A bill of sale records who sold a vehicle to whom, for how much and when. In Kansas the official one, Form TR-312, does not transfer ownership of almost any car. The signed title does. The bill of sale becomes essential in a few specific cases, and this page shows which.
Everything below is quoted from the Kansas Department of Revenue (KDOR), Division of Vehicles, and from Form TR-312 itself. You can also download a free Kansas bill of sale template in PDF and Word.
The short answer
Form TR-312 says it plainly: “ONLY antique vehicles (vehicles 35 years old or older) can have the ownership transferred (sold) by bill of sales. All other vehicles sold by or purchased from a Kansas resident must have the ownership transferred (sold) by assigned title.” For a regular car, a bill of sale is required when the title has no space for the purchase price. The buyer has 60 days from the purchase date to apply for title and registration at the county treasurer, and the KDOR does not require most bills of sale completed within Kansas to be notarized.
When Kansas requires a bill of sale
| Situation | What transfers ownership | Bill of sale |
|---|---|---|
| Any vehicle with a title that has a purchase price space | The assigned title | Not required by the KDOR. Recommended as your own record of the deal. |
| Title assignment has no space for the purchase price | The assigned title | Required: “a Bill of Sale (page 2 of Form TR-12) will also be required.” |
| Antique vehicle (35 years or older) with no title in the seller’s name | Form TR-312, including the “Antique Vehicle Transfer of Ownership” section | Required. Every field must be complete “for this to be a valid assignment of ownership.” |
| Trading one vehicle for another and claiming the trade-in credit | The assigned title | Form TR-312 or TR-12 is filed with the county treasurer. The KDOR notes a bill of sale is not required “if the sale price is entered on the vehicle title.” |
Form TR-312 is also a sworn statement. Above the signatures it reads: “By our signatures, we swear and affirm the above stated purchase price is true and accurate under penalty of perjury.” Write the real price.
Kansas deadlines at a glance
| When | Who | What |
|---|---|---|
| At delivery | Seller | Assign the title and remove the license plate: “The previous owner must remove their license plate from the vehicle or trailer once the title is assigned and the vehicle or trailer is delivered.” |
| Within 60 days | Buyer | Apply for title and registration: “To avoid penalty, vehicle registration must be made within 60 days from date of purchase.” Form TR-312 adds that the penalty “will be assessed on and after the 61st day.” |
For an antique sold on a bill of sale, the 60 days run from “the day the bill of sale was completed”. For every other vehicle they run from the day the title was assigned to the new owner.
What the seller has to do
- Complete the title assignment. “The seller must complete all information on the assignment of title except for the buyer’s printed name and signature.” The back of the title needs the purchase price, date of sale, odometer reading and the printed names and signatures of seller and buyer.
- Check who has to sign. If the title shows two owners joined by “and”, all must sign; with “or”, one signature is enough; with no connector, Kansas defaults to “and”.
- Deal with any lien. A lien on the title needs a release: on the title, a notarized lien release, Form TR-150, or a letter from the lienholder.
- Remove your license plate. The KDOR flags it as important: “Always remove the license plate(s) from a vehicle or trailer you have sold or disposed of.”
- Get your name off the record. Either transfer or surrender the plate at the county treasurer, or file a Seller’s Notification of Sale (Form TR-216) with the fee shown on the form. Keep a copy of the front and back of the assigned title as proof.
What the buyer has to do
Sixty days, at the county treasurer where the vehicle is kept. Application “must be made through the county treasurer’s office in the county in which the vehicle is garaged.” Bring:
- The title, with the assignment to you completed.
- A lien release, if a lienholder is recorded on the title.
- Current proof of insurance.
- The $10 title fee.
- For an out-of-state title, a vehicle bought out of state on a bill of sale, or an antique of model year 1950 or later bought on a bill of sale: the pink copy of a Motor Vehicle Examination (MVE-1) from a Kansas inspection station.
- Payment of sales tax and property tax. The KDOR says sales tax must be paid if you did not buy from a dealer (if you paid sales tax to another state, you pay the difference), and property tax is due at registration “unless applying for a temporary plate.”
If the title is held electronically (an e-title) and you want a 60-day permit, the KDOR asks for an Electronic Title Sales Agreement (Form TR-39A), a copy of the seller’s current registration receipt and proof of insurance.
Sales tax on a private sale in Kansas
Kansas charges sales tax on a private (“isolated or occasional”) sale, and the county treasurer collects it when the buyer registers. According to KDOR Publication KS-1526, the tax base “is the actual selling price of the vehicle” and “The County Treasurer will calculate the sales tax due based on the sale price as entered on the vehicle title.”
The rate is not always the one where you live. Under the same publication, the sale is taxed at the rate in effect “where the sale was made”, and “the County Treasurer will collect the highest sales tax rate between the rate in effect where the sale was made and the vehicle’s registration address.” If the negotiations happened in more than one city, the place of sale is “where the vehicle was kept at the time negotiations first occurred.”
- An unrealistic price. If the stated price “bears no reasonable relationship to, the fair market value of the vehicle”, the tax is computed on fair market value (K.A.R. 92-19-30).
- Private trades. The fair market value of a vehicle traded in can be deducted from the price. Selling your old car and using the money for another one “does not constitute a trade”.
- Family and gifts. Sales between immediate family members are exempt from sales tax with Form TR-215, Affidavit of Relationship, and a bona fide gift is not taxed.
Antique vehicles: the one case where the bill of sale moves ownership
Kansas treats a vehicle as an antique when it is “35 years old or older”. If there is no Kansas title in the seller’s name, Form TR-312 has a second section, “Antique Vehicle Transfer of Ownership”, that the seller completes. In it the seller certifies that, to the best of their knowledge, “no title has been issued in my name for this vehicle in any titling jurisdiction”, guarantees the vehicle “free and clear from all defects, liens or encumbrances”, and agrees to indemnify any later buyer if someone proves a better claim to ownership.
- Inspection. Form TR-312 says “All antique vehicles 60-years old or newer sold on a bill of sale must obtain an MVE-1”, but the KDOR titling FAQ requires an MVE-1 for any antique of model year 1950 or later bought on a bill of sale. The two official sources do not match: plan on the inspection and confirm with your county treasurer.
- Out-of-state sellers. If the owner is not a Kansas resident and the vehicle is not kept in Kansas, “the ownership of the vehicle must be transferred according to the laws of the seller’s home state of residence.”
- Deadline. The same 60 days, counted from the day the bill of sale was completed.
Gifts and family transfers
For a gift, the KDOR asks for the Vehicle Gift Certification part of Form TR-12, “Affidavit to a Fact”. If the title assignment has a purchase price space, “write the word ‘gift’ in this space.” Between a child, parent, grandchild or grandparent, an Affidavit of Relationship (Form TR-215) can be attached instead of the TR-12.
What to put in a Kansas bill of sale
Form TR-312 asks for the names and addresses, the vehicle year, make and VIN, the price, the date of sale and both signatures. A bill of sale you write yourself should cover them too, and it is worth adding the odometer reading, which Kansas requires on the title assignment.
- Printed name and full address (city, state, ZIP) of every seller and buyer.
- Vehicle year, make and identification number (VIN).
- Purchase price and date of sale.
- The odometer reading (not on Form TR-312, but required on the back of the title).
- Signatures and dates of seller and buyer. A notary is not needed: the KDOR “does not require most title assignments, title applications and bills of sale completed within Kansas to be notarized.”
Common mistakes
- Selling a modern car on Form TR-312 alone. For vehicles under 35 years old, ownership moves only with the assigned title.
- Leaving the plate on the car. It stays with the seller.
- Leaving the price off. The back of the title must show the purchase price. If your title has no price space, the KDOR requires a bill of sale on page 2 of Form TR-12.
- Accepting an open title. The KDOR says: “Never deliver or accept a title that is not completely and properly assigned.” Without a properly assigned title, a buyer may have to go to court to get the vehicle titled.
- Skipping the MVE-1. An out-of-state title, a vehicle bought out of state on a bill of sale, or an antique of model year 1950 or later bought on a bill of sale needs a Kansas inspection first.
- Applying on day 61. The penalty starts then.
Free Kansas bill of sale template
Fill it in online below, or download the 2026 Kansas version in PDF or Word. It has the TR-312 fields, a price statement modeled on TR-312, the odometer reading and a checklist of the KDOR steps after the sale. Nothing is uploaded and there is no signup.
Kansas bill of sale: common questions
Does Kansas require a bill of sale to sell a car?
Not if the title assignment has a space for the purchase price and you fill it in. If it does not, the KDOR asks for a bill of sale on page 2 of Form TR-12. An antique vehicle with no title in the seller’s name is transferred with Form TR-312.
Does a Kansas bill of sale need to be notarized?
No. The KDOR “does not require most title assignments, title applications and bills of sale completed within Kansas to be notarized,” although it “reserves the right to require notarized documentation in unusual circumstances”. The KDOR FAQ lists a release of lien, a Kansas lienholder’s consent and the lienholder’s part of Form TR-42 as documents that must be notarized.
How long do I have to register a car in Kansas after buying it?
Sixty days from the purchase date. A penalty is assessed on and after the 61st day.
What is Form TR-312?
The Kansas Department of Revenue’s bill of sale. It is “an affidavit of the amount of money or value that was exchanged” for the vehicle, and its second section transfers ownership of an antique vehicle when no title is available.
Who keeps the license plate when a car is sold in Kansas?
The seller. The KDOR says to remove it once the title is assigned and the vehicle delivered.
Related
- Bill of sale rules for all 50 states + DC
- Vehicle bill of sale template
- Missouri bill of sale: Forms 1957 and 5049
- Iowa bill of sale: the 30-day transfer and the 5% fee for new registration
How this page was checked
Every requirement and quotation comes from the Kansas Department of Revenue, Division of Vehicles: Form TR-312, Bill of Sale (Rev. 8-22), “Titling a used vehicle” and the titling FAQ and Publication KS-1526, all read in full on ksrevenue.gov.
Last verified: October 2026. We do not advance this date without re-checking the sources. Fees, forms and tax rules are set by the KDOR and can change: confirm with your county treasurer before you go.
LegalTemplateVault is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. Compiled and edited by Daniel Mercer, editor of LegalTemplateVault. He is not an attorney, and neither is anyone else on this site: we compile primary sources and cite them so you can check them yourself.