How long do I have to transfer a vehicle title in Georgia?

30 calendar days from the date the vehicle was purchased or transferred. A $10 title penalty is charged for failure to apply within 30 days. Separately, a 10 percent penalty is assessed on unpaid Title Ad Valorem Tax for an owner more than 30 days late in registering, and interest of 1 percent per month is added once the owner is more than 60 days late.

How much does a title transfer cost in Georgia?

The base title fee is $18. The title application fee, charged the same for an original title and for a change of ownership. It does not include the $20 license plate fee, the Title Ad Valorem Tax, an emissions inspection, or the $10 penalty for applying more than 30 days after the purchase or transfer date. Georgia charges a one-time Title Ad Valorem Tax (TAVT) of 7.0% of the vehicle's fair market value when the vehicle is titled or ownership transfers, instead of sales tax and instead of the annual "birthday tax".

Does a vehicle title transfer need to be notarized in Georgia?

Sometimes required. The Georgia title assignment itself is not notarised — the seller and the buyer simply print and sign — but several supporting affidavits are, and each one names a different signer.

Does the seller have to notify the title authority in Georgia?

Yes. Georgia Department of Revenue, Motor Vehicle Division. Cancel the registration on the vehicle you sold — Georgia publishes no day count, only the instruction to cancel the registration before you cancel the insurance from the date of sale. Until the registration is cancelled it stays active in the seller's name and must stay insured; the Department warns that cancelling insurance first leads to insurance fines and possible registration suspension. Its fee table lists an insurance lapse fine of $25 and reinstatement fees of $60, or $160 for more than two offences in five years.

Transferring a vehicle title in Georgia

Issued by Georgia Department of Revenue, Motor Vehicle Division — applications are filed at the county tag office of the county tax commissioner where you live. Choose your situation below — the buyer’s and seller’s obligations are listed separately, and every answer links to the official source.

Title fee: $18base title fee
Deadline: 7 daysfrom the purchase date
Documents: 4incl. MV-1
Where: Countytax office, in person

Georgia calls a private-party sale a casual sale. The seller fills in the assignment on the back of the Georgia title — purchaser's name, address, date of sale and odometer reading — then keeps the plate and cancels the registration. The buyer takes the assigned title, a signed Form MV-1 and proof of Georgia insurance to the county tag office where they live and pays $18 for the title, $20 for a plate and 7% Title Ad Valorem Tax on the vehicle's fair market value. The Department tells buyers to title and register within 7 days of the purchase date, and charges a $10 title penalty if the title application is not filed within 30 days.

9 things this answer does not settle

Georgia titles are issued by the Department of Revenue, but almost every counter transaction runs through one of 159 county tag offices operated by independent county tax commissioners. The Department tells you to contact your own county's office for accepted methods of payment, and this record does not enumerate county-level differences in hours, payment methods or local surcharges.
Title Ad Valorem Tax is charged on the fair market value in the Georgia Motor Vehicle Assessment Manual, not on the price you paid, so no fee table here can show the dollar amount you will owe. Use the Department's own TAVT estimator at https://eservices.drives.ga.gov/?Link=TAVTEst.
The emissions programme rules for the 13 metro Atlanta counties are published by Georgia's Clean Air Force, the state programme site that Georgia EPD links to rather than duplicating. Its model-year window is stated for the 2026 registration year and shifts by one year every year.
The Department's fee table describes several charges only as "Varies" — Title Ad Valorem Tax, emission inspections and specialty plate replacement — and publishes no consolidated schedule of county-level costs.
Two current Department of Revenue pages state the buyer's deadline differently. The casual-sale page says "Title and registration must be completed within 7 days of purchase date" and the buyer-responsibilities page says "within 7 days of the purchase date", while "When & Where to Register Your Vehicle" says "Register within 7 business days from the date of purchase". This record uses the shorter reading — 7 calendar days — so that acting on it cannot make you late.
The 7-day registration deadline and the 30-day title-application deadline are different clocks published on different pages, and the Department does not explain on any one page how they fit together.
Title Ad Valorem Tax is charged on the fair market value in the state's assessment manual rather than on what you paid, so the tax cannot be shown here as a dollar figure — use the Department's TAVT estimator.
Georgia publishes no price for an emissions inspection, only a $25 ceiling from Georgia's Clean Air Force and "Varies" in the Department's own fee table.
Payment methods and any local handling differences are set by each of the 159 county tag offices; the Department tells you to contact your own county's office rather than publishing them.

Do this first

Before you hand over money, read the face of the title: the seller's name must appear on it as owner, and every recorded lien or security interest against the previous owner must be released in the spaces provided on the title.
Never accept a title whose assignment has been signed with the purchaser's name left blank. Georgia Code 40-3-91(c) makes delivering or accepting a certificate of title assigned in blank a misdemeanour, punishable by a fine of up to $100 or up to 30 days' imprisonment for each title.

Your checklist

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The seller's checklist

Make sure the Georgia title is already in your own name before you sell — "Any Georgia vehicle owner, other than a licensed dealer, must obtain a title in their name for the vehicle before transferring ownership when the vehicle requires a Georgia title."Official page
Complete the assignment form on the back of the original title in blue or black ink: the purchaser's full legal name as it appears on their Georgia driver's license or ID card, their current address, the date of sale, and the odometer reading in complete miles. Print and sign under "Seller"; if the vehicle is jointly owned, each seller must print and sign.Official page
If the seller is a company, print the company's name as well as the printed name and signature of its authorised agent, and have the agent write their position with the company after the signature.Applies when: The registered owner is a company rather than an individual.Official page
Do not erase or alter anything on the title — any alteration or erasure may void it, and an altered purchase or transfer date carries a $10 title penalty.Official page
Complete a Form T-7 Bill of Sale and keep a copy of it and of the transfer of ownership for your own records.T-7Official page
Take the license plate off the vehicle and keep it — Georgia plates do not transfer with the vehicle to the new owner. You may later move it to another vehicle of the same category type at your county tag office.Official page
Cancel the registration — online through DRIVES e-Services, or in person by filing Form MV-18J Application of Voluntary Registration Cancellation at the county tag office where you live, ticking "Vehicle was sold" and entering the date. Cancel the registration before you cancel the insurance, or you face insurance fines.MV-18JOfficial page
If a registration suspension notice arrives after the sale, the Department says you may disregard it once the vehicle has been sold and the registration cancelled.Official page

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Both of you, together

Complete the odometer disclosure on the title together: the seller enters the reading at the time of sale in complete miles (no tenths), ticks the "exceeds mechanical limits" or "not the actual mileage" box if either applies, and the buyer acknowledges the declaration by printing and signing their name. On a vehicle 20 model years old or older the seller may write "exempt" — and in that case the buyer should not print and sign the odometer declaration.Official page

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Documents and official forms

The original Georgia certificate of title, with the assignment on the back completed and signed by both the buyer and the seller and every recorded lien released in the spaces providedAlteration or erasure may void the title. A title assigned in blank must not be delivered or accepted.
MV-1Form MV-1 Motor Vehicle Title Application, completed and signed by every ownerCan be printed at home, started online through DRIVES e-Services, or printed by the county tag office; it always requires a wet signature.
Valid Georgia driver's license or Georgia identification cardNames and spellings must match across every document you submit.
Proof of Georgia liability insurance — either filed by your insurance company directly into the Department's database, or an insurance binder showing liability coverage

Also required in some cases

The vehicle will be registered in Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry, Paulding or Rockdale County and falls inside the tested model-year window.

Emission inspection certificate

The vehicle is 1985 or older and does not require a Georgia title; also recommended by the Department to every private seller as their own record of the sale.

T-7Form T-7 Bill of Sale

An untitled 1985-or-older vehicle that has not previously been registered in Georgia, or a vehicle transferred on a registration document from a state or country that does not issue titles.

T-22BForm T-22B Certification of Inspection, completed by a Georgia law enforcement officer

A lien or security interest is still recorded against the previous owner and has not been released on the paper title.

T-4Original Form T-4 Notice of Satisfaction of Security Interest, one for each satisfied lienholder still recorded

The seller cancels the registration in person at the county tag office rather than online through DRIVES e-Services.

MV-18JForm MV-18J Application for Voluntary Registration Cancellation

Someone other than the owner will sign the title assignment or the title application on their behalf.

T-8Form T-8 Limited Power of Attorney

Deadlines

Deadline7 calendar days from the purchase date — Buyer: Title and register the vehicle at your county tag office within 7 days of the purchase dateResidents who fail to register by the deadline may incur fines of up to $100.
Deadline30 calendar days from the date the vehicle was purchased or transferred — Buyer: Apply for the Georgia title within 30 days of the purchase or transfer dateA $10 title penalty is charged, and a 10 percent penalty is assessed on the unpaid Title Ad Valorem Tax once you are more than 30 days late in registering.
DeadlineCancel the registration on the vehicle you sold — no day count is published, but do it before you cancel the insurance from the date of sale — SellerThe registration stays active in the seller's name and must stay insured; cancelling insurance first exposes the seller to a $25 insurance lapse fine, reinstatement fees and possible registration suspension.

Fees and taxes

Charge	Amount	Paid by
Base title fee	$18The title application fee, charged the same for an original title and for a change of ownership. It does not include the $20 license plate fee, the Title Ad Valorem Tax, an emissions inspection, or the $10 penalty for applying more than 30 days after the purchase or transfer date.	Buyer
Title fee	$18The title application fee alone. It excludes the plate fee, Title Ad Valorem Tax, the emissions inspection and any penalty.	Buyer
License plate fee	$20Regular passenger car or lightweight pick-up truck; other vehicle classes vary according to the Motor Vehicle schedule.	Buyer
Title Ad Valorem Tax (TAVT)	7%Varies by the vehicle's fair market value in the Georgia Motor Vehicle Assessment Manual — not the price you paid.The one-time 7.0% rate has applied to vehicles purchased on or after 1 July 2023. A vehicle bought before 1 March 2013, or one that is not titled, stays under annual ad valorem tax instead.Official calculator	Buyer
Emissions inspection	$0–$25Georgia's Clean Air Force publishes only a ceiling — "An emissions inspection costs up to $25" — and stations set their own price below it. The Department of Revenue's own fee table lists emission inspections as "Varies".Only in the 13 metro Atlanta emissions counties.	Buyer
Title penalty for applying more than 30 days after the purchase or transfer date	$10Charged in addition to the $18 title fee, not instead of it.The same $10 penalty applies where the purchase or transfer date on the back of the title has been changed or altered.	Buyer
Title Ad Valorem Tax late penalty	10%Varies by the amount of unpaid TAVT and how late the registration is.10 percent of the unpaid TAVT once the owner is more than 30 days late in registering, plus interest of 1 percent per month once more than 60 days late.Official calculator	Buyer
Fine for failing to register by the deadline	$0–$100The Department publishes only a ceiling: "Residents who fail to register by the deadlines may incur fines up to $100." No minimum or schedule is published.	Buyer
Insurance lapse fine	$25The lapse fine itself. Reinstatement costs a further $60 for a first or second offence, or $160 for more than two offences in five years.Relevant to a seller who cancels the insurance before cancelling the registration.	Seller

Georgia charges a one-time Title Ad Valorem Tax (TAVT) of 7.0% of the vehicle's fair market value when the vehicle is titled or ownership transfers, instead of sales tax and instead of the annual "birthday tax".

Inspection, emissions, notary and odometer

Inspection: Sometimes required
Form T-22B Certification of Inspection by a Georgia law enforcement officer is required for an untitled 1985-or-older vehicle that has not previously been registered in Georgia.
It is also required where ownership passes on a registration document from a state or country that does not issue titles.
Georgia has no periodic safety inspection for an ordinary Georgia-titled passenger car changing hands inside the state.
Georgia has no periodic safety inspection for ordinary passenger cars, but a vehicle coming in from outside Georgia needs Form T-22B — a physical VIN inspection certified by a Georgia law enforcement officer, who also runs the VIN against GCIC/NCIC stolen vehicle files.
Emissions: Sometimes required
The vehicle will be registered in Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry, Paulding or Rockdale County.
It is a gasoline-powered car or light-duty truck of 8,500 lb GVWR or less within the tested model-year window — 2002 to 2023 model years for 2026 registration.
The three newest model years and vehicles 25 model years or older are exempt.
A seller located inside the testing area is told to make sure the vehicle has a passing inspection at the time of sale.
Only the 13 metro Atlanta counties require an emissions inspection before a vehicle can be registered: Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry, Paulding and Rockdale.
Notarization: Sometimes required
Nothing in an ordinary private sale is notarised: the title assignment, Form MV-1 and Form T-7 all carry no notary block.
A notary is needed only if a satisfied lien must be released on Form T-4, which the lienholder's officer swears before a notary.
A notary is also needed if someone signs for you on Form T-8 Limited Power of Attorney, which the vehicle owner must sign before a notary.
The Georgia title assignment itself is not notarised — the seller and the buyer simply print and sign — but several supporting affidavits are, and each one names a different signer.
Odometer disclosure: Required, unless you are exempt
Vehicles 20 model years old and older are exempt under the federal Truth in Mileage Act; the seller may write "exempt" in the odometer space.
Where the vehicle is exempt, the buyer should not print and sign the odometer declaration.
The reading is entered in complete miles with no tenths, and must increase throughout the chain of ownership.
The seller must record the odometer reading in complete miles on the title at the time of sale and the buyer must acknowledge it by printing and signing their name — unless the vehicle is 20 model years old or older, which is exempt under federal law.

What happens to the plates

License plates stay with the seller, never with the car: "The vehicles license plates/tags. These do not transfer with the vehicle to the new owner." The buyer either buys a new plate for $20 or moves a plate they already hold onto the vehicle they have just bought.

The seller keeps the plates
The buyer gets new plates
The seller may move the plates to a replacement vehicle

A buyer has the choice of applying for a new license plate or transferring a valid Georgia plate of the same category type from a vehicle they no longer own, at the county tag office in the county where they live; the title must be issued in the buyer's name before the plate application. The seller's own registration does not lapse automatically — the seller must cancel it online through DRIVES e-Services or with Form MV-18J.

How to submit

In person at a county office
Online

Georgia treats titling and registering as one errand: the MV-1 is a combined title and tag application filed at your county tag office, and the casual-sale page tells you to pay the $18 title fee and the $20 license plate fee at the same visit.

Official state links

Source: Georgia Department of Revenue, Motor Vehicle Division — applications are filed at the county tag office of the county tax commissioner where you live. Checked July 30, 2026. Report a correction

Common questions about Georgia

How long do I have to transfer a vehicle title in Georgia?: 30 calendar days from the date the vehicle was purchased or transferred. A $10 title penalty is charged for failure to apply within 30 days. Separately, a 10 percent penalty is assessed on unpaid Title Ad Valorem Tax for an owner more than 30 days late in registering, and interest of 1 percent per month is added once the owner is more than 60 days late.
How much does a title transfer cost in Georgia?: The base title fee is $18. The title application fee, charged the same for an original title and for a change of ownership. It does not include the $20 license plate fee, the Title Ad Valorem Tax, an emissions inspection, or the $10 penalty for applying more than 30 days after the purchase or transfer date. Georgia charges a one-time Title Ad Valorem Tax (TAVT) of 7.0% of the vehicle's fair market value when the vehicle is titled or ownership transfers, instead of sales tax and instead of the annual "birthday tax".
Does a vehicle title transfer need to be notarized in Georgia?: Sometimes required. The Georgia title assignment itself is not notarised — the seller and the buyer simply print and sign — but several supporting affidavits are, and each one names a different signer.
Does the seller have to notify the title authority in Georgia?: Yes. Georgia Department of Revenue, Motor Vehicle Division. Cancel the registration on the vehicle you sold — Georgia publishes no day count, only the instruction to cancel the registration before you cancel the insurance from the date of sale. Until the registration is cancelled it stays active in the seller's name and must stay insured; the Department warns that cancelling insurance first leads to insurance fines and possible registration suspension. Its fee table lists an insurance lapse fine of $25 and reinstatement fees of $60, or $160 for more than two offences in five years.
What happens to the license plates in Georgia?: License plates stay with the seller, never with the car: "The vehicles license plates/tags. These do not transfer with the vehicle to the new owner." The buyer either buys a new plate for $20 or moves a plate they already hold onto the vehicle they have just bought.

About this page

Everything here is a summary of procedures published by official state title authorities, with a link to the source for each answer.

Unusual ownership, probate, lien, salvage, court-order or identity situations commonly require steps beyond those listed here.

We do not file anything with any agency, and we cannot submit, expedite, or check the status of a transfer. Ticking a box on this site records your own progress in your browser and nothing more.

47 official sources · last checked July 30, 2026 · How this was compiled · Report a correction