Sell your car in Delaware — no sales tax, no notary, no nonsense
Delaware keeps a car sale refreshingly small-state: no notary, no sales tax, and an inspection lane the DMV runs itself for free. The whole transaction fits on the back of the title. The one habit worth keeping is mailing the Seller's Report of Sale the day the car rolls away — it's Delaware's release of liability, and it's literally a tear-off stub. Here's the full picture, checked against the DMV's own paperwork.
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What Delaware requires when you sell
| Notary | Not needed. The DMV's titling page says it plainly: Delaware titles do not require notarization. The only document that ever sees a notary in a typical sale is a power of attorney, when someone signs on an owner's behalf. |
|---|---|
| The title form | There isn't a separate one. You complete the Assignment of Certificate of Title (Section 1) on the back of the Delaware title — buyer's name and address, date of sale, purchase price, and the odometer disclosure. If the front reads AND, every listed owner signs and prints; & OR needs only one. The DMV recommends both parties finish the transfer together at a DMV facility, where a title associate can catch paperwork errors on the spot. |
| Lost your title? | Form MV213 plus a $50.00 fee gets a duplicate. All owners sign with their driver license numbers; a mailed application needs a copy of the owner's license showing the signature, and any lienholder has to sign off or provide a release. A notary enters only if a power of attorney signs for you. |
| Protect yourself after the sale | Delaware's release of liability is the Seller's Report of Sale — a detachable stub printed at the bottom of newer Delaware titles (or on the back of the registration card). Fill in the buyer's name and address, the date and even the hour of the sale, sign it, and mail it to the DMV's Vehicle Services Help Desk, P.O. Box 698, Dover, DE 19903. Separately, a buyer who sits on the transfer past 30 days owes the DMV a $35.00 late title fee — their bill, not yours. |
| License plates | Yours, not the car's. Take the tag off and return it to any DMV office — or keep it, because in the state that treats low-digit plates like heirlooms, nobody will blink. Leave it on the car and the DMV warns the buyer's red-light, toll, and parking violations can land on you. An out-of-state buyer can pick up a $20.00 temporary tag at any DMV office for the drive home. |
| Sales tax | There isn't one — this is Delaware. What the buyer pays instead, at titling, is the DMV document fee: 5.25% of the purchase price or NADA value, whichever is greater (minimum $8), raised from 4.25% effective October 1, 2025 under House Bill 164. It's collected from the person titling the vehicle, so a private seller owes nothing. |
| Inspections | Run by the DMV itself, in its own lanes, for no fee — and it's the buyer's step, handled when they title and register. Vehicles in their newest seven model years, under 10,000 lbs and being titled in Delaware for the first time, may only need a VIN verification instead of the full lane. |
Checked against the Delaware DMV's title transfer pages as of August 2026. Fees and forms change — confirm there before you file anything.
Asked by Delaware sellers
Do I need a notary to sell my car in Delaware?
No. The DMV's own titling page states that Delaware titles do not require notarization. The single exception in a normal sale is a power of attorney — if someone signs the title on an owner's behalf, that POA needs a notary. Two people and a pen handle everything else.
Is there sales tax when I sell a car in Delaware?
No — Delaware has no sales tax. What exists instead is the DMV document fee, paid by whoever titles the vehicle: 5.25% of the purchase price or NADA value, whichever is greater, with an $8 minimum (the rate rose from 4.25% on October 1, 2025). As the seller, you collect nothing and owe nothing.
What is the Seller's Report of Sale, and do I really have to mail it?
It's the tear-off stub at the bottom of newer Delaware titles (or the back of your registration card) — Delaware's version of a release of liability. You record the buyer's name and address, the date and hour of sale, sign, and mail it to the DMV in Dover. Do it the day of the sale: until the state knows the car changed hands, the buyer's tolls and tickets have your name on them.
What happens to my license plates after I sell?
They stay with you — Delaware plates belong to the seller, not the vehicle. Remove the tag and return it to any DMV office, or hang onto it (plenty of Delawareans do; the low-digit tag market is a genuine state pastime). Whatever you choose, never leave it on the car — the DMV warns that's how someone else's violations become yours. An out-of-state buyer can get a $20 temporary tag at any DMV office to drive home legally.