How to Sell a Car in Illinois

by Brooke Pierce

Every state has different regulations and requirements for selling a car. You should follow the regulations enacted in Illinois so that you can sell your car without encountering obstacles. During the process, the paperwork will pass through the Illinois Secretary of State Vehicle Records Processing Division.

Completing the Bill of Sale

In Illinois, when you sell a car, you are required to remove the license plates and submit a valid title to the buyer that is signed and dated. You are also required to complete the Notice of Sale form that is attached at the bottom of the title and mail it to the secretary of state of Illinois. Create a bill of sale for the purchaser and make a copy for yourself. Submit a completed Seller’s Report of Sale, Form VSD 703 to the Illinois SOS Vehicle Services Department. In Illinois, there is no official bill of sale, so you can make your own. It should contain the name, address and phone number of both the buyer and seller.

Special Bill of Sale

There is a special bill of sale called Junked Vehicle Bill of Sale, Form VSD 658 that the state of Illinois provides. You can use it if you have a title certificate of a vehicle you are sending to the salvage yard. Submit form VSD 657, The Certificate of Final Disposition along with the junked vehicle bill of sale.

Tips

When you sell the vehicle, your liability is removed.

Duplicate Certificate Title

In case of a lost, damaged or stolen certificate title, apply for a duplicate Illinois title. Complete the Application for Vehicle Transactions, Form VSD 190. You are required to include your vehicle identification number, signature and the current odometer reading on the document. Ensure that you check the “Duplicate Title” box on the form. After you have completed the form, submit it in person at an Illinois Secretary of State facility. When selling your car, you should have all the registration documents. If any of these documents has been lost or destroyed, apply for a duplicate vehicle registration by mail, phone, online or in person.

Vehicle History Report

The buyer will require the vehicle history report to know more about the car, so provide this report for him. This report contains the structural damage, theft history, odometer reading, recall information and services and repairs.

Transferring the Plates

To transfer the license plates, present the Application for Vehicle Transaction, Form VSD 190, or request and pick a form at your nearest Illinois motor vehicles office. You will need to pay a transfer fee of $25 -- or if you are transferring the title and the plates at the same time, you must pay a fee of $120, at the time of publication.

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