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

30 calendar days from the date of sale. A late title transfer fee is charged: $25 if you apply between day 31 and day 60, and $50 if you apply after day 60.

How much does a title transfer cost in Oregon?

The base title fee is From $101. Varies by vehicle type and, for a passenger vehicle, the combined MPG rating DMV decodes from your VIN — $101 for 0-19 MPG, $106 for 20-39 MPG, $116 for 40 MPG and above, $192 for an all-electric vehicle, $101 for a motorcycle, moped, light or travel trailer, camper, motor home, bus, park model RV or ATV, $90 for a heavy vehicle over 26,000 lbs GVWR, and $27 for a salvage certificate. Oregon charges no sales tax on a vehicle, and a private-party sale, a gift and an inheritance are all untaxed. The only vehicle tax that can reach a buyer is the 0.5% vehicle use tax, and it applies only to a vehicle bought from a dealer that has 7,500 miles or less and has never been titled in Oregon.

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

Sometimes required. Almost nothing in an Oregon title transfer is notarised. The Oregon title itself, the bill of sale, the lien release, the notice of sale and the title application all carry no notary block. The one exception is the Inheritance Affidavit, Form 735-516, which every heir must sign in front of a notary.

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

Yes. Oregon Department of Transportation, Driver and Motor Vehicle Services Division (Oregon DMV). 10 calendar days from the date of sale or transfer of interest. Until the notice reaches DMV, nothing on the vehicle record shows you parted with the vehicle. Oregon publishes no monetary penalty for a late notice, and the notice does not transfer ownership — you stay the registered owner until the buyer is issued a title either way.

Transferring a vehicle title in Oregon

Issued by Oregon Department of Transportation, Driver and Motor Vehicle Services Division (Oregon DMV). Choose your situation below — the buyer’s and seller’s obligations are listed separately, and every answer links to the official source.

Title fee: From $101varies — details under fees
Deadline: 30 daysfrom the date of sale
Documents: 4incl. 735-226
Where: State officein person

Oregon charges no sales tax on a private vehicle sale, so the money side is just DMV fees. The seller signs the release of interest on the back of the Oregon title (or on a bill of sale), completes the odometer disclosure with the buyer if the vehicle is model year 2011 or newer and under 20 years old, and tells DMV about the sale within 10 days. The buyer has 30 days from the date of sale to get an Application for Title and Registration, Form 735-226, the signed title and the title fee to DMV — $101 to $192 for a passenger vehicle — or pays a $25 late fee from day 31 and $50 after day 60.

7 things this answer does not settle

Two current Oregon DMV publications disagree about insurance. The public Insurance Requirements page says 'you must give your insurance policy number every time you register a vehicle', while Chapter K of DMV's own Title and Registration Handbook (revised 06/05/26) says the insurer's name and policy number are not required where the transaction is a title transfer only, or a title transfer with a renewal where all registered owners are changing. Bring the policy number regardless; the certification on Form 735-226 is signed either way.
Chapter K of the Title and Registration Handbook is dated 06/05/26 but its DEQ section still reads 'During calendar year 2025, the following model years qualify as a newer model year vehicle'. The model years it lists, 2023 through 2027, match what DEQ publishes for 2026, so the substance is current and only the label is stale — but the same table will be wrong the moment the list rolls over in January.
Oregon DMV numbers its secure odometer form inconsistently across current publications: Chapter H (revised 04/28/26) and Chapter E (revised 11/01/25) both call it 'Form 403', while Chapter H's own reproduced example and the instructions on Form 735-515 call it 'Form 403A'. This record uses 735-403A. Ask DMV for 'the secure odometer disclosure and reassignment form' rather than by number.
Oregon's title and registration fees are set by the legislature and DMV publishes no effective date or last-updated stamp on its fee pages. The figures here were cross-checked against Chapter M of the Title and Registration Handbook, which carries a 07/01/26 revision date, and the two agree.
Nothing in Oregon DMV's published material describes an electronic lien and title system for ordinary vehicle lenders, and this record therefore does not claim Oregon operates one.
Oregon's title fee turns on the combined MPG rating DMV decodes from your VIN, and DMV assigns that rating rather than taking your word for it. Run the vehicle through the DMV2U fee calculator before writing a cheque.
DMV's public insurance page says you must give your policy number every time you register a vehicle, while Chapter K of its own Title and Registration Handbook says the insurer's name and policy number are not required where the transaction is a title transfer only, or a title transfer with a renewal where all registered owners are changing. Bring the policy number either way.

Do this first

Before any money changes hands, check that the title the seller hands you shows the same VIN as the vehicle and that every owner and every security interest holder printed on it has signed to release interest.
If the seller's name is not printed on the title, take a Vehicle Bill of Sale, Form 735-501, from them — or any document carrying at least the VIN, a statement releasing interest, the seller's printed name and original signature, and the date of sale. Oregon DMV cannot process a bill of sale that is missing any of those, and will not accept an invoice, purchase agreement or purchase order in its place.

Your checklist

Ticks are saved in this browser only. Nothing here is sent to us or filed with any agency.

The seller's checklist

Sign and date the release of interest on the back of the Oregon title, or on a Vehicle Bill of Sale, Form 735-501. It must be your own original wet signature in blue or black ink — no photocopy, and nothing whited out or struck through.735-501Official page
Make sure your lender has signed the front of the title releasing their interest, or given you a separate signed statement. You cannot sell, donate or gift a vehicle in Oregon while a loan on it is unpaid.Applies when: There is or was a loan on the vehicle.Official page
Get a replacement title before you sell if you have lost the title and the vehicle is model year 2011 or newer and under 20 years old. The odometer disclosure has to be made on the title itself, so an Application for Replacement Title cannot stand in as the ownership document.Applies when: The title is lost, destroyed or mutilated and the vehicle needs an odometer disclosure.735-515Official page
Tell DMV about the sale within 10 days, online at DMV2U.oregon.gov or by mailing a Notice of Sale or Transfer of a Vehicle, Form 735-6890, to Oregon DMV, 1905 Lana Ave NE, Salem OR 97314. Include the buyer's name and address. ORS 803.112 sets the 10 days.735-6890Official page
Take your plates off if you want to. Oregon DMV's own advice is that removing them is how you avoid tickets and towing charges arriving after the sale, and the buyer can drive on a 21-day trip permit. You can move the plates and their remaining registration onto another vehicle you own for $30.735-268Official page
Understand what the notice of sale does and does not do: DMV notes on your record that you sold the vehicle, but you stay listed as the owner until the buyer is issued a title. The notice is not a bill of sale and not a release of interest.735-6890Official page

Ticks are saved in this browser only. Nothing here is sent to us or filed with any agency.

Both of you, together

Complete the odometer disclosure together in the transfer area on the back of the title if the vehicle is model year 2011 or newer and under 20 years old: the seller writes the reading and the date and certifies it, and the buyer signs the same title to acknowledge it.Applies when: The vehicle is model year 2011 or newer and under 20 years old.Official page
Mark the certification honestly if the reading is not the true mileage: tick that the mileage exceeds the odometer's mechanical limits if it has rolled over, or that it is not actual mileage if the odometer is stuck; note 'not readable' if a digital display is blank. Once either brand is on an Oregon title it cannot be removed. A false disclosure is a Class C felony under ORS 815.430.Applies when: The odometer has rolled over, is stuck, or the display is blank.Official page
Use a Secure Odometer Disclosure/Reassignment, Form 735-403A, instead of the title only if there is no usable space on the title or the seller is not the owner shown on it. Oregon does not publish this form for download — call DMV on 1-503-945-5000 and ask for one to be mailed.Applies when: The disclosure cannot be made in the assignment area of the title.735-403AOfficial page

Ticks are saved in this browser only. Nothing here is sent to us or filed with any agency.

Documents and official forms

The Oregon certificate of title, with the release of interest signed by every owner and every security interest holder printed on itDMV requires the original; a carbon copy is only accepted for a secure odometer disclosure or a secure power of attorney.
735-226Application for Title and Registration, Form 735-226, completed and signed by the buyer
The buyer's Oregon driver license, ID card or DMV customer number and date of birth, for every owner going on the titleDMV links records by customer number. If you have no Oregon customer number, DMV assigns one.
The title fee, and the registration, county and plate fees if you are registering at the same timeCheques payable to Oregon DMV. Do not send cash by post.

Also required in some cases

The vehicle is model year 2011 or newer and under 20 years old.

735-403AOdometer disclosure signed by both seller and buyer, on the back of the title or on secure Form 735-403A

The seller's name is not on the title, an interim owner sold the vehicle on, or the release is being made off the title.

735-501Vehicle Bill of Sale, Form 735-501, or an equivalent written release of interest

A security interest holder appears on the title or on the DMV record.

735-524Original lien release from every previous security interest holder — on the title, on a Statement of Lien Satisfaction, Form 735-524, or on the lender's letterhead

You are registering the vehicle to an address inside the Portland metro or Medford/Rogue Valley DEQ boundary and the vehicle is not exempt.

DEQ Certificate of Compliance

You are moving plates you already own onto the vehicle instead of buying new ones.

735-268Application for Registration, Renewal, Replacement or Transfer of Plates and/or Stickers, Form 735-268

Deadlines

Deadline30 calendar days from the date of sale — Buyer: Apply for the Oregon title within 30 daysA late title transfer fee of $25 applies from day 31 to day 60 and $50 after day 60.
Deadline10 calendar days from the date of sale or transfer of interest — Seller: Notify DMV of the sale within 10 daysUntil DMV has the notice, nothing on the vehicle record shows you sold it. DMV publishes no monetary penalty for a late notice, but you stay the registered owner until the buyer is issued a title either way.

Fees and taxes

Charge	Amount	Paid by
Base title fee	From $101Varies by vehicle type and, for a passenger vehicle, the combined MPG rating DMV decodes from your VIN — $101 for 0-19 MPG, $106 for 20-39 MPG, $116 for 40 MPG and above, $192 for an all-electric vehicle, $101 for a motorcycle, moped, light or travel trailer, camper, motor home, bus, park model RV or ATV, $90 for a heavy vehicle over 26,000 lbs GVWR, and $27 for a salvage certificate.Official calculator	Buyer
Oregon title fee	From $101Varies by vehicle type and, for a passenger vehicle, the combined MPG rating DMV decodes from your VIN — $101 for 0-19 MPG, $106 for 20-39 MPG, $116 for 40 MPG and above, $192 for an all-electric vehicle, $101 for a motorcycle, moped, light or travel trailer, camper, motor home, bus, park model RV or ATV, $90 for a heavy vehicle over 26,000 lbs GVWR, and $27 for a salvage certificate.Covers the title only. Registration, county registration and plate fees are separate and are charged only if you register at the same time.Official calculator	Buyer
Late title transfer fee	$25–$50$25 if you apply between day 31 and day 60 after the sale, $50 if you apply after day 60. DMV states this fee is due when you apply more than 30 days after the sale of an Oregon-titled vehicle.	Buyer
Vehicle registration fee (two-year)	From $86Varies by the combined MPG rating and whether you enrol in OReGO — a two-year passenger registration is $126 at 0-19 MPG, $136 at 20-39 MPG, $216 at 40 MPG and above, $376 for an all-electric vehicle, or $86 in OReGO; motorcycles and mopeds are $88. A new vehicle titled on a manufacturer's certificate of origin gets four-year registration at double the two-year figure.Only charged if you register. A title-only application on Form 735-226 does not carry it.Official calculator	Buyer
County registration fee	VariesVaries by the county of the registration address — for a two-year passenger registration it is $112 in Multnomah County and $60 in Washington or Clackamas County; Oregon's other counties charge no county registration fee.Based on your vehicle, residence or business address in that order. Added to the state registration fee and entered as one total on the application.Official calculator	Buyer
New license plates	$26For a two-plate vehicle at initial registration; $13 for a one-plate vehicle. Not charged if you keep the plates already on the vehicle.	Buyer
Plate transfer	$30Moves plates you already own, and their remaining registration, onto the vehicle. If you were not an owner of the vehicle the plates came off, registration and county fees are due as well.	Buyer
Light vehicle trip permit (21 days)	$35Optional. Lets a buyer with no plates drive legally while the title application is processed.	Buyer
Sales or use tax on a private-party sale	$0Oregon charges no sales tax on a vehicle. The 0.5% vehicle privilege and use taxes reach only a purchase from a dealer, so a private-party sale is untaxed.	Buyer

Oregon charges no sales tax on a vehicle, and a private-party sale, a gift and an inheritance are all untaxed. The only vehicle tax that can reach a buyer is the 0.5% vehicle use tax, and it applies only to a vehicle bought from a dealer that has 7,500 miles or less and has never been titled in Oregon.

Inspection, emissions, notary and odometer

Inspection: Not requiredOregon has no periodic safety inspection. The only physical check DMV requires is a $9 VIN inspection, and it is triggered by where the vehicle's paperwork comes from, not by its age or condition.
Emissions: Sometimes required
Only if the address the vehicle will be registered to is inside the Portland metro or Medford/Rogue Valley DEQ boundaries.
Only if you are registering the vehicle — a title-only application on Form 735-226 needs no DEQ certificate.
The newest four model years are exempt; during 2026 that is model years 2023 through 2027.
Fully electric vehicles, motorcycles, mopeds, snowmobiles, ATVs, golf carts, low-speed and medium-speed electric vehicles, racing activity vehicles and Special Interest registrations are exempt.
The test costs $25 in the Portland area and $20 in the Medford area.
Emissions testing is geographic in Oregon: a DEQ Certificate of Compliance is needed only if the registration address falls inside the Portland metro or Medford/Rogue Valley testing boundaries, and only when you are registering — a title-only application never needs one.
Notarization: Not requiredAlmost nothing in an Oregon title transfer is notarised. The Oregon title itself, the bill of sale, the lien release, the notice of sale and the title application all carry no notary block. The one exception is the Inheritance Affidavit, Form 735-516, which every heir must sign in front of a notary.
Odometer disclosure: Required, unless you are exempt
Vehicles of model year 2010 or older, and vehicles 20 years old or older.
Vehicles never manufactured with an odometer, and vehicles that are not self-propelled such as trailers and campers.
Vehicles with a manufacturer's gross vehicle weight rating over 16,000 pounds.
Class I ATVs and snowmobiles.
Transfers where at least one registered owner stays on the title, unless the title being submitted is from out of state.
Transfers that only add or remove a security interest.
An odometer disclosure is required whenever a model year 2011 or newer vehicle under 20 years old changes hands, and it has to be made on the title itself — which is why Oregon makes a seller who has lost the title replace it before selling.

What happens to the plates

Oregon plates stay on the vehicle unless the seller takes them off, and DMV expressly tells sellers they may. What the buyer has to do about plates therefore depends entirely on what the seller did.

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

Oregon DMV's advice to sellers is that removing the plates is the way to avoid tickets and towing charges arriving after the sale, and that the buyer can drive on a 21-day trip permit in the meantime. Plates and the remaining registration period may be moved from one vehicle to a similar vehicle for a $30 plate transfer fee, but the registration period only carries across when at least one owner — matched on the DMV customer number, not on a one-and-the-same statement — is the same on both vehicles. Where the two vehicles are not owned by the same person, the plates may still move but both vehicles have to start a fresh registration period and meet every registration requirement again, DEQ included. Plates must be of a style DMV currently issues, must be legible, must not have been cancelled for a total loss before 1 January 2020, must not come from dismantler stock, and both plates must be surrendered where the vehicle is required to display two.

How to submit

In person at a state title office
By mail
Online

Oregon runs title and registration through one application, Form 735-226, and DMV states plainly that 'you must title your vehicle in Oregon if you want to register it' — so a buyer normally does both in a single transaction, at one counter or in one envelope.

Official state links

Source: Oregon Department of Transportation, Driver and Motor Vehicle Services Division (Oregon DMV). Checked July 31, 2026. Report a correction

Common questions about Oregon

How long do I have to transfer a vehicle title in Oregon?: 30 calendar days from the date of sale. A late title transfer fee is charged: $25 if you apply between day 31 and day 60, and $50 if you apply after day 60.
How much does a title transfer cost in Oregon?: The base title fee is From $101. Varies by vehicle type and, for a passenger vehicle, the combined MPG rating DMV decodes from your VIN — $101 for 0-19 MPG, $106 for 20-39 MPG, $116 for 40 MPG and above, $192 for an all-electric vehicle, $101 for a motorcycle, moped, light or travel trailer, camper, motor home, bus, park model RV or ATV, $90 for a heavy vehicle over 26,000 lbs GVWR, and $27 for a salvage certificate. Oregon charges no sales tax on a vehicle, and a private-party sale, a gift and an inheritance are all untaxed. The only vehicle tax that can reach a buyer is the 0.5% vehicle use tax, and it applies only to a vehicle bought from a dealer that has 7,500 miles or less and has never been titled in Oregon.
Does a vehicle title transfer need to be notarized in Oregon?: Sometimes required. Almost nothing in an Oregon title transfer is notarised. The Oregon title itself, the bill of sale, the lien release, the notice of sale and the title application all carry no notary block. The one exception is the Inheritance Affidavit, Form 735-516, which every heir must sign in front of a notary.
Does the seller have to notify the title authority in Oregon?: Yes. Oregon Department of Transportation, Driver and Motor Vehicle Services Division (Oregon DMV). 10 calendar days from the date of sale or transfer of interest. Until the notice reaches DMV, nothing on the vehicle record shows you parted with the vehicle. Oregon publishes no monetary penalty for a late notice, and the notice does not transfer ownership — you stay the registered owner until the buyer is issued a title either way.
What happens to the license plates in Oregon?: Oregon plates stay on the vehicle unless the seller takes them off, and DMV expressly tells sellers they may. What the buyer has to do about plates therefore depends entirely on what the seller did.

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.

37 official sources · last checked July 31, 2026 · How this was compiled · Report a correction