Montana Selling a Vehicle

How to Sign Over the Title to the Buyer

Signing the title over to the buyer is a crucial part of the process, but thankfully, it is quite easy. In Montana, a dealership does not have to title the car in its name to sell it; however, an individual does. An individual selling a vehicle to another person must first provide the buyer with a properly signed title.

To sign a title properly, you must use blue or black ink. Then you sign your name on the seller’s section on the back of the title in front of a notary. You then give that signed title to the person buying your vehicle. You also must include both the odometer reading and the date of sale on the signed title. You also must clear any liens on the vehicle before you can sell it. Liens can occur because you took out a loan on the vehicle to buy it and haven’t finished paying it off, or they could have been placed there because you are behind in child support or for other reasons. You give a filled-out Release of Security Interest or Lien form to the buyer to attest that the lien has been paid.

The buyer’s full name and address also must be on the title, and the buyer must sign the title using their name as written on the front.

Replacing a Lost Title

Just like in any other state, you cannot sell a vehicle without a title except if the vehicle was last titled in Montana to a seller in Montana and is being bought by someone in Montana. In that case, you can fill out and sign the Application for Replacement of the Title and Form MV24, Bill of Sale, which includes an authorization for the buyer to transfer ownership.

Otherwise, you will file the application for title replacement and wait until you have the title in your possession before selling the car. You take the form in-person to a county treasurer’s office or mail it to: