Not a form at all - the single sheet of instructions that goes with the VR-005, and the place the MVA states in writing the two rules a private seller is asked about most often. It is where the seven-year notarised bill of sale rule is set out, and where the excise tax is worked through case by case with the actual figures rather than a rate.
Written against VR-005A (05-26), issued under Maryland Transportation Article, Sections 13-802 and 13-809. This sheet carries fee figures, and fee figures move. It was revised in May 2026 and it prints the title fee at $200 and the lien filing fee at $40, which is what the MVA's live fee schedule and the statute also say - but a copy saved from a previous year is exactly the kind of document that quietly goes out of date.
Two documents, and they are not the same thing. Take the blank VR-005A from the mva.maryland.gov copy so you get the revision that is current today.
There is nothing to show filled in, because there is nothing to fill in: the VR-005A is a single printed sheet of the MVA's own instructions that accompanies the application, carries no fields at all, and is meant to be read rather than completed.
| On the form | What to put in it |
|---|---|
| Used Vehicles from a Title State | An out-of-state Certificate of Title in the applicant's name, or a properly assigned title, and then the sentence that matters: if the vehicle is less than 7 years old, a notarized bill of sale signed by all buyers and sellers should accompany the title. |
| Used Vehicles from a Non-Title State or Foreign Country | The registration from the non-title state, or a verification of it where the owner shown is the seller or applicant, and a bill of sale which again should be notarised on anything under seven years old. |
| Business Entity Proof of Legal Existence | What a company has to produce: articles of incorporation, a partnership agreement, a business licence for a sole proprietorship, articles of organization for an LLC, or the part of a trust agreement naming the trust and identifying the trustees. |
| Joint Tenants / Tenants by Entirety | Both are shared ownership with survivorship rights. Joint tenancy can be used by any two or more people, and tenancy by entirety can only be used by married couples. A certified death certificate transfers to the survivor, and where spouses held it jointly the survivor pays no title fee. |
| Odometer Mileage Statement | One paragraph repeating the federal requirement and the penalty for a false statement, with no age threshold given. |
| Insurance Requirements | Insurance by a company licensed in Maryland, with personal injury and property damage liability at least in the minimum amount required by Maryland law, and five times that for van pool vehicles. |
| Motor Vehicle Safety Inspection Requirements | Which classes need inspecting before titling and registration - A passenger, B for hire, D motorcycle, E truck, M multi-purpose and the rest - with the certificate to accompany the application unless a Temporary Inspection Plate is requested. |
| Maryland Excise Tax | The whole calculation. From a dealer: 6.5% of the full purchase price less a trade-in allowance. From anyone else, split at the model year - 6 model years or newer, the greater of the price on the notarized bill of sale or $640, or where none is provided the greater of the price or the NADA clean retail value; 7 model years or older, 6.5% of the price where the price is more than $640, and $41.60 where it is not. |
| New Residents | Three cases turning on how long ago you moved and how old the vehicle is, with the 60-day line and the $100 floor spelled out. |
| Registration Plates and Fees | Security Interest Filing Fee $40.00 for each lien recorded. Title Fee $200. Transfer of Registration Plates $15, with the rule about a plate carrying less than twelve months. The EMS surcharge at $40 a year, $100 for plug-in electric and $125 for zero-emission. |
Every line here was read off VR-005A (05-26) itself — the PDF is here — and off the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration 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 Maryland seller paperwork, or what selling a car in Maryland involves.