Indiana keeps a private-sale title transfer simple on paper: the seller fills in both the seller and purchaser sections on the back of the title and removes the license plate, and you take that title to a BMV branch within 45 days to get a new title, registration and plate. Expect a $15 title fee, 7 percent sales tax on the price, and the annual registration fee plus vehicle excise tax. Show up after day 45 and the BMV adds a $30 penalty. If the title is from another state, the car needs a VIN inspection too.
I pulled the BMV's Buying and Selling a Vehicle page and its fee chart (marked "Revised 1/1/26") on October 16, 2026. Trust that dated chart over older blog posts; if the revision date on the PDF has changed by the time you read this, so may the numbers below.
What "both sections" means for the seller
The BMV's instruction to buyers is blunt: make sure the seller has completed, in their entirety, both the seller and purchaser sections of the certificate of title before you visit a branch. In practice that means the seller's signature and printed name, the date, the price, your name and address, and the odometer reading where the title asks for it. A half-filled title is an easy way to turn one branch trip into two, so sit with the seller while they do it and check every box before you hand over money.
If there is a lien on the title, get the lien release with it. And if the seller "can't find" the title, slow down. Indiana does have a workaround, an Affidavit of Ownership for vehicles worth $5,000 or less by NADA value, but the BMV's affidavit checklist requires a certified letter to the last titled owner that comes back unopened and unclaimed, plus a physical inspection. That is weeks of hassle you take on so the seller does not have to order a duplicate.
The 45-day clock and the $30 penalty
Indiana law (IC 9-17-2-14.7, in the Indiana Code, Title 9) says you must apply for a certificate of title within 45 days after you acquire the vehicle. New residents and transfer-on-death beneficiaries get 60 days. Miss the 45 days on an ordinary purchase and the fee chart lists a $30 administrative penalty for a late title. Not ruinous, but it is $30 for nothing, and you cannot legally drive on the seller's plate in the meantime anyway because they took it with them.
Plates stay with the seller
The BMV says the seller should remove the license plate at the time of the transaction, and the purchaser is responsible for getting a new title, registration and plate. Sellers do not return old plates to the BMV; they can move them to another vehicle they own. So plan the pickup. If you cannot get to a branch the same day, ask the BMV about a temporary permit, which the fee chart lists at $18, before you drive home on nothing.
Sales tax, fees and a rough total
On a private sale, the BMV says you pay sales tax at the branch when you apply for the title. The affidavit checklist puts it at 7 percent of the amount on the bill of sale, and the Department of Revenue lists the same seven percent rate. Then the fee chart: $15 to issue the title, $25 extra if you want an optional speed title, $21.35 to register a passenger vehicle and a $15 Transportation Infrastructure Improvement Fee. Hybrids carry an $81 supplemental fee and EVs $242.
The wild card is the vehicle excise tax. The BMV's excise tax page bases it on the car's class (set by its original MSRP) and its age, and some counties and towns add their own wheel or excise tax. So on a $9,000 sedan you are at about $630 in sales tax plus $51.35 in title, registration and TIIF, roughly $681.35, before excise and local tax. Paying by card costs $0.40 plus 2.06 percent, per the BMV fees page, so bring a check or cash if that bugs you.
Out-of-state titles need a VIN inspection
If the car you are buying carries a title from another state, the BMV requires a vehicle inspection to confirm the VIN before it will issue an Indiana title. It is free at a branch or a BMV certified service provider, or a law enforcement officer can do it for up to $5 on State Form 39530. If an out-of-state lienholder holds the title, you file a Request for Title (State Form 1014) at a branch and wait for the lender to mail it. Our out-of-state title transfer guide covers why a title from somewhere else deserves an extra look.
Run the VIN before you sign anything
Compare the dash and door VIN to the title using our VIN verification for title transfer checklist, then search NMVTIS for salvage or junk brands. A rebuilt or salvage history changes the paperwork in Indiana, which our Indiana salvage and rebuilt title rules post explains, and used car sales tax sets 7 percent next to neighboring states.
Watch for sellers who offer a printed "history report" from a site you have never heard of. Fake PDFs are cheap to make. CarVins is a licensed CARFAX and AutoCheck reseller, not affiliated with CARFAX, AutoCheck or Experian, and this month one report has run about $5.50 for guests or $4.50 for members, near $6.75 for the pair, while retail is $39.99 to $44.99; confirm at checkout, since prices move. The CARFAX overview shows what a real one looks like.
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