Sell your car in Maine with the lightest paperwork in New England
Maine runs on cars that work for a living: long commutes, longer winters, and road salt from November through April. None of that scares off a serious buyer. Better still, the paperwork here is refreshingly thin — no notary, no notice-of-sale filing, and your plates come home with you.
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Pick your metro
We buy across the whole state, and we've written up the four markets we know best — Portland, Bangor, Lewiston-Auburn, and Brunswick — because selling a car in Cumberland County isn't quite the same job as selling one in Penobscot.
What Maine requires when you sell
| Notary | Not required. Maine's transfer statute (29-A M.R.S. §662) asks only that you sign the assignment in the space provided on the certificate at the time you hand over the vehicle. No notary, no witness. |
|---|---|
| The title form | There isn't a separate one — the sale happens on the back of the certificate itself. Your buyer takes the signed title plus a bill of sale to the BMV and pays a $33 title application fee. Only vehicles 25 model years old and newer need a title at all; under the rolling rule, as of January 1, 2026 that means model year 2001 and newer. |
| Lost your title? | File form MVT-8 (Request to Re-issue a Certificate of Title) with a $33 fee — by mail to the Division of Title Services in Augusta, or entirely online through the BMV's duplicate-title service. |
| Protect yourself after the sale | Maine has no release-of-liability filing — the title chapter simply doesn't contain one. Your protection happens at the moment of delivery: sign the title assignment right then, pull your plates off the car, and keep a copy of the signed bill of sale. |
| License plates | They belong to you, not the car. Under 29-A M.R.S. §502 you can move them to a replacement vehicle registered in the same year for an $8 transfer fee, plus any difference in registration cost. |
| Sales tax | The buyer's bill, not yours. Maine collects 5.5% sales/use tax on the purchase price when the buyer registers, and the buyer also pays annual municipal excise tax at their town office first. A private seller collects nothing. |
| Inspections | Every Maine vehicle needs a State Police–administered safety inspection once a year. Vehicles registered in Cumberland County — and only Cumberland County — must also pass an emissions test. |
Fees and rules above were verified against Maine statute and the Maine BMV's title pages as of August 2026 — confirm current figures with the BMV before you file anything.
Asked by Maine sellers
Do I need a notary to sell a car in Maine?
No. Maine law (29-A M.R.S. §662) only requires you to sign the assignment on the title certificate itself when you deliver the vehicle to the buyer. There is no notarization step anywhere in the process.
Does my old car need a title to sell in Maine?
Only if it's 25 model years old or newer. As of January 1, 2026 the cutoff is model year 2001 — anything older transfers on a signed bill of sale, and the buyer registers it without a title.
What happens to my license plates when I sell?
You keep them — plates stay with the seller in Maine. If you're registering a replacement vehicle in the same registration year, you can move the plates to it for an $8 transfer fee.
Do I have to notify the BMV after I sell my car?
No — Maine has no notice-of-sale or release-of-liability filing. Protect yourself the way the statute assumes you will: sign the title at the moment of delivery, take your plates, and keep a copy of the signed bill of sale.