Selling a Car With an Out-of-State Title in Washington

DOL’s Sell a Vehicle page says a car can be sold with an out-of-state title, expired registration or auction paperwork. The core duties for a seller in RCW 46.12.650 are also the same as for any sale: release your interest, hand over the title or most recent ownership evidence, and give an odometer statement if one is required.

For the buyer, WAC 308-56A-115 says out-of-state vehicles need current ownership documents to be titled here. That is why the buyer will care what you hand over.

1. Check the issuing state’s signing rules

   Each state prints its own title. We can only speak to Washington’s sources, so read the instructions on yours. Some rules, such as notary requirements, can differ, and that state’s agency can tell you.

2. Write a bill of sale

   DOL says a bill of sale signed by both parties is required unless price and date are on the title. Put in the year, make, model, VIN, price, date and both names.

3. Handle the odometer statement

   If the car is covered by RCW 46.12.665, the buyer’s Washington title application needs an odometer disclosure. Model year 2010 or older is exempt until the rule changes on Jan. 1, 2031.

4. Take your plates and report the sale

   If your car has Washington plates, DOL says you are legally obligated to remove them, and the Report of Sale is due within five business days. If it has plates from another state, ask that state how it wants the plates and the sale handled. We did not find a Washington source that answers this for plates issued elsewhere.

Washington’s rule for hulk haulers is specific. WAC 308-65-080 says a hauler may acquire a vehicle on a properly endorsed title or, from a registration-only state, a registration and notarized bill of sale. WAC 308-65-020 limits when a bill of sale can replace a title, including nontitle jurisdictions.

That is the law of what a hauler may acquire. It is not a statement of what any one business chooses to buy. Our own policy for out-of-state titles depends on the details, so we do not promise it here. Call us at (206) 941-0612 and tell us what you have, and we will tell you whether we can take it. Have the state, the name on the title, and whether a lender is shown ready for that call.

If we cannot help, you still have choices. You may be able to sell privately, as DOL describes, or put the car in your name in Washington and then sell. Our guide to moving here with an old car covers that decision. For a car you might still sell or donate rather than scrap, see junk, sell or donate.

• Do not sell the title without the vehicle. RCW 46.12.750 makes that a class C felony.
• Do not sign blank forms for anyone. Read each paper before you sign.
• Do not let plates from another state ride away on the car until you have checked what that state requires.
• Do not leave the car parked on a public street to sort this out later. Local limits and impound rules still apply. See Seattle’s 72-hour rule.