When you buy or sell a vehicle in Alabama you may need a Bill of Sale. This serves as a legal receipt from the buyer to the seller documenting both the change in ownership and the purchase price. The State of Alabama has some legal specific requirements about what a Bill of Sale must contain.
Invoices are not acceptable as a Bill of Sale thus a Bill of Sale must be a separate document used to transfer the title of the motor vehicle. If you buy a motor vehicle from a dealer you’ll receive from the dealer the appropriate Bill of Sale.
The following information should generally appear on the Alabama Bill of Sale Form:
- Name of the seller and complete address of the seller – a P.O. box is not acceptable!
- Name and complete address of the buyer – a P.O. box is not acceptable!
- Complete vehicle description, including Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), make, model, year, series number and body type.
- Vehicle odometer reading at the time of sale.
- Date of sale and signature of the seller or of the authorized representative.
Alabama Bill of Sale Form
Click here to download and print a generic Alabama Bill of Sale Form
For more details about primary and secondary tag types, annual license fees, additional annual fees, motorcyle plates, barcode format, code descriptions, county and city codes, and more codes check this table: Registration File Information – valid from 05/01/2022
How to fill out the Alabama Bill of Sale Form
This Alabama Bill of Sale Form is composed of three sections and below you’ll learn how to fill out this form:
Section 1
In Section 1 you will have to fill out the vehicle information – Make, Model, Year, Style (Body type), Color, VIN or Vehicle Identification Number. Following complete the Odometer Reading at the time of transfer (use only digits, no tenths), seller registration number. Then answer if you previously filed an application for title of this vehicle:
Section 2
In the second section you will have to fill out first the Seller information. Fill out first the full name of the seller. The name must be PRINTED – this means to use only Capital Letters to write SELLER’S NAME. Then seller’s street address, seller’s city and state. Further you will need to fill out the Buyer information. Start with the full name of the buyer. The buyer’s name must be PRINTED. Again this means to use only Capital Letters to write BUYER’S NAME. Additionally fill out buyer’s street address, buyer’s city and state. After these details you will have to write the sum of the transfer price of the vehicle (or the word GIFT). Correspondingly, if this vehicle was a gift, you need to indicate the relationship with the buyer (e.g. parent, spouse, friend):
Section 3
The last section, Section 3, contains seller’s statement about the details contained in this Bill of Sale. Finally fill out the seller’s signature and date:
Please note that you can fill out this Bill of Sale form by hand but always use a pen and not a pencil! If you are filling out this form on your device (phone, tablet, computer) this form is a fillable PDF that works best with Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Find details about the Alabama Department of Revenue – The Motor Vehicle Division
For more information go to Alabama Department of Revenue – The Motor Vehicle Division
Alabama Department of Revenue – The Motor Vehicle Division is responsible for issuing motor vehicle titles, maintaining vehicle registration information and enforcing the Mandatory Liability Insurance Act.