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: Nebraska
Notary: not required on the state's page
- Your signature
- The buyer's name, address and signature go in the purchaser's section at the time of purchase; no notary step.
- Deadline
- The buyer gets a title within 30 days of the purchase date.
- Paperwork
- Bill of sale: required
- 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: Nebraska DMV's transfer steps: everyone named on the title signs the seller's section and completes the odometer certification; no notary step. Buyer: The buyer's name, address and signature go in the purchaser's section at the time of purchase; no notary step."The buyer's name, address and signature must appear in the purchaser's section of the title."
- Get a bill of saleFrom the state's page
The seller gives the buyer a bill of sale or a completed Department of Revenue Form 6."The Seller must also provide the buyer with a Bill of Sale or a completed Nebraska Department of Revenue Form 6"
- Check the mileage entryFrom the state's page
The seller completes the odometer certification on the title."The seller is responsible for completing the Odometer Certification section of the title."
- 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 gets a title within 30 days of the purchase date."A Certificate of Title must be obtained by the buyer within 30 days of the date of purchase."
- Plates and feesFrom the state's page
Not confirmed whether the plates come with the car. Title fee: $10 titling fee at the County Treasurer.
Official source: Nebraska DMV (County Treasurer offices) · 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.