Selling a Car in Minnesota
To sell a car in Minnesota, you’ll have to complete some paperwork and report the sale to the MN Department of Public Safety.
Written by Sara Schaffer
Reviewed by Carrie Adkins
Table of Contents
- What you need to sell a car in Minnesota
- Pre-sale inspection
- Signing the title over
- Documenting the sale
- Reporting the sale
- Finding affordable car insurance
- FAQs
Load full table of contents
If you’re selling a car in Minnesota, you’ll need to complete a title transfer at your local motor vehicle office and/or complete a bill of sale. In some cases, you may also need to file a Report of Sale with the state.
Selling a car in a private transaction doesn’t need to be overwhelming. Every state has slightly different procedures for this process. You must follow your local statutes so you’re not responsible for problems that occur with the vehicle after the sale.
Fortunately, the
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super app Jerry
can tell you everything you need to know about selling a car in Minnesota. What you need to sell a car in Minnesota
The first step to selling your car privately in Minnesota is to gather your paperwork. This includes:
- Minnesota Certificate of Title (or, if you don’t have one, a duplicate title form)
- Current registration
- Your signature
- Lien release card OR notarized lien release
- Signature of the buyer
- Bill of sale
- Odometer disclosure if the vehicle is less than 10 years old
- Damage disclosure if the vehicle is less than 6 years old
Pre-sale inspection
Minnesota law does not require a pre-sale inspection.
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Signing the title over
The simplest way to sell a car is through a title transfer. In Minnesota, this must be done at the local motor vehicle office (DMV). The buyer and seller must go to the DMV together and provide the following information:
- Vehicle identification number
- Selling price
- Seller name, address, and signature
- Buyer name, address, and signature
In some cases, you will need to provide additional documentation. These could include:
- Odometer Disclosure for vehicles under 10 years old
- Damage Disclosure for vehicles under 6 years old
- Lien release card OR a notarized lien release
Documenting the sale
A bill of sale is legal proof that a buyer and seller executed the sale of a car, and the form must be notarized in Minnesota. This form documents the change of ownership and contains the information needed for the vehicle registration, including:
- Vehicle identification number
- Make, model, and year
- License plate number
- Selling price
- Seller name, address, and signature
- Buyer name, address, and signature
The bill of sale is recommended but not required after a transfer of title.
Reporting the sale
As the seller, you’ll need to report the vehicle ownership transfer to your local Minnesota DMV if the car was:
- Donated
- Privately sold
- Junked or totaled
Report the sale within 10 days either in person, through the mail, or online. Keep in mind, however, that the new owner must still complete the transfer and registration to finalize the sale.
You do not need to report the sale if you were the buyer or if it was sold to a dealership.
Finding affordable car insurance
Once you’ve successfully sold your car, it’s time to make sure you have the right
car insurance
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FAQs
How much is my car worth?
You can find out how much your car is worth by entering basic vehicle information at
Edmunds
and Kelley Blue Book
. Based on the make, model, year, mileage, and condition, they can quickly tell you the fair market value of your car.
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