Florida requires private sellers to report the sale using HSMV 82050, which can also serve as a bill of sale. The buyer must separately apply for the title transfer within 30 calendar days. Keep the payment and handover details in KarKiosk’s free vehicle bill of sale PDF, alongside the completed title and Florida’s required sale notice.

Florida Bill of Sale Quick Facts

These rules come from FLHSMV’s private-sale instructions, Florida Statutes §319.22, and the Department of Revenue’s motor vehicle tax guidance.

Is HSMV 82050 Required for a Florida Private Sale?

The seller must file the sale notice. Keeping a signed receipt at home does not complete that responsibility.

The Florida FLHSMV seller requirements direct private sellers to submit HSMV 82050, Notice of Sale and/or Bill of Sale, to a motor vehicle service center.

The form’s instructions distinguish its two uses:

• Notice of Sale: The seller completes Sections 1 and 3. The purchaser’s signature is optional for this use.

• Bill of Sale: Seller and purchaser complete Sections 1, 2 when applicable, and 3.

• Ownership transfer: The buyer still submits the required title application. Filing HSMV 82050 does not put the title in the buyer’s name.

Record the vehicle description, VIN, title information, purchaser’s details, actual sale date and selling price. Complete the applicable odometer declaration and signature fields before making copies.

Does a Florida Bill of Sale Need Notarization?

HSMV 82050 uses a signed certification under penalties of perjury rather than a notarial acknowledgment. Its standard completion instructions do not require a notary stamp.

FLHSMV nevertheless recommends having the retained bill of sale notarized. That recommendation should not be confused with a mandatory acknowledgment on the official form.

Other documents may have separate execution requirements. Follow the instructions for any power of attorney, lien document or out-of-state title used in the transaction.

What Documents Does the Buyer Need?

FLHSMV’s Buying from a Private Sale instructions and the current HSMV 82040 MV application identify the core paperwork:

• Properly assigned title: The seller completes the transfer section with the buyer’s details, sale date, price and required mileage information.

• HSMV 82040 MV: The buyer’s Application for Certificate of Motor Vehicle Title.

• Identification: Acceptable identification for the applicant.

• Florida insurance: Required when registering the vehicle.

• Lien documentation: The applicable release or lender documents.

• VIN verification: Required for a used vehicle not previously titled in Florida, subject to applicable exceptions.

The seller’s name should match the owner shown on the title. Florida Statutes §319.22(3) generally prevents an ordinary private seller from transferring a title that names someone else as the owner.

What Happens When the Florida Title Is Electronic?

FLHSMV directs the buyer and seller to visit a motor vehicle service center together to complete a secure title reassignment, using HSMV 82994 or HSMV 82092, and the required odometer disclosure.

Both parties must be present with photo identification. A screenshot of an electronic title record is not the completed reassignment.

Arrange the visit before handing over the vehicle when the seller has no paper title.

What Are Florida’s Buyer and Seller Deadlines?

Buyer — within 30 calendar days: Submit the ownership-transfer application and supporting documents. FLHSMV’s fee schedule lists a $20 late title fee.

Seller — within 30 days: Report the private sale as required by Florida Statutes §319.22(2)(b). Filing promptly creates the state record without waiting for the buyer to finish the transfer.

These are separate duties. A buyer’s promise to visit the tax collector does not replace the seller’s notice.

The title deadline also does not authorize 30 days of driving without valid registration. FLHSMV requires the buyer to arrange the appropriate title and registration before legally operating the vehicle.

How Much Tax Applies to a Florida Private Car Purchase?

A private purchase is generally subject to 6% Florida sales tax, plus the applicable county discretionary sales surtax.

The Florida Department of Revenue’s motor vehicle tax guidance explains that the county surtax follows the purchaser’s residence address on the registration or title. It generally applies only to the first $5,000 of the taxable purchase price.

For a $20,000 purchase in a county with an illustrative 1% surtax:

• State tax is $1,200.

• County surtax is $50.

• Combined purchase tax is $1,250, before title and registration charges.

Do not apply the county percentage to the entire $20,000. Also, do not assume every county uses the same surtax rate.

Which Title and Registration Fees Are Separate?

FLHSMV’s published fee schedule lists:

• Transfer of an existing Florida electronic title: $75.25.

• Original Florida title for a used vehicle: $85.25, such as an eligible vehicle entering Florida’s title system.

• Original or replacement standard plate: $28.

• Initial registration fee: $225 when applicable.

• Paper-title printing: An additional $2.50 service and handling charge.

These are separate charges, not one fixed private-sale package. Registration charges, lien recording, optional expedited service and other applicable fees can affect the total.

Does Every Buyer Pay the $225 Initial Registration Fee?

No. FLHSMV’s Procedure RS-30 explains that the charge generally applies when the owner has no eligible Florida plate or plate record from a previously owned vehicle to transfer.

A buyer transferring an eligible existing registration is not in the same position as someone registering their first qualifying vehicle in Florida. Other exemptions also exist.

Does an Out-of-State Vehicle Need VIN Verification?

For a used vehicle not previously titled in Florida, FLHSMV requires physical VIN verification through the applicable title application or HSMV 82042, Vehicle Identification Number and Odometer Verification.

Authorized verifiers include law enforcement officers, Florida notaries, licensed Florida dealers and appropriately authorized motor vehicle personnel.

For an Alabama-titled purchase, collect the seller’s ownership documents using the Alabama bill of sale and title guide. Those documents support the transaction but do not replace Florida’s VIN-verification requirement.

The VIN check establishes the vehicle’s identity. It does not certify the condition of its engine, transmission or other mechanical components.

What Must the Seller Do With the License Plate?

FLHSMV’s seller guidance states:

“In a sale, license plates stay with seller not the vehicle.”

Remove the plate before handing over the car. Transfer it to an eligible replacement vehicle or surrender it when required.

FLHSMV specifically requires surrender when the seller cancels insurance on the vehicle associated with that plate. Do not leave the registration and insurance situation unresolved after the sale.

Keep the sale notice, assigned-title copy and any plate-surrender receipt together.

Can an Out-of-State Buyer Drive the Car Home?

FLHSMV allows an eligible out-of-state buyer to obtain a 30-day temporary tag at a motor vehicle service center for the trip to the destination state.

The buyer must meet the applicable insurance, documentation and tax requirements. Taking the car out of Florida does not automatically make the transaction tax-free.

For a vehicle headed to New York, the New York bill of sale and registration guide explains the destination-state paperwork. A Florida temporary tag does not complete New York’s title application.