Transfer a Car Title in Massachusetts: RMV Steps and Fees

A Massachusetts certificate of title is issued by the Registry of Motor Vehicles, one of the state-issued documents covered in Massachusetts vital records, certificates, and identification. This article covers a private-party transfer between two individuals: what the seller signs, what the buyer files, what the transaction costs, and how liens, lost titles, and older vehicles change the sequence.

What a Massachusetts title transfer involves

Title and registration are two separate things. The certificate of title records who owns the vehicle; the registration and plates record who may drive it on the road.

Under M.G.L. c. 90D § 4, anyone who acquires a motor vehicle or trailer must apply for a certificate of title, and the application must be made within ten days from the acquisition of ownership. The Registry states the same rule in plain terms on its vehicle registration and title page for private purchases: all motor vehicles and trailers over 3,000 pounds must be titled within 10 days of purchase.

Not every vehicle needs a title. M.G.L. c. 90D § 2 exempts trailers with a gross weight of 3,000 pounds or less, vehicles held by manufacturers and dealers for sale, vehicles already titled in another state by a nonresident owner, and several other categories. The RMV separately treats some vehicles as exempt because of their age; for those, the previous owner’s registration and a bill of sale take the place of an assigned title, as the certificate of title application instructions describe.

What the seller signs on the certificate of title

The seller’s obligation is fixed by M.G.L. c. 90D § 15. At the time of delivery of the vehicle, the owner executes an assignment on the certificate that includes the actual odometer reading and a warranty of title, then mails or delivers the certificate and assignment to the buyer or to the registrar. The same section says a transfer is not effective between the parties until those steps are done, and that a seller who has handed over possession and completed their part is not liable for damages or motor vehicle law violations arising from later operation of the car.

The odometer entry is not optional paperwork. Federal law requires a written disclosure of the mileage at transfer of ownership under 49 CFR 580.5, and the RMV rejects transfer documents that omit it. Both the buyer and the seller sign, hand-print their names, and date the back of the title, and the sale price goes in the space provided. If the title form has no space for a sale price, a bill of sale showing the price accompanies the registration and title application.

What the buyer files with the RMV

Massachusetts routes most private-sale transfers through a licensed insurance agent, because the same form covers insurance, registration, and title. The buyer signs the Registration and Title Application, the insurance agent stamps and signs it, and the completed application goes to an RMV Service Center with the assigned title attached.

1. Get the assigned title from the seller

   The seller completes the back of the certificate with the transfer date, odometer reading, purchase price, and both signatures. For an age-exempt vehicle, the seller’s registration plus a bill of sale stands in for the title.

2. Have an insurance agent complete the application

   A licensed Massachusetts insurance agent binds coverage and then completes, stamps, and signs the Registration and Title Application. If money was borrowed to buy the car, the lienholder’s name and address go on the form at this stage, because a lien added later requires a separate amendment.

3. Calculate the sales tax owed

   Sales tax on a private sale runs at 6.25% of the purchase price or the NADA trade-in book value, whichever is higher, under the RMV’s private-purchase titling rules. A transfer that qualifies as a gift or a close-family transfer uses a Department of Revenue exemption form instead.

4. File in person and pay the fees

   Take the application, the assigned title, and payment to an RMV Service Center. The title fee is $75, and registration fees vary by plate type (RMV certificate of title fees).

5. Watch for the title in the mail

   The RMV issues the registration certificate and plates at the counter, then processes and mails the new title in approximately 6 to 8 weeks. When a loan is involved, the title goes directly to the lienholder rather than to the buyer (RMV processing times for private purchases).

A title-only transaction is also possible when the buyer is not registering the car, such as an off-road project, a vehicle stored over a winter, or a car bought for parts that still carries a title. That version can be mailed to the RMV Title Department with the completed application, proof of ownership, and a check for $75 plus applicable sales tax, per the title-only filing instructions.

Title fee, sales tax, and the gift or family exemption

As of 2026 the certificate of title fee is $75 whether the title is issued alongside a registration or on its own, and the replacement fee for a lost title is $25. Registration fees sit on top of that and vary by plate type. Sales tax on a private-party purchase is 6.25%, applied to the higher of the sale price and the NADA trade-in value (RMV fees for vehicles purchased from an individual).

Two exemptions come up constantly in private transfers. A vehicle transferred between a father or mother, brother or sister, husband or wife, or son or daughter is exempt from sales tax, and the family member transferring the vehicle completes Department of Revenue form MVU-26. The exemption does not reach grandparents, cousins, uncles, or aunts. A vehicle given as a gift by anyone else is also exempt from sales tax on form MVU-24, but the buyer pays a non-refundable $25 gift transfer fee on top of the $75 title fee and the registration fee. Both routes are set out on the RMV’s family and gift transfer page, and both still require the previous owner’s assigned title with the date, odometer reading, and the word “Gift” where the purchase price would go.

Liens, lost titles, and age-exempt vehicles

When the seller still owes money on the car, the lienholder holds the certificate of title. M.G.L. c. 90D § 15(c) requires a lienholder in possession of the title to release it on request of the owner or the transferee, either by delivering the certificate to the buyer for filing or by sending the assignment, the buyer’s application, and the fee to the registrar directly.

Once the loan is paid off, M.G.L. c. 90D § 24 gives the lienholder three days after demand, and in any event ten days, to execute a release and forward the certificate to the next lienholder or to the owner. Payment made in cash or by certified check, cashier’s check, teller’s check, or electronic funds transfer counts as cleared immediately on receipt.

A seller who cannot find the title applies for a replacement before the sale. The RMV charges $25 for a duplicate certificate and takes up to 10 business days to mail it, and a paid-off lien has to be released in writing on the lienholder’s letterhead before the replacement will issue (RMV replacement title process). Where the registered owner has died, the RMV requires a death certificate along with letters of administration, a court order, or an affidavit of surviving spouse.

Age-exempt vehicles follow a shorter path. With no certificate in existence, the previous owner’s registration and a signed bill of sale become the proof of ownership attached to the registration and title application, and the buyer can still request a title if a lender or an out-of-state buyer later requires one. A buyer shipping the vehicle overseas may also be asked to have the assigned title or bill of sale authenticated; that certification runs through the Secretary of the Commonwealth as a Massachusetts apostille, not through the RMV.

Plates, inspection, and excise tax after the transfer

A buyer who already owns a registered vehicle can move the existing plates rather than buying new ones. Massachusetts allows a grace period of seven calendar days from the date the previous vehicle is disposed of to register the newly acquired one, provided the registrant is at least 18 years old, the new vehicle is the same type with the same number of wheels, the plates are attached to the new vehicle, and the transfer documents are carried in the car (RMV 7-day transfer law). There is no grace period for a buyer with no currently registered vehicle, and the RMV does not issue temporary plates.

Two follow-on obligations attach to the new registration. A safety inspection sticker is required within 7 days of the registration date. And an annual excise tax bill is generated for every active Massachusetts registration; the RMV produces the bill, but payment goes to the city or town where the vehicle is garaged and is due within 30 days of the bill’s issue date (RMV guidance on excise tax and inspection). An unpaid excise bill can block a later license or registration renewal.