Four steps, in this order. Florida does two of them differently from most states, and those two are where sellers get caught out. This page is general guidance rather than legal advice, and your county tax collector is the authority on your own situation.
On the front of the Florida certificate of title there is a section headed Transfer of Title by Seller. It needs your signature, your printed name as it appears on the title, the odometer reading and the date of sale.
Do not guess at the mileage, and do not sign anything in advance. The single most common expensive mistake we see is a seller who signed in the buyer's section, or on the reassignment line meant for dealers, because another buyer told them to. A title signed in the wrong place can be slow to correct and sometimes cannot be corrected at all. One of the reviews on this site is from a seller that happened to. If you are not certain, photograph the title and call us before you write on it.
Florida moved to electronic titles years ago and most vehicles no longer have a paper document at all. There is nothing to sign until you deal with that, and it is the step that surprises people who have sold cars in other states.
You have two routes. You can have the title printed, either ordered through the state's MyDMV Portal and posted to you, or printed the same day at a county tax collector office for a higher fee. Or the buyer and seller can complete the transfer together in person at a tax collector office without a paper title at all.
Any lien has to be satisfied before an electronic title can be printed. If there is still a loan, start with the lender. Once the loan is paid, the title stays electronic until somebody asks for it on paper.
In Florida the license plate belongs to the registered owner rather than the vehicle, so it does not go with the car. Take it off before the truck arrives.
Then do one of two things: transfer it to another vehicle you own, or surrender it at your county tax collector office. Several counties also accept a plate by mail with a surrender form.
Do not cancel the insurance first. Florida requires continuous coverage on a registered vehicle, and if the plate is still active when the policy lapses the state can suspend your driver license and charge a reinstatement fee. Surrender or transfer the plate, then cancel.
The Notice of Sale is the step that actually ends your connection to the vehicle. Florida has required sellers to file one since 2009, within 30 days of the sale, and it can be filed through the state's portal or with your county tax collector, who may also accept it by mail or email.
It matters more than it sounds. Until it is filed, the state's record still shows you as the owner, which is how people end up with a toll bill, a red light citation or a towing invoice for a car they sold months earlier. Keep your copy.
Apply for a duplicate on form HSMV 82101, at a county tax collector office or through the MyDMV Portal. It is routine when the vehicle is in your name and there are no liens. Call us before you start, because depending on the situation we can often get the sale moving while the duplicate is on its way.
We buy vehicles with lien payoffs regularly. Get the payoff figure from your lender and we structure the purchase so the lien is cleared and you receive the balance. If an insurance settlement already paid the loan, you need the lien release along with the title.
The vehicle will be on a Florida salvage certificate of title rather than a normal one, and Florida expects the title to reach the department within 72 hours of the car becoming salvage. We buy owner-retained salvage constantly. The total loss page goes through the rules.
An inherited vehicle, a deceased owner, a car still titled to an ex-spouse or a business that has closed. All of these are solvable and none of them are quick, so start the conversation early. Tell us the situation and we will tell you what the tax collector will want to see.
HSMV 82050 is the Florida Notice of Sale and/or Bill of Sale. Filing it tells the state you no longer own the vehicle, which is what ends your liability for it. Florida has required sellers to file one since 2009, within 30 days of the sale.
Yes. Most Florida titles are electronic and have no paper document to sign. You either request a paper title, through the MyDMV Portal or at a county tax collector office, or both parties complete the transfer in person at a tax collector office. Any lien has to be satisfied before an electronic title can be printed on paper.
No. In Florida the plate belongs to the owner, not the vehicle. Remove it before the car is collected, then transfer it to another vehicle or surrender it at a county tax collector office. Do not cancel the insurance before the plate is transferred or surrendered, because Florida can suspend your driver license if a plate is still active when the coverage lapses.
Apply for a duplicate on form HSMV 82101, through a county tax collector office or the MyDMV Portal. It is a routine application when the vehicle is in your name and free of liens.
Sources: the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, Florida county tax collectors, and Florida Statutes chapter 319. Forms, fees and procedures change, and counties differ in how they accept filings. For anything unusual, ask your county tax collector.
Tell us where your title stands when you call. Electronic, missing, still with a lender or already branded salvage, none of it stops a sale and all of it is easier with someone who does this daily.