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

30 calendar days from the date of purchase. Nebraska publishes no separate late fee for the title itself, but the vehicle cannot be registered until a Nebraska title has been issued, and sales tax unpaid after 30 days carries interest plus a $5 penalty.

How much does a title transfer cost in Nebraska?

The base title fee is $10. The Certificate of Title fee payable to the county treasurer. It excludes the $7.00 lien notation fee, the $14.00 duplicate fee, sales and use tax, the $10.00 sheriff's inspection fee where an inspection is required, and every registration fee and motor vehicle tax. The purchaser owes 5.5% Nebraska sales or use tax plus any local rate of up to 2%, calculated on the sale price less any trade-in allowance and collected by the county treasurer - never by the seller - within 30 days of the purchase date.

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

Sometimes required. An ordinary Nebraska title transfer is not notarised: the seller's assignment on the face of the title and the Application for Certificate of Title need original signatures only. Notarisation is required on specific affidavits, above all the Affidavit for Transfer of Decedent's Vehicle/Motorboat.

Nebraska vehicle title transfer: documents, deadlines and fees

Title fee: $10base title fee
Deadline: 30 daysfrom the date of purchase
Documents: 4incl. RV-707
Where: Countytax office, in person

Nebraska transfers ownership on the face of the title itself. The seller signs the Seller's section, records the date of sale and completes the Odometer Certification, and the buyer's name, address and signature must go into the Purchaser's section at the time of purchase - a title signed off with the buyer's side left blank is an illegal "Open Title" that will be confiscated. The buyer then takes the assigned title, an Application for Certificate of Title (RV-707) and $10.00 to any county treasurer's motor vehicle office; the title must be obtained within 30 days of the date of purchase. Sales and use tax of 5.5% state plus any local rate is paid at the same county window within those same 30 days, after which the county must add a $5 penalty and interest.

7 things this answer does not settle

Nebraska publishes its detailed titling and registration procedures in two County Treasurer's Manuals whose pages carry individual revision stamps, and several of those pages are out of date. The decedent page (revised 8/2015) still gives a $50,000 small-estate limit where the current affidavit form, the DMV's public page and Neb. Rev. Stat. 30-24,125 all say $100,000; the duplicate-title page (revised 7/2013) still requires the application to be notarised where the current form RV-707a, the DMV's public page and Neb. Rev. Stat. 60-168 do not; and the signatures page (revised 8/2015) bars electronic signatures where the current public page allows a qualifying digital signature. The current forms, public pages and statutes are what this record follows, but a county counter working from the manual may ask for something different.
Titles and registrations are issued by 93 individual county treasurers. The DMV tells applicants to contact their county treasurer about acceptable methods of payment, and notes that some localities collect additional local fees and taxes, so the county counter can charge more than the state-published schedule.
The local share of Nebraska sales tax is set by each city and village at 0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, 1.75% or 2% and can only change on the first day of a calendar quarter, so no single combined rate can be quoted for the state.
Nebraska's DMV and Department of Revenue disagree about where to get Form 6: the DMV's out-of-state titles page says the form is not available for download and must be obtained from the Department of Revenue or a county treasurer, while the DMV's transfer of ownership page links a downloadable copy on the Department of Revenue's site and the Department of Revenue publishes a fillable version.
The 5.5% figure is the Nebraska state share only. Cities and villages add up to 2% and the exact combined rate depends on the street address you register at, so the total tax cannot be stated as a single number here.
Nebraska publishes no separate late fee for filing the title application itself after 30 days. The published $5 penalty and interest attach to the sales tax, not to the title.
The DMV's courtesy Bill of Sale form prints notary acknowledgment blocks for both signatures, but the DMV publishes no rule that a bill of sale must be notarised and says the form itself need not be used.

Do this first

Read the Certificate of Title before you pay: every name printed on its face has to sign the Seller's section, and any lien shown on the face must already be released by the lienholder and a county official before the title can be reassigned to you. Nebraska also points used-vehicle buyers to the federal NMVTIS service for the vehicle's title history.
Write your name, address and signature into the Purchaser's section of the title at the time of purchase, not later. If the seller signs off and the purchaser's information is left blank the title is an "Open Title", which is a violation of the law and will be confiscated by the county official, the DMV or law enforcement, and the holder can be convicted of a Class III misdemeanour.

Your checklist

Read the Certificate of Title before you pay: every name printed on its face has to sign the Seller's section, and any lien shown on the face must already be released by the lienholder and a county official before the title can be reassigned to you. Nebraska also points used-vehicle buyers to the federal NMVTIS service for the vehicle's title history.Official page
Write your name, address and signature into the Purchaser's section of the title at the time of purchase, not later. If the seller signs off and the purchaser's information is left blank the title is an "Open Title", which is a violation of the law and will be confiscated by the county official, the DMV or law enforcement, and the holder can be convicted of a Class III misdemeanour.Official page
Take from the seller either a Bill of Sale or a completed Nebraska Department of Revenue Form 6 showing the sale price - the seller is required to give you one of the two, and the county treasurer needs the Form 6 to work out the tax.Form 6Official page
Complete an Application for Certificate of Title (RV-707): section 1 for the VIN, year, make, model, body style, colour and GVWR; section 2 for every owner's name with their Nebraska driver's license number, Social Security number or Employer Identification Number and date of birth; and section 3 if a lien is being noted. Everyone who is to appear on the title signs in original ink, except that where co-owners are spouses one spouse may sign.RV-707Official page
Answer the survivorship question in section 2 of the RV-707 deliberately if two of you are buying together. Ticking "Yes" separates the names with "Or" and passes the vehicle to the surviving owner on presentation of a death certificate; ticking "No" separates them with "And" and means probate will be required before the survivor can retitle it.RV-707Official page
Present the assigned title and the RV-707 to any county treasurer's motor vehicle office with the $10.00 title fee - $17.00 if a lien is being noted - within 30 days of the date of purchase. Titles may be issued in any county; the county keeps all the evidence of ownership you hand over.RV-707Official page
Pay the Nebraska and local sales and use tax at the same county window on Form 6 within 30 days of the purchase date: 5.5% state plus the local rate for the street address you register at, calculated on the sale price less any trade-in. Sign Form 6 as purchaser. Past 30 days the county treasurer must add interest from the thirtieth day plus a $5 penalty.Form 6Official page
Register the vehicle once the title has been issued - a Nebraska title must be issued before registration. Bring proof of financial responsibility as an original document (photocopies are not accepted), and pay the $15.00 passenger registration fee, the motor vehicle tax and the motor vehicle fee. You are issued a registration certificate, license plates and validation decals.Official page
Until the registration is transferred you may drive the vehicle for no more than 30 days: on plates already assigned to you from another vehicle you had registered, or with no plate at all if you bought privately. Carry the bill of sale or the properly assigned title and your proof of insurance in the vehicle for law enforcement.Official page

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The seller's checklist

Sign the Seller's section on the face of the Nebraska Certificate of Title and record the date of sale. Every name printed on the face of the title must sign, and spouses cannot sign as agent for one another on a transfer of ownership.Official page
Complete the Odometer Certification section on the same title and mark the reading Actual, Not Actual or Exceeds Mechanical Limits - or Exempt if the vehicle qualifies. Nebraska accepts odometer certification only on the Certificate of Title or the MSO; a separate statement is not accepted for an ordinary private sale.Official page
Give the buyer either a Bill of Sale or a completed Nebraska Department of Revenue Form 6. Do not try to collect the sales tax yourself: Nebraska law says the seller is not authorised to collect it, and the buyer pays it to the county treasurer.Bill of SaleOfficial page
Do not sign the title until the buyer's name, address and signature are in the Purchaser's section, and make no stray mark or correction anywhere on the document. A signature in the wrong place or an alteration of any kind mutilates the title, and you will have to buy a $14.00 duplicate on form RV-707a before the sale can go ahead.RV-707aOfficial page
Keep your license plates - in Nebraska they are issued to you, not to the vehicle. To claim back the unused registration fee, motor vehicle tax and motor vehicle fee, take the plates, the validation decals, the registration certificate and a completed Application for Refund to the county treasurer's office where the vehicle was registered within 60 days of the sale.Application for RefundOfficial page
Sell only a vehicle already titled in your own name. Nebraska publishes that any consumer who transfers ownership of a motor vehicle must first obtain a certificate of title in his or her name, register the vehicle and pay sales tax, and that failure to do so is a Class IV felony.Official page
You may report the sale to the DMV through its free online "Report Sale of Vehicle - Notice of Transfer" service. Nebraska publishes no deadline for doing so and no penalty for not doing it.Official page

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Both of you, together

Complete the odometer disclosure together on the face of the title: the seller certifies the reading and signs, and the buyer signs to acknowledge it in the Purchaser's section. If the reading is in kilometres the seller must convert it to miles and the buyer must acknowledge the conversion.Official page

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Documents and official forms

Nebraska Certificate of Title, with the Seller's section, date of sale, Odometer Certification and Purchaser's section all completedOwnership passes on the face of the title itself. The county treasurer keeps it.
RV-707Application for Certificate of TitleSigned by everyone who is to appear on the new title; one spouse may sign where the co-owners are spouses.
Form 6Bill of Sale, or a completed Nebraska Sales/Use Tax and Tire Fee StatementThe seller must provide the buyer with one of the two. The purchaser then presents the Form 6 to the county treasurer to settle the tax.
Proof of Financial Responsibility, presented as an original documentRequired at registration, not at titling. Photocopies are not accepted; an electronic image on a phone or tablet is.

Also required in some cases

The title shows an open lien.

Lien release signed on the face of the title by the lienholder and a county official

An owner is unavailable or incapacitated and someone else has to sign for them.

Power of AttorneyPower of Attorney (Vehicle/Motorboat Only)

You want to use the DMV's own bill of sale rather than your own.

Bill of SaleBill of Sale (Nebraska DMV form)

Deadlines

Deadline30 calendar days from the date of purchase — Buyer: Obtain the Nebraska Certificate of Title within 30 days of the date of purchaseNebraska publishes no separate late fee for the title itself, but the vehicle cannot be registered until a Nebraska title has been issued.
Deadline30 calendar days from the date of purchase, which is the earlier of the date on the title and the date of possession shown on Form 6 — Buyer: Pay the Nebraska and local sales and use tax within 30 days of the date of purchaseThe county treasurer must collect interest from the thirtieth day through the date of payment (3% a year for periods from 1 January 2021) and assess a $5 penalty on all unpaid amounts.
Deadline30 calendar days from the date of purchase — Buyer: Register the vehicle within 30 days of the date of purchaseA newly purchased vehicle may be driven for no more than 30 days on plates already assigned to you from another vehicle, or with no plate at all if bought privately.
Deadline60 calendar days from the vehicle's change of status, which for a sale is the transfer of ownership — Seller: Return the plates, decals and registration with an Application for Refund within 60 days of the saleThe refund of the unused registration fee, motor vehicle tax and motor vehicle fee can no longer be claimed.

Fees and taxes

Charge	Amount	Paid by
Base title fee	$10The Certificate of Title fee payable to the county treasurer. It excludes the $7.00 lien notation fee, the $14.00 duplicate fee, sales and use tax, the $10.00 sheriff's inspection fee where an inspection is required, and every registration fee and motor vehicle tax.	Buyer
Certificate of Title fee	$10Paid to the county treasurer with the Application for Certificate of Title. Excludes the $7.00 lien notation fee, sales and use tax, any sheriff's inspection fee and every registration charge.	Buyer
Lien notation fee	$7Charged only when a lien is being noted on the new title. The DMV states a title with a lien noted costs $17.00 in total.Applies only if the new owner is financing the vehicle or an existing lien is being carried onto the Nebraska title.	Buyer
Nebraska and local sales and use tax	5.5%Varies by the total sales price less any trade-in allowance, and the local sales tax rate in force at the street address you register at, which ranges from none to 2%.5.5% is the Nebraska state rate. Cities and villages add a local rate of 0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, 1.75% or 2%, which can only start, change or end on 1 January, 1 April, 1 July or 1 October. Collected by the county treasurer, not by a private seller.Official calculator	Buyer
Tire fee	$0Zero on a private sale between two individuals: the Department of Revenue instructs county treasurers that "when the sale of a motor vehicle occurs between two individuals, no tire fee is due". The fee is $1 per new tire, including the spare, on a new vehicle and on each new tire sold with a used vehicle by a dealer.	Buyer
Registration fee	$15Passenger and leased vehicles. Commercial trucks, truck tractors and farm-plated trucks are charged on gross vehicle weight instead.	Buyer
Charges collected with every registration	$5.50$0.50 Emergency Medical System Operation Fund, $2.00 DMV Cash Fund, $1.50 State Recreation Road Fund and $1.50 County General Fund. The county general fund share is $5.00 rather than $1.50 for a non-resident.	Buyer
License plate fee, per plate	$4.10Assessed per plate whenever new, duplicate or replacement plates are issued. Two plates are issued for most Nebraska motor vehicles.	Buyer
Motor vehicle tax	VariesVaries by the manufacturer's suggested retail price of the vehicle when new and how many registration years old it is - a base tax is read off the statutory MSRP table and the percentage applied falls each year.Assessed at initial registration and each year after until the vehicle is 14 years old or more, when it falls to $0.00. The base tax starts at $25.00 for an MSRP under $4,000 and rises with the MSRP band.Official calculator	Buyer
Motor vehicle fee	VariesVaries by the value, weight and use of the vehicle, adjusted as the vehicle ages.A separate charge from the motor vehicle tax, collected at the same time.Official calculator	Buyer
Alternative fuel fee	$75–$150$150.00 for electric or hydrogen fuel cell passenger vehicles and trucks; $75.00 for all-electric, hydrogen fuel cell and plug-in electric motorcycles and for plug-in electric passenger vehicles and trucks. Charged at first registration and at every renewal.Applies only to electric, hydrogen fuel cell and plug-in electric vehicles.	Buyer

The purchaser owes 5.5% Nebraska sales or use tax plus any local rate of up to 2%, calculated on the sale price less any trade-in allowance and collected by the county treasurer - never by the seller - within 30 days of the purchase date.

Inspection, emissions, notary and odometer

Inspection: Not requiredNebraska requires a sheriff's identification inspection - a physical check of the VIN against the title, plus the odometer reading - in specific cases, not on every transfer. It costs $10.00 and the certificate expires 90 days after the inspection.
Emissions: Not publishedNebraska publishes no emissions test as a condition of titling or registering a vehicle: the DMV's Vehicle Inspection page lists only sheriff's identification inspections and names no emissions programme, and neither the titling nor the registration pages mention one.
Notarization: Not requiredAn ordinary Nebraska title transfer is not notarised: the seller's assignment on the face of the title and the Application for Certificate of Title need original signatures only. Notarisation is required on specific affidavits, above all the Affidavit for Transfer of Decedent's Vehicle/Motorboat.
Odometer disclosure: Required, unless you are exempt
The vehicle has a manufacturer's model year designation of 2010 or older.
The vehicle has a manufacturer's model year designation of 2011 or newer and is more than twenty years old.
The vehicle exceeds sixteen thousand pounds gross rated capacity.
The vehicle is a motorcycle manufactured without an odometer.
On any transfer of a motor vehicle or motorcycle with a factory-fitted odometer, the seller must give the buyer a signed statement certifying the reading, and Nebraska accepts that certification only on the face of the Certificate of Title or the MSO.

What happens to the plates

License plates are issued to the person who registers the vehicle, not carried with it: the buyer is issued a registration certificate, plates and validation decals, and the seller keeps the plates from the vehicle they sold.

The seller surrenders the plates
The buyer gets new plates

A seller who returns the plates, validation decals and registration certificate with an Application for Refund to the county treasurer's office where the vehicle was registered, within 60 days of the sale, may claim back the unused registration fee, motor vehicle tax and motor vehicle fee. A buyer may run plates already assigned to them from another vehicle for up to 30 days while the registration is transferred. New plates are issued statewide every six years, with validation decals in the intervening years, and a $4.10 plate fee applies per plate whenever new, duplicate or replacement plates are issued. Specialty plates may be transferred by their holder to another vehicle they own, except a Special Interest plate.

How to submit

In person at a county office

Two transactions, usually at the same county counter. Nebraska states that "a Nebraska title must be issued prior to registration", so the title is applied for first and the registration second, each with its own fees.

Official state links

Source: Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), Driver and Vehicle Records Division. Checked July 31, 2026. Report a correction

Transferring a vehicle title in Nebraska

Do this first

Your checklist

The seller's checklist

Both of you, together

Documents and official forms

Also required in some cases

Deadlines

Fees and taxes

Inspection, emissions, notary and odometer

What happens to the plates

How to submit

Official state links

Common questions about Nebraska

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