• If you are selling your vehicle and cannot find its title, you will need to get a duplicate title at a Secretary of State branch office. 

As seller, complete your part on the title assignment by signing it and adding the:

• Vehicle mileage
• Selling date
• Selling price

Note:   If there is more than one owner named on the front of the title, all owners must sign.

• Check if any liens (such as bank loans) against the vehicle that are noted on the title.  If there is a lien, it must be released by the lienholder in the appropriate signature space.  You also may attach a lien termination statement from the financial institution to the title.
• Have the buyer enter their name, address and signature in the buyer's section on the title document.
• If possible, the buyer and seller should go together to a Secretary of State office to complete the title transfer.

If you are unable to accompany the buyer, maintain a record of the sale for at least 18 months.  The record can be a photocopy of the reassigned title or a form or document that includes the vehicle's year, make, and Vehicle Identification Number, as well as the name, address, driver's license number and signature of the person to whom the vehicle is sold along with its purchase price and date of sale.

Under Michigan law, a seller is not liable for any damages or a violation of the law caused by the buyer if the seller maintains proof of sale.

• Keep the license plate that was on the vehicle you sold.  You may transfer that plate to another vehicle.
• Remember to cancel your insurance on the vehicle that you sold.

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