List of Needed Documents When Selling a Car

Outside of asking for a price and fixing up your car to sell it, exchanging required documents with a buyer isn't always simple. Each state has its own requirements when it comes to passing on documents to your buyer. Most of these state laws are similar, except in California, where one specialized certificate is required.

Title and Registration

All state laws require that you first transfer your car title and registration when selling your car. In Washington, D.C., you don't have to show your registration right at the sale. Nevertheless, the DMV in Washington says doing so can help prove to your buyer that you've kept up with all paperwork. In California, you have to report the sale of your car within five days after selling it. Do this by filling out a Notice of Transfer Release of Liability form.

Disclosing Odometer Reading

A federal regulation requires you to report your car's odometer readings to the buyer. In California, the only exceptions to this are if the car is over 10 years old, if it's a commercial vehicle more than 16,000 pounds or a new vehicle through a dealer. Report your odometer readings in California by filling out the Vehicle/Vessel Transfer and Reassignment form. This document isn't available online and needs to be sent to you via the U.S. mail. In some cases, you can just fill out odometer readings on the car title.

Bill of Sale

In Oregon and most other states, a bill of sale is required as official record of your car's sale. You can print out an official bill of sale through Oregon's Department of Motor Vehicles. On the form, print the names and addresses of you and the buyer; indicate date of purchase; show vehicle make, model and year; and write your license plate number and the vehicle identification number.

Smog Report

When selling a car in California, you have to provide the buyer with a certificate detailing your cars emissions. This is known as a smog certificate. At any point you renewed your registration in California, you would have been required to have an emissions test and receive your smog report. In order to acquire one, California's Department of Motor Vehicles provides information on available test stations. As of 2011, this only applies to cars that are older than six years old but made after 1975.