Forms
California DMV · REG 135

Fill out California’s REG 135 on the DMV’s own form.

Type each answer where it prints on the bill of sale, with a plain-English note beside every box. Then print it — both copies on one page — for the sellers to sign in ink.

  • Both copies from one set of answers
  • A note beside every box
  • Printed ready for the sellers’ ink signatures
Start filling out

Built on the DMV’s own PDF · REG 135 (Rev. 2/2007)Not affiliated with the California DMV

Sale or gift?

Pick one — its boxes light up on the form.

Your line on the form

$
The selling price — the amount paid
Gift
Leave the gift line empty
Gift
The relationship — the form’s examples are “parents, spouse, friend” — and the gift value if you know it
$
Leave the selling price empty — the title gets the word “Gift” in its place

REG 135; DMV title checklist, p. 1

REG 135; VIRPM §11.015; VIRPM §4.035

Start filling out

Also on the DMV checklist

  • The original title, signed by both the seller and the buyer — lost title: a REG 227
  • A smog certificate for most vehicles over four years old
  • An odometer disclosure for vehicles under 10 years old
  • The transfer fee and use tax
  • The seller’s Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability (NRL) within 5 days

DMV title checklist, p. 1

The DMV’s title transfer checklists

Also on the DMV checklist

  • “GIFT” written in the title’s purchase price field; the giver and the recipient both sign the title
  • A Statement of Facts (REG 256) from the recipient — it waives the use tax
  • An odometer disclosure for vehicles under 10 years old
  • A smog certificate only if the gift is not between immediate family members, or a smog check is due
  • The giver’s NRL within 5 days; the recipient submits within 10 days

DMV gift checklist, p. 1

The DMV’s title transfer checklists

Selling to family? It is still a sale — write the price. A sale between family members, e.g. spouses, domestic partners, a parent and child, can be exempt from use tax: the buyer’s application includes a REG 256 showing the relationship.VIRPM §4.035

What it records

The vehicle, who sold or gave it to whom, the date, and the price.REG 135; DMV title checklist, p. 1

  • The title is a separate step: “Both the seller and buyer must sign the original title.”

Who signs

The sellers, in ink. This form has no buyer signature line, and it is not required to be notarized or witnessed.DMV VIN 2024-⁠13, p. 1; REG 135; VIRPM §1.020

Deadlines

The seller tells DMV within 5 calendar days. The buyer starts the title transfer within 10 days.Vehicle Code, §5900(a); DMV title checklist, p. 1

The two copies

The page prints the bill of sale twice. Between them: “CUT ON LINE AND SAVE FOR YOUR RECORDS”.REG 135

Box by box

What goes in each box of the REG 135

The upper copy, box by box; the lower copy prints the same answers. Notes like these sit beside each box while you fill.

VehicleVEHICLE/VESSEL DESCRIPTION

  1. VIN

    Identification numberRequired

    The DMV accepts “any bill of sale that identifies the vehicle/vessel” — the identification number does that. A standard VIN has 17 characters and never uses I, O or Q.VIRPM §1.020; 49 CFR 565.13, (b), (g)

  2. YR · MAKE

    Year model and makeRecommended

    The model year and the make, e.g. 2016 and Toyota. The form has no box for the model name.REG 135

  3. PLATE

    License plate and motorcycle engine numberOptional

    The plate number, if there is one — the form prints “LICENSE PLATE/CF #”. The engine number box is for a motorcycle.REG 135

Price or giftI/We … to … on … for the amount of

  1. I/We

    Names on the transfer lineRequired

    Printed from the names you give the seller and buyer blocks, so the line and the blocks never disagree. A bill of sale “must accurately establish the chain of ownership”.REG 135; VIRPM §1.020

  2. MO DAY YR

    Date of saleRequired

    The day of the sale or gift. The seller’s 5 days and the buyer’s 10 days both count from it.Vehicle Code, §5900(a); DMV title checklist, p. 1

  3. $

    Selling priceSale or gift

    The amount paid. A gift leaves it empty: the title gets the word “Gift” instead of a price.DMV title checklist, p. 1; VIRPM §4.035

  4. Gift

    If this was a giftSale or giftRelationship — required with a gift value

    The form’s only printed instruction: “If this was a gift, indicate relationship”. The gift value is optional here — for a gift, the new owner states the vehicle’s estimated value on a Statement of Facts (REG 256).REG 135; VIRPM §11.015

SellersSELLER

  1. SELLER

    Seller blockSeller 1 requiredAddress recommendedThe rest optional

    Each seller’s printed name. If the title joins two owners with “and” or “/”, each one signs. There is no signature box: the sellers sign the printed copies in ink. The seller’s notice to DMV gives “the name and address of the owner and of the transferee”, so add both addresses.VIRPM §11.015; DMV VIN 2024-⁠13, p. 1; Vehicle Code, §5900(a)

BuyersBUYER

  1. BUYER

    Buyer blockBuyer 1 requiredAddress recommended

    The buyers print their names and mailing address only — this form has no buyer signature line. The buyer signs the title instead.REG 135; DMV title checklist, p. 1

Every one of these notes waits beside its box.Fill the official REG 135 in your browser, then print both copies.

Start filling out
Questions

REG 135 questions, answered

Short answers, based on the DMV’s own pages and the Vehicle Code.

Can the sellers sign it on screen?

No — they sign the printed copies in ink. The DMV does not take an electronic signature on “any original printed form that releases or transfers interest in a vehicle or vessel”.DMV VIN 2024-⁠13, p. 1

Does it need a notary or a witness?

No. A bill of sale is “not required to be notarized or witnessed”.VIRPM §1.020

Does the buyer sign it?

Not this form — it has no buyer signature line. The buyer signs the title: “Both the seller and buyer must sign the original title.”REG 135; DMV title checklist, p. 1

Is the bill of sale all the DMV needs?

No. The buyer submits the signed title and forms to the DMV and pays the fees. The DMV checklist also lists a smog certificate for most vehicles over four years old, an odometer disclosure for vehicles under 10 years old, the transfer fee and use tax — and the seller’s Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability (NRL) within 5 days.DMV title checklist, p. 1

It’s a gift to family. What changes?

Write the relationship on the gift line. On the title, “GIFT” goes where the price would, and the recipient completes a REG 256, which waives the use tax. Between qualified family members — a parent, child, grandparent, grandchild, spouse or domestic partner — the smog check may also not be needed while the registration is current.REG 135; DMV gift checklist, p. 1

Will you submit the form for me?

No. You print it, the sellers sign it, and nothing is sent on your behalf.

What happens to my draft?

Your answers save to your own draft on our servers as you type, over an encrypted connection. A guest draft is deleted 24 hours after it’s created; with an account, 30 days after you last use it. Delete your draft whenever you like.

Before you start

Five things to have at hand

  • The vehicle’s identification number, year model and make
  • Every seller’s and buyer’s nameTwo owners joined by “and” or “/” on the title both sign
  • Both sides’ mailing addresses
  • The date and the priceOr, for a gift, the relationship
  • A pen for the sellersThey sign the printed copies in ink

Upload your own PDF
For any other PDF: fill it in and sign it in the PDF editor.

Why rely on this page

The DMV’s own form, with notes you can check

The DMV’s own form

Built from the DMV’s own file (REG 135, Rev. 2/2007). Your answers go into its own boxes.

Protected as you type

Your answers travel over an encrypted connection to your own draft.

Notes you can check

Each note on this page names the DMV page, manual section or code section it is based on.

You keep it

We don’t send the form to anyone. You print it and the sellers sign it in ink.

Official sources

The DMV pages and the law this page quotes.

From blank form to your next step

  1. STEP 1

    Fill in directly on the form

    Type your answers where they print, with a short note beside every field.

  2. STEP 2

    Leave the lines for ink

    Both copies come out with the sellers’ signature lines blank, ready for ink the way the DMV asks.

  3. STEP 3

    Download, print and sign

    Get your PDF, print both copies, and the sellers sign them in ink.

Official, protected, in your hands

  • The official form

    Built from the REG 135 bill of sale published on dmv.ca.gov.

  • Protected, then deleted

    Your answers go to your own draft over an encrypted connection. A guest draft is deleted 24 hours after it’s created; with an account, 30 days after you last use it.

  • You stay in control

    We help you fill it in. You choose where it goes and hand it in yourself — nothing is sent on your behalf. Delete your draft whenever you like.

Who is behind Eliten Forms

A private company, not a government site.

  • Applabel LTD, Cyprus (EU)

    The company that runs eliten.ai, registered in Cyprus. The EU’s data protection rules (GDPR) apply.

  • Not affiliated with any agency

    We are not the IRS or the California DMV. The forms are built from the files they publish.

  • Questions? Write to us

    About a form or your draft: eliten@support-team.app

  • Privacy and Terms

    How we handle your data, in full: Privacy Policy · Terms of Use

Fill out your REG 135 on the DMV’s own form.

Every box has its note beside it. Print both copies when you’re done, and the sellers sign them in ink.

Start filling out
REG 135 Bill of SaleCalifornia DMV · Rev. 2/2007Start filling out