The buyer's application. It is on this list because sellers get asked about it constantly, and because knowing what the buyer has to produce tells you what you need to hand over. It is also the form for a car arriving in California from another state.
Written against REG 343 (Rev 12/2022), issued under California Vehicle Code 4150 and 9250. This is the buyer's form, not yours. Do not sign it for them and do not fill in their details for them - a mistake in their block is best made with your signature nowhere near it.
Two documents, and they are not the same thing. Take the blank REG 343 from the dmv.ca.gov copy so you get the revision that is current today.
| On the form | What to put in it |
|---|---|
| Vehicle description | VIN, year, make, body type, plate number, fuel, odometer reading and the date it was read. |
| Registered owner and co-owner | True full names as they appear on a California licence or ID, with the AND / OR selection between co-owners that decides who has to sign when the car is sold again. |
| Address block | Physical residence or business address, county, and a separate mailing address. County drives part of the fee, so it is not decoration. |
| Lienholder | The buyer's lender, or nothing where there is none. |
| Odometer disclosure | Go by the federal rule rather than the DMV's older ten-year wording - a 2011-or-newer car needs the mileage written in whatever a summary elsewhere says. |
| Signature | The buyer's, under penalty of perjury. |
Every line here was read off REG 343 (Rev 12/2022) itself — the PDF is here — and off the California Department of Motor Vehicles pages. This is plain-language help with a form, not legal advice, and where our wording and the agency's differ, theirs governs.
Back to all California seller paperwork, or what selling a car in California involves.