How to Title a Private Car Sale in New Jersey
Last verified: October 2026 against NJ MVC and Division of Taxation sources
When you buy a car from a private seller in New Jersey, you transfer the title in person at a Motor Vehicle Commission agency and pay 6.625% sales tax on the price there.
Here is the order to do it in, what it costs, and what to bring.
Step by step
- 1
Get the signed title and a bill of sale
The seller signs the seller’s section on the back of the title and gives you a bill of sale with your name and address, the sale date, the odometer reading, and the price. The seller keeps the plates.
- 2
Sign the buyer’s section
Sign the buyer’s section on the back of the title and enter your driver’s license number.
- 3
Make an appointment within 10 working days
Title transfers are done in person at a motor vehicle agency, not by mail. Transfer within 10 working days of the sale to avoid a $25 penalty.
- 4
Bring your documents
Bring the title, your license or other ID, your New Jersey insurance card or policy details, and the Vehicle Registration Application (BA-49).
- 5
Pay the tax and fees
Sales tax is 6.625% of the purchase price, with no trade-in credit on a private sale. The Division of Taxation may send a questionnaire if the price looks low and can use NADA values if you do not respond.
The title is $60, or $85 with one lien. Registration is $46.50 under 3,500 lbs and $71.50 over, or $59 and $84 if the model year is within 2 years.
Zero emission vehicles also pay an annual fee set by statute: $250 from July 1, 2024, rising $10 each July. By that schedule it is $270 for July 2026 to June 2027; the MVC has not published that figure itself.
What to bring
- The title, signed by the seller and by you with your license number
- Bill of sale with the price, date, and odometer reading
- Driver’s license or other ID
- New Jersey insurance card or policy details
- Vehicle Registration Application (BA-49)
- An MVC appointment within 10 working days of the sale