State of Alaska

Department of Administration

Division Of Motor Vehicles

Alaska Department of Administration, Divison of Motor Vehicles
Administration >  Motor Vehicles >  Alaska Vehicle Seller Information                                             
 

     

Sale of Vehicle in Alaska - Seller Information

sale pending

The seller is required to give the title to the buyer when the vehicle is delivered to the buyer.  Federal law requires the seller and buyer to certify the odometer reading of a vehicle that is less than ten years old.

To properly transfer a title, the seller(s) must sign the release on the title and complete the assignment to the new owner or buyer. If there is an "AND" conjunction on the face of the title, ALL owners must release the title.  With an "OR" conjunction, only one of the owners is required to release the title.  

To protect yourself from further liability for the vehicle after you have sold it, take the following precautions:

  • Complete the Notice of Vehicle Sale for Transfer attached to the bottom of the original title or a Notice of Transfer Pending.  Send or deliver this to DMV as soon as possible.  The mailing address is shown at the bottom of this page. You are also welcome to send an email message to DMV or to record the sale or use the online button below.
    • sale pending
  • Complete the Assignment of Vehicle Title by Owner on the back of the title, in full.  Give the original title to the buyer.
  • Bills of Sale are not valid for ownership transfer, however, it is a good idea to have the buyer sign a bill of sale stating that they purchased the vehicle from you on a specific date.  Be sure it includes the serial number and description of the vehicle, the buyer and seller's printed names, the date of the sale, and signatures of both the buyer and seller.  This could be invaluable if the buyer receives parking tickets, etc. on the vehicle after the vehicle is no longer in your possession.
  • If your vehicle has personalized/specialty plates, remove the plates upon sale.   The buyer will be issued a new set of plates at no additional charge, and can pick up the vehicle after transferring it to their name.

Federal law prohibits the State from transferring the title if the assignment, including the odometer statement has not been completed. For a person's protection, it is important that they do not leave any blank spaces on the assignment. A seller who is delivering the title to the buyer must sign it, releasing interest in the vehicle, in the reassignment portion on the title. If the title transfer is not taking place in a DMV Office, an individual should complete the notice of transfer, (located at the very bottom of the title) and mail the transfer to the address at the bottom of this page. This portion by itself does not transfer the title, however it notifies DMV of a transfer pending and the DMV will not renew the registration in the current owner's name until the transfer has taken place.  If the bottom portion of the title is missing or you have already given the title to the purchaser, you can complete a Notice of Transfer Pending and submit the completed form to DMV.

If the title to the vehicle has been lost, regardless of whether the buyer or the seller lost it, the owner shown on the DMV records must apply for a duplicate title before ownership can be transferred. If the title was issued by a state other than Alaska, the owner must apply to that state to obtain a duplicate title.

State of Alaska
Division of Motor Vehicles
ATTN: MAILOUTS
1300 W Benson Boulevard STE 200
Anchorage AK 99503-3600

REV. 06/29/2011