Selling a car privately in Pennsylvania means meeting the buyer at an authorized PennDOT agent, signing the title there, and keeping your plate. Here is the seller’s side, step by step.
Before the sale
- Find the title. If it’s lost, apply for a duplicate first with MV-38O. See replacing a lost Pennsylvania title.
- Pay off any loan. If the lender holds the title electronically, you need a paper title before you can sell.
- Pick an authorized PennDOT agent, tag service or dealer and agree a time with the buyer.
At the agent
- Fill in Section A on the back of the title: buyer’s name and address, odometer reading, your signature and printed name. Do this in front of the agent, not at home.
- If the car is jointly owned, all owners sign.
- The agent notarizes the signatures and sends the application to PennDOT.
After the sale
- Remove your plate. Never give it to the buyer.
- Transfer it to your next vehicle, or return it to: Bureau of Motor Vehicles, Return Tag Unit, 1st Floor, 1101 South Front Street, Harrisburg, PA 17104.
- Keep a copy of the paperwork from the agent.
Why the agent matters
PennDOT requires a Pennsylvania title transfer to be completed by an authorized agent, tag service or dealer, and the agent must send the paperwork to PennDOT directly. So the transfer is filed on the spot, instead of depending on the buyer to file it later.
Selling for salvage?
Sign the title over to the buyer and remove your plate. Return the plate unless you’re transferring it.
For the buyer’s side, fees and sales tax, see Pennsylvania title transfer after a private sale.