How To Transfer a Car Title to a Family Member in Maine in 2026

The Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) administers motor vehicle titling and registration, including title transfers between family members in Maine. A transfer of ownership must be documented under 29-A §662, which requires the owner to execute an assignment and warranty of title at the time the vehicle is delivered. Maine also imposes a $50 penalty if a required title application or other title document is not delivered to the Secretary of State within 30 days of the transfer.

What Does Transferring a Car Title to a Family Member in Maine Mean?

In Maine, a certificate of title is the State's legal record of ownership for a titled vehicle. Ownership is not fully updated in the State’s records until the existing title has been properly assigned, the application for a new title has been accepted, and a replacement title record has been issued in the recipient’s name through the Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Maine’s regular title processing time is 14 business days, excluding mailing time.

Maine uses a hybrid titling system. Paper certificates of title remain in use for owners, and the BMV also administers an optional Electronic Lien Titling program for participating lenders. Under this program, lien and title information may be held electronically while a lien is active, and the BMV prints and mails a paper title to the owner after an electronic lien release. Title applications are processed through the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, and the standard title application is obtained from branch offices, town offices, or the Title Unit in Augusta rather than through a public online download.

A transfer between family members may be completed as a gift with no consideration or as a private sale for an agreed amount. Each transfer structure has different consequences under Maine tax law and registration procedures.

Eligible Family Members for Title Transfers in Maine

Maine does not provide a general family-relationship rule that exempts all transfers between relatives from tax. Instead, the tax result depends on the substance of the transaction. Maine Revenue Services explains in Instructional Bulletin No. 42 that a true gift is not taxable because it is not a sale. The same guidance states that a transfer becomes taxable if the recipient gives consideration, including assumption of a loan balance, and that family relationships alone do not remove tax from a taxable transfer of equity.

For sale transactions, Maine collects 5.5% sales and use tax at the time of original registration. Tax is due on the vehicle's purchase price when it is registered. A genuine gift is exempt only if no consideration is paid.

Common family relationships for which transfers are routinely processed include:

• Spouses
• Parents and children
• Stepparents and stepchildren
• Grandparents and grandchildren
• Siblings
• In-laws
• Other relatives

Standard titling requirements apply regardless of the parties’ relationship. If a vehicle has an active lien, lienholder involvement or formal lien release documentation is required before the transfer can be completed.

How To Transfer a Car Title as a Gift to a Family Member in Maine

Step 1 — Verify the title record and lien status.
The transferor should review the current certificate of title to confirm that the vehicle is titled in the transferor’s name and that no active lien remains unreleased. If a lien has been satisfied, the lienholder may execute a release on MVT-12 or release the lien electronically through the Bureau’s electronic lien process.

Step 2 — Complete the title assignment.
At the time of delivery, the transferor must complete the assignment section of the certificate of title. The assignment should include the recipient’s printed name and current address, the date of transfer, the odometer reading if required, the notation that the transfer is a gift or that no consideration was paid, and the transferor’s signature. If additional mileage disclosure is needed, Maine provides MVT-32.

Step 3 — Prepare a bill of sale.
Maine’s registration instructions for private transfers require a signed Motor Vehicle Bill of Sale. For a gift transaction, the bill of sale should identify the year, make, model, and VIN, list both parties, state the transfer date, and indicate that the vehicle was transferred with no sale price.

Step 4 — Obtain the title application and tax certificate.
The recipient must complete the standard MVT-2, which Maine makes available through town offices, branch offices, and the Title Unit in Augusta. The recipient should also complete the current Use Tax Certificate to document the claimed gift exemption during original registration.

Step 5 — Submit the title and registration materials.
The recipient should present the assigned title, completed MVT-2, bill of sale, proof of insurance, municipal excise tax receipt, and registration paperwork through the appropriate municipal office or BMV branch.

Step 6 — Register the vehicle in the recipient’s name.
Registration must be completed in the recipient’s name after payment of municipal excise tax and the applicable registration fee. Proof of insurance is also required as part of the registration process.

How To Transfer a Car Title as a Sale to a Family Member in Maine

Step 1 — Complete the title assignment with the agreed purchase price.
The transferor must complete the assignment section on the certificate of title and enter the buyer’s printed name and address, the date of transfer, the purchase price, the odometer disclosure if required, and the transferor’s signature.

Step 2 — Prepare a written bill of sale.
A signed bill of sale should identify the vehicle by VIN, year, make, and model. It should include the names and addresses of both parties, the date of sale, and the agreed price. Maine’s official Motor Vehicle Bill of Sale form may be used for this purpose.

Step 3 — Resolve any lien shown on the title record.
If a lien is recorded on the title, the lienholder must release that interest before the transfer may be processed as a clear change of ownership. Maine accepts release documentation through MVT-12 and through its electronic lien system for participating lenders.

Step 4 — Complete the title and tax forms.
The buyer must obtain the MVT-2 title application from a town office or BMV branch and must complete the Use Tax Certificate required for a casual sale registration.

Step 5 — Submit the transfer package.
The buyer must submit the assigned title, bill of sale, completed title application, proof of insurance, municipal excise tax receipt, and registration documents through the office handling the registration. These items are required by the BMV for a vehicle acquired in a private sale.

Step 6 — Pay tax and registration fees.
For a sale transfer, Maine collects a 5.5% sales and use tax on the purchase price at the time of original registration. The applicable registration fee is collected at the same time.

What Documents Are Needed To Transfer a Car Title to a Family Member in Maine

Required for all transfers:

• Current certificate of title — The existing title must be properly assigned to the recipient and must reflect the information required for the ownership transfer.
• MVT-2 title application — The standard application for a certificate of title is required for titled vehicles and is obtained from a branch office, town office, or the Title Unit in Augusta.
• Proof of insurance — Maine requires proof of insurance for registration of a privately transferred passenger vehicle.
• Municipal excise tax receipt and registration paperwork — Original registration requires payment of municipal excise tax before registration can be issued.
• Odometer disclosure — Mileage disclosure must appear on the title or on MVT-32 if a supplemental disclosure form is needed.

Required for sale transfers:

• Bill of sale — A written bill of sale documents the transaction terms, including the vehicle description, VIN, parties, date, and purchase price.

Required in specific circumstances:

• Use Tax Certificate — Maine requires this certificate for casual sales and for transactions in which a tax exemption, including a true gift exemption, is claimed at original registration.
• Lien release documentation — If a lien appears on the title, evidence of release is required before the title can be transferred free of that lien.
• MVT-8 duplicate title request — If the original title has been lost, destroyed, or damaged before transfer, MVT-8 may be required so that a valid title document is available for reassignment.

How To Transfer a Car Title to a Family Member Online in Maine

A standard private-party title transfer in Maine, including a transfer between family members, cannot be completed entirely online. The State does not provide the standard MVT-2 title application as a public online form, and the recipient must complete the title and registration process through the appropriate municipal office or Bureau branch.

What's the Cost To Transfer a Car Title to a Family Member in Maine?

The Bureau publishes title charges on its Title Fees page, and annual plate charges appear on the State’s Registration Fees schedule.

Title and Transfer Fees

Registration Fees

Maine Sales and Use Tax (for sale transfers)

Maine collects 5.5% sales and use tax on the purchase price of a vehicle acquired in a private sale, and that tax is paid as part of the original registration process. Municipalities do not impose a separate local sales tax on the vehicle transfer itself, but the municipal excise tax remains a separate prerequisite to registration.

A true gift is not taxable if no consideration is paid. If the recipient assumes a loan balance or otherwise gives consideration, the transfer becomes taxable.

Contact Information

Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles
29 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333-0029
Phone: (207) 624-9000
Official Website: Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles