Virginia Vehicle Bill of Sale (SUT 1 Equivalent): Free Template and Filing Rules

What is a Virginia vehicle bill of sale, and is there a state form for it?

Virginia has no general bill of sale form. DMV's rule for sales between individuals is that the sales price the seller enters in Section A of the title certificate is the bill of sale. Two forms stand in when that entry is missing or unreliable: SUT 1, the Vehicle Price Certification, for vehicles more than 5 years old, and SUT 1A, the Affidavit of Vehicle Purchase Price, for vehicles 5 years old or less.

DMV's licensing guide defines a bill of sale as a legal document made by a seller to a purchaser, reporting that on a specific date, for a particular sum of money, the seller sold to the purchaser a motor vehicle identified by VIN, make and year (VLIC-3.105). It accepts three forms of it: a preformatted or handwritten statement signed by seller and purchaser, Form SUT 1 signed by the seller or the purchaser, or the sale price written on the title by the seller.

SUT 1 (rev. 06/2014) is a single page: sale date, VIN, color, year, make, model and body type, and a certification by the seller or the purchaser that the price "included all accessories and/or attachments with no trade-in allowance or any other transaction". This template follows those fields and adds the odometer statement, the lienholder and the buyer's address that Section A of the title asks for.

Is a bill of sale required for a private car sale in Virginia?

Not as a separate document, as long as the seller wrote the correct sales price in Section A of the title. DMV requires one in two situations: the vehicle is more than 5 years old and the price on the title is missing or incorrect (SUT 1 or a handwritten bill of sale), or the vehicle is 5 years old or less and the price is not within $1,500 of the NADA trade-in value (notarized SUT 1A).

• Title endorsement is the transfer. Under Va. Code § 46.2-628 the owner endorses the assignment and warranty of title on the certificate, with a statement of all security interests, and delivers it to the purchaser at the time of delivering the vehicle. Willfully failing to do so is a Class 3 misdemeanor.
• No title, no sale. Selling a vehicle without having a certificate of title for it is an offense under § 46.2-617.
• A handwritten bill of sale counts if it is signed by the seller and the buyer and states the purchase price, year, make, model, VIN and date of sale (DMV, Motor Vehicle Sales and Use Tax). Both sides should keep a signed copy regardless: it is the only record of the price, the date and the odometer reading that does not leave with the title.

Does a Virginia bill of sale need to be notarized?

No. A handwritten bill of sale needs the signatures of the seller and the buyer, and Form SUT 1 is signed by the seller or the purchaser without a notary. The one notarized document in a Virginia private sale is SUT 1A, the affidavit for vehicles 5 years old or less whose price is more than $1,500 off the NADA trade-in value.

What Virginia does insist on is who signs the title: Section A must carry the signature of the vehicle owner or owners, so with two names on the title both sellers sign. The buyer signs and prints their name as "buyer" in Section A as well. The optional notary block in this template is for parties who want an acknowledged copy; it is not a DMV requirement.

What has to be on a Virginia vehicle bill of sale?

DMV's minimum for a handwritten bill of sale: purchase price, year, make, model, VIN, date of sale, and the signatures of the seller and the buyer. SUT 1 adds the color and body type, printed names and signature dates, and the statement that the price included all accessories with no trade-in allowance.

Add what Section A of the title needs anyway, so the two documents match: the exact odometer reading with its certification (actual mileage, not actual, or in excess of mechanical limits), the buyer's full name and address, any lienholder, and, for a gift, the word "gift" in place of a price together with the buyer's Purchaser's Statement of Tax Exemption (SUT-3). Write the price in full: the same figure goes on the title and drives the 4.15% tax.

Bill of sale versus title: which one transfers the car in Virginia?

The title. Ownership moves when the seller endorses Section A and delivers the certificate with the vehicle (§ 46.2-628), and the buyer then applies for a certificate of ownership within 30 days (§ 46.2-600). The bill of sale records the transaction; it does not by itself make the buyer the owner.

Before paying, DMV recommends checking the vehicle in the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System. Read the title itself for brands and for a lien in Section F: the seller's endorsement must state all security interests, and a recorded lien has to be released before DMV issues a clean title, so ask for the release at the sale.

Online option. For a vehicle already titled in Virginia, DMV's Electronic Titling program lets the seller and the buyer complete the title transfer and the original registration entirely online. Conditions: no holds on either account or on the title, the vehicle not reported sold more than 15 days earlier, and no transfer by a business, power of attorney, divorce decree or survivorship, to another state, or with a tax exemption. The buyer receives an electronic title and can print a paper one later.

How much is the sales and use tax on a private car sale in Virginia, and what fees does the buyer pay?

The Motor Vehicle Sales and Use Tax is 4.15% of the gross sales price, with a $75 minimum (Va. Code § 58.1-2402), collected by DMV when the buyer titles the vehicle. There is no exemption for private sales; only a bona fide gift (SUT-3) is exempt.

• Title fee: $15. Titles are electronic by default; the first paper title is free if no lien ever existed and none was printed before, otherwise $15 (DMV 201 fee chart).
• Registration, one year: $30.75 for a passenger vehicle up to 4,000 lbs, $35.75 for 4,001 to 6,500 lbs; small discounts for two- or three-year renewals; a highway use fee applies to electric and some fuel-efficient vehicles.
• Safety inspection: $20 for a passenger vehicle, every year (Virginia State Police).
• Emissions inspection: $30, every two years, only for vehicles garaged in the Northern Virginia localities listed below.
• Local personal property tax: Virginia cities and counties tax vehicles annually; Section E of the title is the Personal Property Tax Relief certification, and the buyer registers the vehicle with the locality.

The price you write matters. Understating it is not a discount: for a vehicle 5 years old or less DMV compares the price with the NADA trade-in value and demands the notarized SUT 1A when it is more than $1,500 below, and reporting a price at 50% or less of the actual amount is prima facie evidence of intent to defraud, with a 50% penalty (§ 58.1-2411).

What are the deadlines after a private car sale in Virginia?

Buyer: apply for title within 30 days of the purchase, and do not drive the car on a highway until it is titled, registered and carries a valid safety inspection sticker. Seller: plates off before the buyer takes possession, then report the sale to DMV and tell the insurer.

• Buyer, 30 days (§ 46.2-600) at a customer service center, DMV Select, by mail or online. The sales and use tax is due at titling; paying it late adds a penalty of 10% or $10, whichever is greater, plus interest of 1.5% per month (§ 58.1-2411).
• Buyer, before operating: registration and title (§ 46.2-600), insurance certified at registration (§ 46.2-706; minimum limits for policies from 1 January 2025 are $50,000 per person, $100,000 per accident and $25,000 property damage), and a current annual safety inspection sticker.
• Buyer, Northern Virginia only: an emissions inspection before registration for vehicles garaged in Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William or Stafford County or the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas or Manassas Park; valid two years. Exempt: used vehicles of the current and three previous model years (for up to four years) and gasoline vehicles more than 25 model years old (DMV, Emissions Inspections).
• Seller, at delivery: remove the license plates before the buyer takes possession; transfer them to a replacement vehicle or surrender or inactivate them online or at DMV. With six months or more left on the registration, apply for a partial refund on FMS-210.
• Seller, right after: report the vehicle sold to DMV online, at a customer service center or by phone. DMV states this notice is required by law, and an Electronic Titling transfer must follow within 15 days of it. Then notify the insurance company: insurers report cancellations to DMV, and a vehicle that still shows in your name with no coverage reads as uninsured.

What are the most common mistakes on a Virginia bill of sale?

A blank or lowballed price on the title, a buyer driving home on the seller's plates, a second owner who never signed, and a sale nobody reported to DMV.

• Price left blank in Section A. Then the title is no longer the bill of sale, and the buyer needs SUT 1 or a signed bill of sale (over 5 years old) or a notarized SUT 1A (5 years or less) before DMV will title the car.
• Price understated. Within $1,500 of NADA trade-in or the affidavit is required; at 50% or less of the real price the Code presumes fraud and adds a 50% penalty.
• Seller's plates on the car. Virginia plates never go with the vehicle. The seller removes them before handing over the keys, and the buyer registers and gets plates in their own name.
• Missing owner signature. Section A needs the signature of every owner on the title. One missing name stops the transfer.
• Sale not reported. Until DMV hears from the seller, the vehicle stays in the seller's name, including for a crash, a ticket or an insurance-cancellation flag.
• Driving before inspection. An expired or missing safety inspection sticker is a ticketable offense from day one, and Northern Virginia buyers also need the emissions pass before registration.
• Sections E, F, G and H skipped. The back of the Virginia title is the buyer's application: personal property tax relief, lien information, registration with the insurance certification, and the buyer's certification. Incomplete sections mean a second trip.