Department of Motor Vehicles

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, September 12, 2016

Contacts:
Joe Morrissey             [email protected]       
Casey McNulty           [email protected]

NEW YORK STATE DMV MAKES SAMPLE BILL OF SALE AVAILABLE ONLINE
New Form Makes Proper Documentation of Private Vehicle Sales Easier Than Ever

The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) today announced that it has added a sample bill of sale to its website to make it easier for New Yorkers to provide correct documentation when completing private vehicle sales. Individuals who purchase a vehicle, trailer, boat, snowmobile, or ATV must receive acceptable proof of ownership, which normally includes a bill of sale. The sample, which is in a fillable PDF format, is now available on the DMV website.

“Before providing this sample form, New Yorkers would either have to draw up a bill of sale on their own or go out of their way to search for a sample on the internet. DMV is making it easier than ever for those buying and selling vehicles through private sales to provide the proper documentation and all of the correct information when they register their new vehicle, get a title certificate, or transfer the registration to their name,” said DMV Executive Deputy Commissioner Terri Egan.

The seller and buyer complete a bill of sale, which must include the following information:

• Year and make of the vehicle, boat, or ATV.
• Vehicle identification number (VIN) or the hull identification number (HIN).
• Date of the sale.
• Purchase price.
• Names and signatures of the buyer and the seller.

The buyer and seller can make photocopies of the bill of sale to keep in their records. The new owner must give the original bill of sale to the DMV with the other required proofs of ownership. A bill of sale is not an acceptable proof of ownership without other acceptable proofs of ownership. Bills of sale are required even when New Yorkers receive vehicles as gifts.

More information about buying or selling a vehicle, or transferring ownership of a vehicle, can be found on the DMV website. When buying a car, consumers can check for open recalls for free by running the VIN through the Safe Cars Save Lives – Check for Recalls website run by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

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