Vehicle Title Transfer in Illinois: Private Sale

Who handles the transfer

The Illinois Secretary of State, Vehicle Services Department, handles certificates of title. There is no separate county title office for this transaction. The same application, the Application for Vehicle Transactions, is used for most title and registration transactions, including title only, title and transfer, and title and registration.

The seller assigns the title

The seller fills out and signs the Assignment of Title section on the certificate of title to the buyer. The Seller's Report of Sale form states the rule plainly: Illinois law requires the vehicle owner to fill out and sign the Assignment of Title section on the certificate of title to the buyer, and the buyer must then apply for a new title. A bill of sale is not named on the Secretary of State pages opened for this guide as a required filing, and no bill-of-sale form is stated here as required.

Check the vehicle identification number (VIN) on the title against the number on the dash or door of the vehicle, and make sure the vehicle information on the title and the application match. The Secretary of State's application page lists that check, the current odometer reading, and the date of sale among the items to double-check before submitting.

The buyer applies on Form VSD 190

The buyer applies with the Application for Vehicle Transaction(s), Form VSD 190. The Electronic Registration and Title (ERT) system allows the applicant to complete and print Form VSD 190. Completing the form online does not complete the transaction: the completed application, required supporting documentation, and payment must be taken to a local Secretary of State facility within seven days, or submitted by mail with check or money order only.

The ERT system may be used for title, title and transfer, title and registration, and corrected title transactions. Mobile homes are excluded. Mail goes to the Secretary of State, Vehicle Services Department, ERT Section, Room 424, 501 South Second Street, Springfield, IL 62756. Expedited service uses Room 408 at the same address.

The application asks for owner information, including name, address, and driver license or FEIN, and vehicle information, including year, make, and VIN. Signatures and names must match, and all owners must sign where two or more owners are listed. If the applicant is a Jr. or Sr., that must be indicated at the top of the application and in the signature area.

Form RUT-50 and the 30-day tax deadline

Tax must be paid on all vehicle sales between individuals. The amount of tax is based on the model year of the vehicle if the selling price is less than $15,000, or on the selling price if it is $15,000 or more, as stated on the Secretary of State's application page. The specific tax amount for a vehicle is not stated in this guide: it comes from the RUT-50 instructions and the RUT-5 chart, which were not opened in full, and no tax table is carried here.

Submit Form RUT-50, Private Party Vehicle Use Tax Transaction, with the application. The Illinois Department of Revenue states that Form RUT-50 is due within 30 days of the date the vehicle is purchased or acquired. The tax payment must be a separate check, draft, or money order payable to the Illinois Department of Revenue, separate from the title and registration fees payable to the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State's page states: do not send the tax payment to the Department of Revenue; submit it with the application as the RUT-50 instructions direct. Keep the two payments separate. Applications will be returned if the information or fee is insufficient to process.

Fees

The certificate of title fee is $165, except for an all-terrain vehicle, off-highway motorcycle, or motor home, mini motor home, or van camper, which have different fees under the same schedule and are not stated here. A duplicate certificate of title is $50. A corrected certificate of title is $50, and a special corrected certificate of title is $15. Expedited title service is $30 in addition to the other applicable fees.

For plate transactions, the Secretary of State's transferring-plates page states the fees directly: transfer only is $25, and title and transfer is $190, made up of the $165 title fee and the $25 transfer fee. Registration fees are separate from the title fee and are not stated as a single figure in this guide, because no registration fee figure was verified on the Secretary of State pages opened for this guide.

The seller's Report of Sale

The seller files the Seller's Report of Sale, Form VSD 703. The form states: use this form when you sell, transfer, or release your interest in a vehicle titled or registered in Illinois; submitting this form protects you from future responsibility for the vehicle; and complete this form as soon as you sell or transfer your vehicle. Mail the completed form to the Secretary of State, Vehicle Services Department, Record Inquiry Division, 501 S. Second Street, Springfield, IL 62756.

The form does not transfer ownership. Ownership transfers through the assignment on the certificate of title and the buyer's new title application. File the report even though the buyer is filing separately: the two filings serve different purposes, and the report is the seller's record that the vehicle changed hands.

What this guide does not state

No buyer title-application deadline in days is stated in this guide. The Secretary of State pages opened for this guide state the seven-day rule for delivering a completed ERT application, not a separate deadline for applying for a title after a private sale. Secondary guides state a 20-day figure, but that figure was not verified on a Secretary of State page opened for this guide and is not carried here. No processing-time figure is stated either: no processing time was stated on the Secretary of State pages opened for this guide.

For title transfers when moving a vehicle across state lines, see Out-of-State Vehicle Title Transfer. For changing only the name shown on a title, see How to Change the Name on a Vehicle Title.

Source

Sources: Illinois Secretary of State, Apply for Registration and Title (ilsos.gov); Illinois Secretary of State, Electronic Registration and Title (ilsos.gov); Illinois Secretary of State, Transferring Plates (ilsos.gov); Illinois Secretary of State, Seller's Report of Sale, Form VSD 703 (ilsos.gov); Illinois Department of Revenue, Private Party Vehicle Use Tax (tax.illinois.gov) and Illinois Tax Requirements for Cars, Trucks, Vans, Motorcycles, ATVs, Trailers, and Mobile Homes (tax.illinois.gov); 625 ILCS 5/3-821, Miscellaneous registration and title fees (witnessslips.ilga.gov). Facts verified 2026-11-03. Open flags: (1) the RUT-50 tax table amounts were not opened and no tax amount is stated; (2) no buyer title-application deadline in days was verified on the Secretary of State pages opened; (3) no registration fee figure or processing-time figure was verified on the pages opened.

This page explains how the process works and what the official rules say. It is general information, not legal advice. For a dispute about your specific situation, talk to the Illinois Secretary of State, Vehicle Services Department.