01Signing over the title
Give the buyer the valid Illinois title when you hand over the vehicle. Sign and date the Assignment of Title area on the back, and print your name as well as sign it. Fill in the odometer reading at the time of sale (and check the box if the mileage is above the odometer's mechanical limits or is not the actual mileage), the date of transfer, and the buyer's printed name and address. The title does not need to be notarized. The buyer then has 20 days to apply for a new title in their name.
Official source ↗02Bill of sale
The Secretary of State's seller guide tells sellers to prepare a bill of sale that shows the date of sale and the price paid, and to keep a copy. The guide presents this as a recommended step. It does not publish an official bill of sale form, and the sources reviewed do not say a bill of sale is a legal requirement for an ordinary private sale. The signed title is the document that transfers ownership.
Official source ↗03License plates
Illinois plates belong to the owner, not the vehicle, so they stay with you. Remove them before you deliver the car. You cannot transfer plates to the buyer. You can only move them to another vehicle you own (transfer-only fee is $25 per the Secretary of State), and the buyer must get their own plates. It is illegal to drive with someone else's plates.
Official source ↗04Telling the state you sold it
File the Seller's Report of Sale (form VSD 703) as soon as you sell. It protects you from future responsibility for the vehicle. Fill in the date of sale, the vehicle year, make and VIN, and your and the buyer's names and addresses, sign it, and mail it to Secretary of State, Vehicle Services Department, Record Inquiry Division, 501 S. Second Street, Springfield, IL 62756. The form sets no fixed number of days, only 'as soon as you sell'. It does not transfer ownership. The seller guide also mentions a Notice of Sale form attached to the bottom of some titles; mail that to the Secretary of State too. The pages reviewed did not show an online filing option.
Official source ↗05Smog, emissions or safety inspection
The Secretary of State seller guide does not list any inspection or test certificate that a private seller must provide. Illinois does run a vehicle emissions test (Illinois EPA) in the Chicago and Metro-East areas, but it is tied to the registered owner's license plate renewal, and the state enforces it by denying plate registration to vehicles that fail to comply. Most 1996 and newer gasoline passenger vehicles are tested once they are four years old.
Official source ↗06If you still owe money on the car
If a lender holds the title or is listed as a lienholder, contact the lender before you sell. Illinois law says a lienholder who holds the title must, on request of the owner or buyer, deliver the title to the buyer (or process the transfer) unless the sale breaks the loan agreement. Plan to pay off the loan so the buyer gets a title with the lien released. Under Illinois's Electronic Lien and Title program, the title can be held electronically until the loan is paid, after which a paper title is mailed to the location the lender provides.
Official source ↗07Odometer disclosure
You must write the odometer reading on the title when you sell, and you and the buyer both sign. Vehicles are exempt from the disclosure if they are model year 2010 or older, over 16,000 lbs GVWR, not self-propelled, or built without an odometer. Motorcycles, mopeds, and antique vehicles are also outside the odometer section. A false statement made with intent to defraud can cost three times the buyer's damages or $1,500, whichever is greater.
Official source ↗ Official sources checked October 30, 2026. This is a planning guide for an ordinary private sale, not legal advice or an official form. Follow the current instructions from the Illinois Secretary of State for your vehicle, especially for lost titles, several owners, out-of-state buyers or a car that is not fully paid off.
