REG 343
Application for Title or Registration
The main application to title or register a vehicle in California, covering the vehicle, owner, lienholder, odometer, purchase cost and any out-of-state history.
Buying or selling a car privately in California: the forms
These are the official California DMV forms that come up when you buy or sell a car privately, each linked straight to dmv.ca.gov with a line on what it’s for.
We don’t host copies, so you always download the current version from the DMV. We check every link weekly.
The forms
REG 135
Bill of Sale
Records the sale or gift of a vehicle or vessel: its description, the price or gift value, and the buyer and seller, signed by the seller.
REG 256
Statement of Facts
A signed statement for situations the other forms don’t cover, such as a use-tax or smog exemption, a transfer- or title-only request, a body change or a name difference.
REG 156
Application for Replacement Plates, Stickers, Documents
Requests replacement license plates, registration stickers or registration documents, for example when they are lost, stolen or damaged.
REG 260
Power of Attorney
Appoints someone else to complete the documents needed to transfer ownership of a vehicle or vessel on your behalf.
REG 138
Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability
The seller’s notice to the DMV that a vehicle or vessel was sold, transferred or returned from a lease, which releases the seller’s liability. It can be filed online or by mail.
REG 31
Verification of Vehicle (VIN verification)
Records a physical inspection of a vehicle’s identification numbers, completed by an authorized verifier (DMV, a licensed vehicle verifier, an auto club or a peace officer), never by the owner.
REG 5045
Nonresident Military Exemption Statement
Statement for claiming the nonresident military exemption.
REG 262
Vehicle/Vessel Transfer and Reassignment (odometer disclosure)
Odometer disclosure for transfers the title itself can’t record (a noncomplying or unavailable title, an error in the title’s odometer section, or multiple transfers), with an optional bill-of-sale section.
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Not affiliated with the California DMV. Not legal advice. Forms change; always confirm with the state.