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When you gift a car in Mississippi, you will need to transfer the title to the new owner and indicate on the title that the vehicle is a gift. If the giftee is a family member, you will also need to fill out an Affidavit of Relationship form.

Gifting a car is one of the nicest ways to help someone out. To make sure your gift isn’t accompanied by any unforeseen complications, it’s important to understand what documentation is needed to finalize the gifting process.

To guide you through what’s needed in order to gift a car, we put together this guide. Here, we’ll cover how to go about gifting a vehicle and what you’ll need to submit to change the vehicle’s ownership. Keep reading to learn more.

How to buy a car as a gift in Mississippi

If you’re intending to buy a new car for the gift recipient, you may want to bring the individual along when you visit the dealership. With the gift recipient by your side as you car shop, it may be easier for both of you to settle on the vehicle that will be purchased. Plus, it will be clear to the dealer whose name will be going on the title.

Ket Takeaway It might be in your best interest to take the giftee to the dealership with you to pick out a car that both of you feel comfortable with.

MORE:

How to buy a new car

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How to gift a used car in Mississippi

In many scenarios, the car being gifted is one that you own already. A used car in good condition that is free of liens—meaning that there is no lingering loan balance—is a great choice if you’re planning to transfer its ownership to someone else.

Gifting your used car to a friend or relative requires you to complete a step-by-step process to ensure that the exchange is done correctly and legally.

Negotiate the terms of the gift with your recipient

After the initial excitement of your gift reveal subsides, it’s in your best interest to take some time to go over what happens next.

The gifted car will require a title transfer. This procedure isn’t overly complex, but it is crucial that you and the giftee know how it’s done and what fees are involved. It will be up to you and the giftee to decide who will cover the costs of these fees.

Let’s take a look at some of the fees either you or the gift recipient may need to pay to complete the gifted vehicle transaction.

Title transfer fee - $9

Registration fee - $14

Mississippi Road and Bridge Privilege Tax (if applicable) - $7.20 to $15

Duplicate title fee (if applicable) - $9

Service fee (if applicable) - $1

You may also want to discuss what forthcoming ownership costs the giftee will be responsible for in order to keep the vehicle in good working order and street legal. These financial obligations include regular maintenance, repairs (as needed), annual taxes, gas, and car insurance.

The table below breaks down the figures associated with car ownership costs:

Cost	Mississippi average
Title transfer	$9
Registration tax (also called an ad valorem tax)	$100 or more
Insurance	$492 per year (liability only), $1,782 per year (full coverage)
Gas	$1,062 per year

Record of the gift with a bill of sale

For private vehicle sales, the

Mississippi Department of Revenue

(DOR) requires the seller to record on the title how much the vehicle sold for. The same goes for vehicles that are gifts. This means, as the gifter, you’ll simply need to indicate the sale amount of $0 or the word gift on the title.

If there is no room on the title to put down this information, the DOR will require a bill of sale. It works exactly the same as on the title—on the bill of sale you’ll simply write $0 or “gift.”

Whichever documentation you use as your record, both parties will need to sign the document.

Transfer the vehicle title

The transfer title is the most important piece of car gifting. Once the title is transferred, the giftee officially owns the car. Let’s go over what you’ll need to do:

Start by signing over the vehicle’s title to the gift recipient. If you don’t have the car title, you’ll need to request a duplicate to be sent to you by filling out

Form 78-006

If you aren’t able to fit the sale amount on the title, complete the bill of sale.

If the giftee is a family member, you will need to submit an Affidavit of Relationship. You can obtain this from your county’s

DOR tax collector’s office

The giftee will also need to complete the Application for Mississippi Title and License. You can get this from the DOR tax collector’s office.

Once you’ve completed these steps, you can head over to the DOR office. It’s recommended that you accompany the gift recipient to the DOR to avoid any confusion or further questions when you arrive.

In addition to bringing the completed title paperwork, Affidavit of Relationship, and Application for Mississippi Title and License, be sure to also bring the following:

Proof of identity

Proof of Mississippi residency

Proof of car insurance

Payment for the applicable fees

Purchase Mississippi liability insurance—or full coverage

Don’t forget, before the gifted car can be registered in the new owner’s name, it will need to be covered by a Mississippi car insurance policy that meets the state’s minimum liability requirements.

MORE: Car loan in Mississippi 2023

How to find affordable car insurance in Mississippi

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