How to Title a Car With Only a Bill of Sale in Texas

In Texas, the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles is the government office that processes all car title applications. Each county in Texas has a local tax office where residents can go for any vehicle titling needs. If you have purchased a car from a seller in Texas who does not have the car title, you can title the car with your bill of sale. However, the seller of the vehicle does need to be with you when you are ready to title the car. You only have 20 working days from the date of purchase to title the car in Texas.

  • Ask the seller to go with you to the local county tax office where you title the car. You can find a list of county tax offices on the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles website (see Resources).

  • Present your bill of sale to the representative at the county tax office. Let the clerk know that you just purchased the vehicle and need to title it but that the seller does not have the title.

  • The clerk will take information from the seller. The seller will have to sign a lost title form in order for a replacement title to be issued. As of September 2010, the fee for a lost title replacement is $5.45.

  • Complete the title transfer with the seller. Both of you must sign the title and you must complete an application for a new title. The fee for it varies by county.