Paperwork to sell a car privately in Nevada: the DMV bill of sale and every step

October 8, 2026·8 min read

The short answer

To sell a car privately in Nevada you need the title, a photo ID, the current odometer reading if the car is a 2011 model year or newer, and a completed Nevada DMV Bill of Sale (form VP-104). After the sale you keep your plates and submit a Registration Cancellation and Vehicle Resale Notification through MyDMV. That list comes from the Nevada DMV's Car Seller's Guide.

In the order you will do them:

1. Pay off any loan first. The DMV says any loans or liens on a vehicle must be satisfied before it can be sold.
2. Get the title and your photo ID ready. The ID is matched against the title.
3. Fill in the VP-104 bill of sale. The next section goes through it field by field.
4. Sign the title over in pen and ink. Enter the odometer reading if the car is a 2011 model year or newer.
5. Keep your plates and copies of everything.
6. Within 5 days, submit the resale notification on MyDMV.

If you would rather sell to a business than a private buyer, the last section covers how that changes the paperwork.

Do you need a Nevada DMV bill of sale?

The DMV lists the VP-104 among the things you need to sell a vehicle and describes it as "to be completed for your records." Some websites call it optional when the price is printed on the title. The DMV's own guide does not say that, so the safe route is to complete one for every sale.

Three details from the form itself:

• A title must go with it. The VP-104 says "a Certificate of Title or other ownership documents must accompany this form." A bill of sale does not transfer ownership by itself.
• There is no notary line. The form asks for names, addresses, vehicle details and signatures. It does not ask for a notary stamp.
• Signatures must be originals. The form says photocopies are not acceptable.

How to fill in the Nevada bill of sale (VP-104)

Download the current form from the DMV every time rather than reusing an old copy: the VP-104. The form says all areas must be completed in full. Here is what goes where.

The sale price. Write the dollar amount at the top, the amount you and the buyer agreed.

The buyer's name. Complete the buyer area exactly as the new Certificate of Title will be printed. If the buyer's legal name is Robert and they usually write Bob, the title will say Robert, so the form should too. Each buyer needs a full legal name, a Nevada driver's license or ID number or date of birth (or a business's FEIN), a physical address and a mailing address.

Two buyers or more. The form has room for two. For more than two, complete and attach an additional VP-104 and write AND or OR between the second and third owners. Only one buyer signature is required even when AND appears between names.

The vehicle. Enter the VIN, year, make, model and body type. Copy the VIN from the title or the car and check the last digits twice, because a wrong digit means a new form.

The two checkboxes. One is for off-highway vehicles such as side-by-sides, dune buggies, ATVs and snowmobiles. The other is for a vehicle that has been rebuilt as Nevada defines the term in NRS 482.098. Tick it only if the title says the car is rebuilt.

"Buyer certifies Lien in favor of." This line is for the buyer's side: if the buyer is financing the car, their lender's details go here. If there is no lien, the form says to write the word NONE. It is not where your own loan goes, because your loan has to be paid off before the sale.

Your details and signature. Add your full legal name, your ID number and your mailing address, and sign. By signing you certify that you are the lawful owner and have the right to sell the car, and that you will warrant and defend the title against claims, except for the lienholder noted above. That is why you should not sign a car you do not fully own.

After it is signed. The form says changes may not be made once it is signed. If something is wrong, start a new form. The DMV also has an Erasure Affidavit (VP-019), which is used when a person takes full responsibility for an error, change or removal on ownership documents. A clean new VP-104 is far simpler.

Make a copy or a clear photo of the signed form before it leaves your hands. Both of you should keep one.

The title and the odometer reading

The title is the document that actually moves ownership. The DMV says whoever has the title in their name owns the vehicle in the eyes of the law, regardless of who registered it or who is driving it.

• Sign in pen and ink. NRS 482.400 says the person transferring the title and the buyer write their signatures with pen and ink on the back of the Certificate of Title, together with the buyer's residence address.
• Check the owner line. If it reads "Person1 AND Person2," both owners must sign to sell. If it reads "Person1 OR Person2," either owner can sell without the other's signature.
• Odometer by model year. The DMV says that if the vehicle was produced after model year 2010, you must enter the current mileage in the Odometer Reading section of the title when you sell it. For model year 2010 or earlier, you may check the exempt box. You may see online that disclosure applies only to cars "under 10 years old." The DMV's own guide is stricter than that, so follow the DMV's wording.
• Trust owners. If the car is registered to a family trust, the guide says to give the buyer a Trustee Appointment and Powers Affidavit (VP 188).
• No title in hand. The DMV warns buyers against buying a vehicle with a missing title for any reason, so replace it first. Our guide to a Nevada duplicate title covers how.
• Loan still on it. Pay it off and get the lien released before you sell. Our guide to selling a car with a loan or lien in Nevada walks through it.

Where and how to do the sale

• Meet somewhere sensible. The DMV's guide says selling vehicles in an empty lot is usually illegal and recommends completing a private party sale at a residence if you feel safe around the buyer.
• Don't run a dealership by accident. The guide says that selling more than three personally owned vehicles in a year means you need a dealer's license.
• Be paid before the title leaves your hands. The DMV says the people most at risk in a private-party sale are the buyers, and that as the seller you hold the keys. Even so, be paid in full before you hand over the signed title. The DMV's guide does not name a payment method, so this is common sense, not a DMV rule.

After the sale: what to file and what to keep

1. Submit the resale notification. NRS 482.400 gives the person transferring a title 5 days to submit a notice of the transfer electronically, and the DMV's guide lists the Registration Cancellation and Vehicle Resale Notification through MyDMV as a seller step. The DMV says the notice shows you no longer own the vehicle and protects you from future liability. You can do it while cancelling the registration or file it separately on the resale notification page.

2. Cancel the registration. Under NRS 482.399, a registration expires when the owner transfers ownership. The DMV's plate and cancellation page explains how to cancel through MyDMV. Cancel your registration before you cancel your insurance, as the DMV insurance page advises.

3. Handle your plates. Keep them. Put them on another vehicle you register, or surrender them by mail or at a DMV office. NRS 482.399 says that if you haven't applied to transfer your registration to another vehicle within 60 days after the transfer, the plates must be surrendered on or before the 60th day.

4. Use the credit. When you cancel, the DMV credits the unused part of your registration fees. The credit can go toward another vehicle registered in your name, and it expires on the original registration's expiration date. A cash refund is possible only in limited cases under NRS 482.399, including that the amount must exceed $100.

5. Keep your records. Keep a copy of the signed VP-104, a photo of the signed title, and your resale notification confirmation.

For the full checklist, including out-of-state titles and an owner who can't be there, see our Nevada paperwork guide for selling a car. To understand what happens to the car after the buyer drives it away, read what happens to your car after you sell it.

If you'd rather sell to a car buyer

A private sale can bring the most money for a running car, and it also means every step above is yours. If your car is old, damaged or doesn't run, selling to a business is often simpler.

When you sell to us, we buy only cars you fully own, so any loan has to be paid off first. We handle the title transfer at no cost, the tow is free, you pick a pickup time from the windows offered when you accept, and you're paid at pickup. You still file your own DMV notice, and we email you a confirmation of the sale that you can use for it. Some licensed buyers ask you to leave the buyer section of the title blank because they complete it when they process the title. Our guide to spotting a cash-for-cars scam explains when that is normal.

Not sure which route fits your car? Read private sale, junkyard or instant offer, or get a firm number for your car: our cash for junk cars Las Vegas quote takes about two minutes.