buyer have to transfer the title?
Thirty days from the date of sale. After that, an escalating delinquent transfer penalty applies, up to $250, on top of the late tax penalty of 5 or 10 percent.
For the seller, the safeguard is the Vehicle Transfer Notification: filed within 30 days, it ends the seller’s responsibility for the buyer’s parking tickets and tolls.1,2
Who signs what in a Texas vehicle sale?
The buyer signs Form 130-U in ink: the county needs the original signature. The seller’s signature on the form may be a copy or a fax, and the seller also signs the title itself.
Form 130-U carries a certification that falsifying information is a third-degree felony.2
What taxes does a Texas buyer pay?
Sales and use tax of 6.25 percent, computed for most used vehicles on the higher of the price or 80 percent of the standard presumptive value. A gift from immediate family pays a flat $10 gift tax instead.
Moving the current registration to the new owner adds a $2.50 transfer fee to the title application fee.2
What to have at hand
- 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.
Frequently asked questions
Is a bill of sale required to sell a car in Texas?
TxDMV does not list one among the documents a seller hands over, which are the signed title and a signed Form 130-U. It does tell sellers to keep detailed written records of the buyer, the date and the VIN, and a signed bill of sale is one way to keep them.1
Where does the Texas buyer file the title application?
At the county tax assessor-collector’s office, together with the application fee, the registration fee if any, and the motor vehicle tax due.2
Where this information comes from
Texas’ rules above come from the state’s own statutes, agency pages and forms, read on the date shown. A rule that passes its review date without a new check is removed automatically.
- Buying or Selling a Vehicle (TxDMV) Open the official page (opens in a new tab) ↩
- Application for Texas Title and/or Registration (Form 130-U, Rev 05/26) Open the official page (opens in a new tab) ↩
- Forms (TxDMV) Open the official page (opens in a new tab) ↩
Something changed? Tell us what is out of date and we will check the official page again.