The route for a vehicle you own but cannot prove you own - no title, and no way to get the last owner to sign. It is a two-part process, and the two parts go to two different places: the TxDMV first, your county second.
Written against VTR-130-SOF (Rev 11/24), issued under Texas Transportation Code 501.053. Two offices, two stages, and a year-long window on the notice in between. Start it well before you want to sell the car, and exhaust the certified copy of title first, which is a fraction of the cost and a fraction of the wait.
Two documents, and they are not the same thing. Take the blank VTR-130-SOF from the txdmv.gov copy so you get the revision that is current today.
| On the form | What to put in it |
|---|---|
| Vehicle information | VIN, year, make, body style, model - then who you bought or obtained it from, the odometer reading with no tenths, the purchase date and the purchase price. |
| Applicant information | Names printed as they appear on photo identification, address, and an email and phone number - both of which the form marks as required if you are submitting by post. |
| Application explanation | A free-text box asking for your explanation for requesting a bonded title or tax assessor-collector hearing. This is the part a clerk actually reads. |
| The application questions | Nine numbered yes/no questions, and the form says an answer must be provided to all of them. Do you live in Texas. Is this military personnel stationed in Texas. Has the vehicle been titled in Texas. Is it nonrepairable. Is it salvage - and if yes, a Rebuilt Vehicle Statement (VTR-61) is required. Are you in legal possession. Are you in legal control. Was it manufactured for sale in the United States. |
| Part 1, what goes to the TxDMV | Both pages of this form, a $15.00 processing fee, any evidence of ownership you have, an original release of lien if the vehicle carries one less than ten years old, and a VIN inspection on Form VTR-68-A if there is no Texas record. |
| Part 2, what goes to the county | After the TxDMV processes it you take a Form 130-U, both pages of this form again, the Notice of Determination (VTR-130-ND) with all its enclosures, the original bond, a release of lien, evidence of ownership, proof of insurance and photo ID to the county tax assessor-collector. |
Every line here was read off VTR-130-SOF (Rev 11/24) itself — the PDF is here — and off the Texas 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 Texas seller paperwork, or what selling a car in Texas involves.