Selling a vehicle yourself? Here's how to handle the Oklahoma paperwork so the sale is clean on both sides.
1. Sign the title over in front of a notary
The buyer needs a properly signed title, with your signature notarized. We have a notary at our Catoosa office if you need one. If your vehicle has an electronic title, you'll use Form 718, the Bill of Sale of an Electronic Title, instead.
Still have a loan on it? The buyer can't transfer the title until your lender releases the lien, so settle that first.
2. Record the price and the odometer reading
A standard Oklahoma title has a place for the price and the odometer reading, so fill those in when you sign it over, and a bill of sale is optional. On any other kind of title, write up a bill of sale with the date, the price, the VIN and both of your names, since the buyer needs proof of the purchase price, and use Form 729 for the odometer reading if the title has no spot for it.
3. Keep your license plate
Oklahoma plates are assigned to people, not vehicles, so take yours off before the buyer drives away. You can move it to your next vehicle. The buyer will get a plate of their own through pre-registration.
4. Pre-register within two business days
Since September 1, 2024, every vehicle sold in Oklahoma has to be pre-registered within two business days of the sale. In a private sale, you or the buyer can submit it on Navigate, and it's free. If you submit it, the buyer gets an email asking them to confirm the details.
5. File a notice of transfer, if you need one
This step is optional. If you did the pre-registration yourself, you don't need a notice of transfer, and you can't file one. Pre-registration is free and the notice costs $10, so pre-registering is usually the way to go.
Otherwise, a notice of transfer records the sale with Service Oklahoma and blocks certain transactions on the vehicle until the buyer puts the title in their name. It's your record that the vehicle stopped being yours. File it online (opens the State of Oklahoma site in a new tab) or at our office. You'll need:
- The VIN or the title number
- The buyer's name and address
- The date of sale
- Your own ID or driver license
What the buyer does next
The buyer has ten days to get a metal plate and pre-registration decals on the car, and two months from the date of sale to title and register it. Point them to our pre-registration guide. More seller questions are answered in our notice of transfer FAQ.