A Washington bill of sale is a form that documents the sale or trade of an item from one person to another. Unlike a retail receipt, a bill of sale is commonly used between two people to prove a transfer of ownership of personal property has taken place.
To protect yourself, you should use a bill of sale in the state of Washington whenever selling or purchasing:
- a car, a boat, a motorcycle, or any other type of vehicle
- a gun/firearm
- or any livestock or animal such as a horse
On a bill of sale form, the person receiving the item is referred to as the buyer, and the person transferring ownership of the item is referred to as the seller.
Types of Bill of Sale
Washington Bill of Sale Requirements
In Washington, a bill of sale is required to sell, purchase, and register a vehicle or vessel. The Washington Department of Licensing (DOL) provides an official form, the Vehicle/Vessel Bill of Sale, or Form TD-420-065, which serves both purposes. This document acts as a record of the sales transaction and must be submitted to the DOL for both vehicle and vessel registration.
Language Requirements
The DOL homepage can be translated via Google into Spanish, Chinese, Russian, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese; however, all forms, including the bill of sale, come exclusively in English.
Number of Copies
The state requires a copy of the bill of sale whether you are registering a vehicle or a vessel In Washington. Therefore, you should make 3 copies, so the buyer and seller will also each have a copy.
Washington Vehicle Bill of Sale Requirements
As an alternative to the state-provided form, you may draft your own bill of sale, or use one of the many templates online. Notarization is not required, but the following must be included:
- The names, contact information, and signatures of both the buyer and seller
- The make, model, and year of the vehicle
- The license plate number
- The registration number
- The vehicle identification number (VIN)
- The sales date
- The purchase price
After Purchasing a Vehicle
Besides having a completed and signed bill of sale, there are many other steps that you must take to register and title a vehicle in Washington. Here is a rundown:
Dealership Sales
For buyers:
- The dealership will take care of all your registration and titling paperwork for you. Once the process is complete, you will receive all documents in the mail along with your plates.
Private Sales
For sellers:
- You must remove your plates from the vehicle and surrender them to the DOL.
- If you have the title, you will have to give it to the buyer after filling out the parts relevant to the sale of the vehicle. If you cannot locate the original title, you must fill out an Affidavit of Loss/Release of Interest, or Form TD-420-040, and sign it, along with the buyer, in front of a notary, licensing agent, or county auditor.
- Fill out a Vehicle/Vessel Bill of Sale, or Form TD-420-065, and give it to the buyer to complete.
- You must give the buyer an odometer disclosure statement, which is printed on special, tamperproof paper, so you must request one from the DOL. It is not available online.
- Report the sale of the vehicle to the DOL for personal liability purposes.
For buyers:
- Depending upon the county in which you live, you may have to undergo emissions testing prior to registering and titling your vehicle. Emissions testing is required in the counties of Clark, King, Pierce, Snohomish, and Spokane.
- You can title and register your vehicle simultaneously in Washington. To register your vehicle in Washington, you can visit a local licensing office or Quick Title office (for an additional $50 fee for immediate plates and paperwork) in person or you can mail your paperwork to P.O. Box 9043 Olympia, WA 98507. If you choose to complete registration and titling by mail, you must have all your documents notarized.
- To register and title your vehicle, you will need: Vehicle Certificate of Ownership (Title) Application, or Form TD-420-001, your bill of sale, emissions certificate (if applicable), odometer disclosure statement, and payment of the required registration fees. An insurance card is not required at registration.
- Your registration fees in Washington are calculated based on the weight of the vehicle, the vehicle type, license plates, and the location where the vehicle will be domiciled. Additional fees include the $12 service fee for the title, the $12 service fee for registration, the $5 local transportation benefit district fee, which varies by county, the regional transit authority excise tax, the $20 King County congestion reduction charge, the $20 license plate fee, and the $15 emissions test fee (if applicable).
- If your sales tax is not paid, you will be responsible for paying a use tax to the state upon registration at the same rate as the sales tax in your area plus an additional charge of 0.3%. If the vehicle is a gift, and you can prove that the previous owner had the vehicle for over 7 years, you will be exempt from paying sales tax in Washington. You are also exempt from sales tax if you buy a vehicle while on active military duty.
- There is a $50 penalty for waiting over 15 days to title and register your vehicle after purchase. Each additional day costs another $2, with the maximum penalty totaling $125. However, new residents have up to 30 days to register their vehicles in Washington, using their out-of-state titles and registrations.
- If you are active military, a Washington resident, and stationed out of state, you may register your vehicle by mail. Simply enclose a completed, signed, and notarized Vehicle Certificate of Ownership (Title) Application, or Form TD-420-001, along with the vehicle weight, for tax purposes, and copies of the documents indicated above for registration purposes, along with a copy of your military orders showing your station assignment outside of Washington and your Leave and Earnings Statement.
Washington Boat Bill of Sale Requirements
The same official form is used for vessel bills of sale in Washington, and as such, any of the hand-drafted or online boat bill of sale samples must contain the same criteria listed above. That includes:
- The names, contact information, and signatures of both the buyer and the seller
- The make, model, and year the vessel was built
- The decal numbers
- The registration number
- The hull identification number (HIN)
- The sales date
- The purchase price
The Vehicle/Vessel Bill of Sale, or Form TD-420-065, does not contain a penalty of perjury statement, though most other Washington DOL forms do. Washington takes the crime of perjury seriously, however, as is discussed in RCW 9A.76.175, when it states, “A person who knowingly makes a false or misleading material statement to a public servant is guilty of a gross misdemeanor. ‘Material statement’ means a written or oral statement reasonably likely to be relied upon by a public servant in the discharge of his or her official powers or duties.”
After Purchasing a Vessel:
Dealership sales:
For buyers:
- Your dealer should complete a Vessel Title Application for you, along with all the paperwork needed to register and title your vessel.
Private sales:
For sellers:
- You must fill out and submit a Vessel Report of Sale to inform the DOL within 5 days if you have sold, donated, disposed of, or gifted your vessel, or traded it to a dealership. There is no fee for filing the report, but it must include the date of transfer, the vessel registration number, the HIN, the make, model, year built, and the name and contact information of the transferee. This protects you from liability but does not transfer ownership of the vessel.
For buyers:
- In order to register and title your vessel in Washington, a bill of sale is required and must be brought to your local licensing office along with the original title, signed over by the owner, the original registration, proof of sales tax paid, and the completed Vessel Title Application. Everyone listed as an owner on the title must sign the application, and it must either be signed in the presence of a licensing agent or notarized. You must also pay the required taxes and fees. Once registered, you will get your new registration and state decals.
- Registration fees differ depending on where you live, and specifics regarding the vessel. You can find out the fee amounts by either visiting a licensing center or by using the calculator provided by the DOL.
- All vessels in Washington must be titled and registered unless the vessel is: a canoe, kayak, or any boat that is human-propelled, less than 16 feet in length with a motor of less than 10 horsepower, registered in another state or country, and uses state waters for 60 days or fewer, a military vessel, a government vessel, a charter vessel, or actively engaged in commerce.
- If you are new to Washington, you have 60 days in which to register your vessel. If you reside in Washington and bought your vessel in a different state, you will have 15 days in which to register it.
Washington Gun Bill of Sale Requirements
While firearms do not require registration or permits in Washington, dealers and retailers must report all handgun sales to the DOL and the local police or sheriff’s department. As such, there is no official bill of sale, but there is a similar Pistol Transfer Application (for dealer sales), and the many samples available online, which must contain the following:
- The buyers’ and sellers’ names, contact information, and signatures
- The make, model, caliber, and serial number
- The purchase price
- The sales date
Free Washington Bill of Sale Forms
