Sell your car in Georgia — sign the title, keep the plate, walk away clean
Georgia keeps car selling refreshingly simple: no notary, no tax out of the seller's pocket, and a transfer that lives on the back of the title you already own. The one trap is what happens after the handshake — cancel your registration before your insurance, or the state's lapse system will come looking for you. Here's the whole playbook, verified against the Department of Revenue.
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What Georgia requires when you sell
| Notary | None required. Georgia's assignment just needs the seller and buyer to print and sign on the back of the title in blue or black ink, with the buyer's full legal name exactly as it appears on their license. A notary shows up nowhere in the DOR's instructions. |
|---|---|
| The title form | The transfer happens on the back of the title itself; the buyer then files Form MV-1 (Title/Tag Application) and must title and register within 7 days of purchase. Never hand over a title with the buyer line empty — delivering or accepting a title assigned in blank is a misdemeanor in Georgia. The DOR's optional bill of sale is Form T-7. |
| Lost your title? | File Form MV-1 at your County Tag Office and pay the $8.00 replacement fee — that's the whole procedure. |
| Protect yourself after the sale | Georgia has no notice-of-transfer mailer. Your shield is cancelling the registration — online through DRIVES e-Services or with Form MV-18J at the County Tag Office. Our advice: do that before you drop the insurance, so a coverage gap never shows up on a car still registered in your name. |
| License plates | The plate is yours, not the car's. After the sale, keep it, transfer it to your next vehicle, or surrender it to the Department of Revenue for cancellation. |
| Sales tax | Georgia replaced sales tax on vehicles with the one-time Title Ad Valorem Tax (TAVT) — currently 7.0% of fair market value, paid by the buyer at titling, private-party sales included. The seller owes nothing at transfer. |
| Inspections | No periodic safety inspection, period. The only required test is an annual emissions check for gasoline cars and light trucks (8,500 lbs GVWR or less) registered in 13 metro Atlanta counties. The three most recent model years and vehicles 25 model years or older are exempt. |
Georgia's rules and fees are current as of August 2026 and verified against the Georgia Department of Revenue's buying-or-selling guidance — forms and fees do change, so check there before you sign anything.
Asked by Georgia sellers
Do I need a notary to sell my car in Georgia?
No. Print and sign your name on the back of the title in blue or black ink, have the buyer do the same with their name exactly as their license shows it, and the assignment is done. The DOR's official instructions never mention a notary.
Do I pay any tax when I sell my car in Georgia?
No. Georgia's Title Ad Valorem Tax — 7.0% of fair market value — is the buyer's bill, collected when they title the vehicle. Private-party sales are included, and the seller owes nothing at transfer.
The buyer wants me to sign the title and leave their name blank. Should I?
Absolutely not. Delivering a title assigned in blank is a misdemeanor in Georgia, and until a real name goes on that line, the car's paper trail still points at you. Fill in the buyer before anything changes hands.
What happens to my license plate and registration after the sale?
The plate stays with you — keep it, move it to your next vehicle, or surrender it to the DOR. Then cancel the registration online through DRIVES e-Services or with Form MV-18J, and only after that cancel your insurance. Reverse the order and a car you no longer own can surface as an insurance lapse under your name.