How it works. Pick the state and whether you're the buyer or the seller. You get the steps in order, whether your signature needs a notary, the paperwork to bring, and the buyer's deadline, each marked as the state's own rule or as good practice.
Make your checklist
Buying a car: South Carolina
Notary: not required on the state's page
- Your signature
- The buyer signs the back of the title; SCDMV's list has no notary step.
- Deadline
- The buyer registers within 45 days of the purchase date. Due by Friday, January 15, 2027.
- Paperwork
- Bill of sale: sometimes
- The original title, signed over
- Odometer entry or disclosure
- The agency's title application, proof of insurance and ID
Your steps
- Check the title against the car and the sellerGood practice
The VIN on the title should match the car, and the seller's ID should match the owner's name on the title. Ask about any lien listed on it. - Watch the title get signedFrom the state's page
Seller: SCDMV's list for a title transfer asks for the seller's and buyer's signatures on the back of the title, with no notary. Buyer: The buyer signs the back of the title; SCDMV's list has no notary step."seller's signature, buyer's signature"
- Get a bill of saleFrom the state's page
Only when the title assignment has no space for the sale price."If assignment on title does not have section for sales price, a bill of sale must accompany paperwork."
- Check the mileage entryFrom the state's page
The odometer reading at the time of sale goes on the title."Odometer reading at the time of sale"
- Insure the car before you drive itGood practice
Most states require insurance to register. Arrange it before driving away. - Title it in your name in timeFrom the state's page
The buyer registers within 45 days of the purchase date. For a sale on Tuesday, December 1, 2026, that's by Friday, January 15, 2027."South Carolina law requires that you register your newly purchased vehicle within 45 days of the purchase date."
- Plates and feesFrom the state's page
The seller keeps the plate for another vehicle or surrenders it. Title fee: $15 title fee ($35 for an expedited title, in person only)."If you sell your vehicle and do not transfer the license plate to another vehicle, you must also surrender the plate."
Official source: South Carolina DMV (SCDMV) · More on this state
Before the money changes hands
Meet in daylight somewhere public, or at the bank or tag office where the payment can be checked. Count cash or confirm a cashier's check with the issuing bank before signing anything. The seller signs only when payment is final; the buyer pays only when the title is in hand with no open lien.
Need this notarized? Get it notarized online by a New Jersey notary over video, or book a notary visit in New Jersey.
Every state on one page: car title notarization by state. For the full private-sale walkthrough, see the title transfer guide.
General information, not legal advice; we are not lawyers. Checked November 2026 against the official pages linked in each checklist. Forms, fees and deadlines change, a county office can add its own steps, and gifts, estates, liens and out-of-state titles follow other rules; the agency or an attorney can tell you how a rule applies to your sale. MCC Solutions is not affiliated with any motor vehicle agency.
Questions about the checklist
Which state's rules apply?
Usually the state that issued the title governs how it's signed over, and the buyer's home state governs titling and registration. When the two differ, read both: a title from a notary state still needs its notary even if the buyer lives somewhere that doesn't ask for one.
What does 'Not confirmed' mean in my checklist?
That step's rule wasn't stated on the official pages we could open for that state. The checklist still gives the safe default, and the agency link at the bottom is where to confirm it.
How is the due date worked out?
From the sale date you enter, using the state's own count. Calendar-day rules count every day; business-day rules skip weekends but not holidays, so a holiday can make the true deadline a day later, never earlier.
Can I sign the title before meeting the buyer?
Don't. In states that require a notary, the signature has to be made in front of the notary. Everywhere, a pre-signed open title invites fraud, and corrections or cross-outs can void it.
Does this page save what I enter?
No. The state, role and date travel in the page address only, so a link such as ?state=oh&role=seller opens the same checklist, and it works without JavaScript.