How to fill out New York MV-51

For the cars New York never titled. The state issues no certificate for a motor vehicle of model year 1972 or older, and for those the ownership document is a transferable registration - or, where the current owner never registered it, this certification plus the bills of sale that show how it got to them.

Written against MV-51 (12/25), issued under New York Penal Law section 210.45, named on the form itself. The index still lists this form under its old name, which mentions 1972 or older vehicles. The form itself was retitled at revision 12/25 and now covers non-titled vehicles, boats, snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicles - so search by the number rather than by the description.

Two documents, and they are not the same thing. Take the blank MV-51 from the dmv.ny.gov copy so you get the revision that is current today, then print our MV-51 guide and keep it beside you while you fill theirs in.

Step 1 · the form itself Blank MV-51 — Certification of Sale or Transfer for Non-Titled Vehicles, Boats, Snowmobiles and All-Terrain Vehicles PDF at dmv.ny.gov · new tab Step 2 · how to fill it in Our filled-in MV-51 guide PDF · print and keep beside you

Filled in

What a completed one looks like

This is the actual MV-51, rendered from the PDF the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles publishes and completed end to end: letterhead, every field, and the blocks at the foot.

Amber — you write it
Grey — not yours to fill
Numbered — explained below

A New York MV-51 filled in for a 1969 Chevrolet pickup: seller Havemeyer Rosalind T. of Kingston in Ulster County, a last registration year of 1998 in New York under plate 8442-BG, the previous owner named, purchaser Baffa Teodoro of Rhinebeck in Dutchess County, a purchase date of 12 August 2026, the vehicle described as a green eight-cylinder pickup running on gas with the identification number CE149Z812744, and both certifications signed and dated. — The actual MV-51 at revision 12/25. Note the identification number: a 1969 vehicle carries nothing like the seventeen-character modern format, which is one reason these transfers are examined by hand in Albany rather than processed at a counter.

Field by field

Every line, in the order you meet it

1
You fill this in
Seller block
Your name, mailing address, city or post office, county, state and ZIP.
Watch out: County is asked for on both halves of this form. It is not a formality on a vehicle with no title record - it is part of how the DMV traces the registration history.
2
You fill this in
Last registration
The year and state of the last registration, and the plate number.
Watch out: Dig out the old registration document if you still have it. On a vehicle last plated decades ago this line is often the only thing that connects the car to any record at all.
3
You fill this in
Last registrant or previous owner
The name and address of whoever held it before you.
Watch out: This has to match the bills of sale you are attaching. The whole form is an assertion of continuity, and this is the link in the chain the DMV checks first.
4
The buyer fills this in
Purchaser block
The buyer's name, address, county and the date of purchase.
Watch out: The printed warning above this block is aimed at them, not you: before you purchase, find out whether there are any liens on it, and one way is to contact your county clerk's office.
5
You fill this in
Non-titled property description
Year, make, body type, colour, weight, cylinders, fuel and the identification number on the correct one of three labelled rules.
Watch out: Use the vehicle line for a car, the hull line for a boat and the snowmobile line for a snowmobile. Writing a car's number on the hull rule is a rejection rather than a typo.
6
You fill this in
Both certifications
You certify that you own it and have sold it; the purchaser certifies that they bought it. Both sign in full and date it.
Watch out: Sign in full - the form says so twice, once under each rule. False statements here are punishable under section 210.45 of the Penal Law.

At a glance

What goes where

On the form	What to put in it
The three instructions	Print in ink or type all entries; the certification is used when the vehicle is sold by somebody other than a dealer, and a dealer cannot use this form; and it must be accompanied by bills of sale showing continuity of ownership from all previous owners.
Seller	Name, mailing address, apartment number, city or post office, county, state and ZIP.
Last registration	Year of last registration, state of last registration and the plate number - the record that lets the DMV find the vehicle at all.
Last registrant or previous owner	Name and address of whoever the record shows before you. This is the join between your bills of sale and the department's file.
Purchaser	Name, mailing address, city, county, state, ZIP and the date of purchase - with a warning printed above it telling the purchaser to find out whether there are liens, and suggesting the county clerk's office.
Non-titled property description	Year, make, body type, colour, weight, cylinders, fuel, and the identification number - vehicle, hull or snowmobile, on three separate labelled rules.
Vehicle inspection	Date of last inspection, inspection sticker number and station number.
The two certifications	The seller certifies ownership and that the vehicle has been sold to the named purchaser; the purchaser certifies that they bought it. Both sign in full. False statements are punishable under section 210.45 of the Penal Law.

What gets this one rejected

•A dealer using it. The second instruction says a dealer cannot use this form to sell a vehicle.
•Sending it in alone. It must be accompanied by bills of sale showing continuity of ownership from all previous owners - one certification with a gap behind it proves nothing.
•Supporting documents with corrections on them. The form's note is that the documents accompanying it will not be accepted if there are any changes or alterations on them.
•Only one of the two parties signing. There are two certification blocks and the form expects both.

Rules that decide whether it is accepted

•Which vehicles this is for. New York does not issue a certificate for a motor vehicle of model year 1972 or older, a travel or utility trailer weighing less than 1,000 pounds, or a limited use motorcycle including a moped. For those the transferable registration is the ownership document.
•What to hand over as well. The DMV's guidance for a seller who never registered the vehicle is to give the buyer this certification, the original proof of ownership, and the bill of sale they themselves received from the previous owner - plus proofs of all previous transfers if there were more.

Every line here was read off MV-51 (12/25) itself — the PDF is here — and off the New York State 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 New York seller paperwork, or what selling a car in New York involves.

How to fill out New York MV-51

What a completed one looks like

Every line, in the order you meet it

Seller block

Last registration

Last registrant or previous owner

Purchaser block

Non-titled property description

Both certifications

What goes where

What gets this one rejected

Rules that decide whether it is accepted

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