A Georgia Vehicle Bill of Sale: Everything You Need To Know
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It’s normal to be excited and a little overwhelmed when you’ve just bought a new car. There are just a few things you have to make sure you’ve gotten right before you can settle into your new vehicle. One of the most important things to take care of is your Georgia Vehicle Bill of Sale since that’s one of the most important legal documents to prove that you own your vehicle.
In fact, your Georgia Bill of Sale is one of the most important vehicle documents before you have your title and registration.
What Is A Vehicle Bill Of Sale?
A vehicle bill of sale shows that vehicle ownership has changed hands and helps track who has owned a vehicle before. The bill of sale can also be used to establish that you’re still in the grace period for registering a new vehicle and getting license plates. A valid bill of sale is also helpful as a way to verify that you’ve sold the same vehicle you think you’re getting since you can verify the VIN number.
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Georgia Vehicle Bill Of Sale Requirements
A bill of sale is a formal legal document, which means that there are specific requirements for that document. In Georgia, a vehicle bill of sale is Form T-7, which is a general bill of sale that can be printed off the Department of Revenue site.
There are also many Georgia Vehicle Bill of Sale templates you can download. Some are a little more detailed, but pretty much all of the templates will meet the legal requirements in the state of Georgia.
Here’s what you need to include in your bill of sale.
Contact Information
In Georgia, the first bit of information all bills of sale require is the contact information for both the buyer and seller.
Seller Information
Sellers must provide their legal name, signature, and the date of the sale on their portion of the bill of sale. In some cases, dealerships might provide the dealership name in addition to the name of the individual seller. That’s important because both the dealership and the individual seller may have different responsibilities if there is ever a problem with the bill of sale.
Sellers may also be asked to provide a phone number, address, or email contact to use in case there are any problems with the form.
Buyer Information
Buyers in Georgia need to provide basically the same information as the seller for a valid bill of sale. At a minimum, that means including your legal name, signature, the date, and a phone number or other valid point of contact so you can be reached after the sale if there are any problems.
Required Vehicle Information
In addition to the contact information for everyone involved, you’re also required to have some vehicle information in the bill of sale. This information is used to identify exactly what vehicle is in the Georgia Vehicle Bill of Sale and to make sure all the details match to help avoid selling the wrong vehicle.
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VIN Number
The VIN, or Vehicle Identification Number, is a unique number assigned to your vehicle. It’s printed on the vehicle in a few places for easy identification and is one of the main ways to track stolen vehicles and to make sure vehicles are exactly the right vehicle, not just the same make model and color.
Both the buyer and seller should check and make sure the vehicle VIN matches on the car and on the Georgia Vehicle Bill of Sale.
License Plate Number
If you’re buying a vehicle from a dealership, they may be able to get you a temporary license plate or even handle the vehicle registration and licensing for you as a part of the transaction.
In those cases, you’ll need to fill in the license plate number on the bill of sale.
However, if you buy your new vehicle from a private owner, they usually won’t want to give you their license plates, which means you won’t have a license plate number at first. That’s one of the reasons you have to get your license and registration within a short grace period after buying the vehicle, so you can complete the bill of sale.
Registration Number
Your registration number works similarly to your license plates. When you buy from a dealership, the dealer usually handles these details and sends you the paperwork in the mail within a few days of the sale. However, if you buy from a private owner, you’ll need to register the vehicle yourself before you have the registration number for your bill of sale.
However, the date of the sale can be used to demonstrate whether you’re still in the license plate and registration grace period.
Sale Information
Lastly, you need to make sure you have some information about the sale itself. This information is used to help track the value of the vehicle for tax purposes and helps track grace periods and other important information about the sale.
The date of the sale and the price of the vehicle are the most important parts.
Should You Make Copies Of A Georgia Bill Of Sale?
We’d recommend making a few copies of your bill of sale. In most cases, it’s important for the buyer, seller, and the state to have copies of the bill of sale. That means that you should make at least 3 copies.
You can make more copies if you want to, especially if you want duplicates or to file a copy somewhere outside your home to keep the documentation safe.
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Who Takes Care of Bill Of Sale In Georgia?
It’s important to know who is supposed to create a bill of sale and whose responsibility it is to make sure it’s filled out properly.
Both the buyer and seller should verify that the information in the bill of sale is correct and are usually each responsible for their portion of the form. However, the seller should provide the price of the sale in addition to their name and signature, and the buyer should double-check the information about the vehicle.
We make those recommendations not for legal reasons so much as to make sure the information is correct, and all parties are equally protected in the finished bill of sale.
That’s it! That’s all you need to know to create a legal Georgia Vehicle Bill of Sale!
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