A Minnesota private-sale title transfer happens on the back of the title itself: the seller signs, prints their name, writes the sale price and date and fills in the odometer and damage disclosures, and you (the buyer) complete the application section and file it at a deputy registrar office or by mail within 10 days. The plates usually stay on the car. Expect about $36 in title and transfer fees plus 6.875 percent motor vehicle sales tax, and the seller should report the sale online within the same 10 days.
Quick correction first, since guides written before mid 2023 may still say otherwise: the Minnesota motor vehicle sales tax is not 6.5 percent anymore. The Department of Revenue says the rate is 6.875 percent and notes it was 6.5 percent before July 1, 2023. On a $7,500 car that difference is about $28. Small, but it is the kind of thing that makes a buyer show up short at the counter. I went through the DVS and Revenue pages and the statutes on October 16, 2026, and everything below comes from them.
What the seller fills in
DVS's Buying or Selling a Motor Vehicle sheet (dated March 2025) says every seller hand prints their name and signs the assignment area, lists the sale price in the sales tax declaration on the back, enters the date of sale and completes the disclosures. The odometer disclosure applies for 20 years to model year 2011 and newer vehicles, with exceptions for heavy trucks over 16,000 pounds GVWR, and the damage disclosure applies to every vehicle. If a lien is printed on the title, the seller hands over a lien release card or a notarized lien release.
Be careful with the pen. The DPS vehicle title transfer page says any alteration will void the title, and the assignment has to be on the most current title issued. If the seller lost it, they need a duplicate before the sale, not after. DVS actually recommends buyer and seller go to the deputy registrar together, which is good advice if you can swing it, because a mistake gets fixed on the spot instead of over a week of texts.
The 10-day clock, for both of you
Minnesota puts a 10-day deadline on each side. Under Minn. Stat. 168A.10, the seller has ten days from the sale to send in the Notice of Sale from the title or report it electronically. DPS's report-of-sale page says reporting the sale does not transfer ownership. It also says DVS will suspend the registration if ownership documents and fees are not submitted within 30 days. The seller is advised to keep the Seller's Notice of Sale stub and snap a photo of the buyer's license.
For the buyer, Minn. Stat. 168.301 says your rights to the plates and to the registration tax already paid expire ten days after the transfer unless it has been filed. Miss it and there is a $2 late fee. Honestly, the bigger headache is the registration getting suspended while you are already driving the car around.
Plates stay with the car (mostly)
This is where Minnesota differs from Maryland or Massachusetts, where the seller keeps the plates. The DVS sheet says that when you sell a vehicle, the plate and the registration taxes are assigned to the new owner, citing Minn. Stat. 168.15, with some exceptions handled at the deputy registrar. So in the normal case, the seller does not pull the plates. If the registration has expired, though, the DPS page says the current registration tax has to be paid at transfer, so check the tab sticker before you agree on a price.
Fees and sales tax, with real numbers
The DVS sheet lists typical transfer fees for a titled vehicle: $8.25 title fee, $10 transfer tax, $3.50 public safety vehicle fee, $2.25 tech surcharge and a $12 filing fee, plus $2 for each lien recorded. That is $36 with no lien. Add 6.875 percent of the purchase price. On a $7,500 sedan the tax is $515.63, so you are at about $551.63 before any registration tax.
Older cheap cars get a break. The DPS page describes a $10 in-lieu tax for passenger vehicles ten model years or older when both the purchase price and the fair market value are under $3,000. If either one is $3,000 or more, you pay the regular 6.875 percent. Collector-class vehicles have a separate $150 in-lieu tax. Gifts to qualifying people can be exempt; DPS points to its vehicle sales tax page for the rules. And Revenue notes that local sales tax does not apply to vehicles, though some cities and counties charge a separate local vehicle excise.
History check: DVS literally tells you to do it
Both the DVS sheet and the title transfer page carry a consumer alert recommending a vehicle history check before you buy, pointing to NMVTIS. Start by matching the VIN on the dash to the title, which DVS also lists as a buyer step; our VIN verification for title transfer guide shows where to look. If NMVTIS or a report shows a salvage or prior salvage brand, read our Minnesota salvage and rebuilt title rules before you sign. Our CARFAX for private-party sales post covers what a report can show, and used car sales tax puts the 6.875 percent next to other states.
If the seller emails you a "report" PDF and gets cagey when you ask for the VIN, walk away. CarVins is a licensed CARFAX and AutoCheck reseller, not affiliated with CARFAX, AutoCheck or Experian; this October a single report runs about $5.50 for guests and $4.50 for members, with both together near $6.75, while retail sits around $39.99 to $44.99. Confirm the price at checkout. CARFAX's overview shows what a real report includes.
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