Free Maine Bill of Sale Template & Generator

Maine Bill of Sale Requirements

Additional Forms Required in Maine

• Application for Title (Form MVT-2) — obtained at a town or BMV branch office, not online
• Maine BMV Motor Vehicle Bill of Sale (official PDF)

Maine is one of the states where the bill of sale is a required registration document, not a courtesy — the BMV lists a signed bill of sale among the items needed to register a vehicle bought from an individual, and publishes its own Motor Vehicle Bill of Sale PDF covering the parties, price, vehicle and VIN, odometer disclosure, lien statement, and signatures. There is no notary block; notarization is not required.

Maine's titling works on a rolling 25-year rule that catches people off guard. As of January 1, 2026, vehicles model year 2001 or newer must be titled, and the cutoff advances one model year every January — 2002 and newer on January 1, 2027, and so on. A vehicle below the cutoff is not titled at all; it transfers on the bill of sale plus the prior registration, which makes a complete, signed bill of sale the load-bearing document for older cars and trucks in Maine.

Two taxes apply, and confusing them is a common mistake. The 5.5% state sales tax is a one-time charge on the purchase price, paid at registration. The municipal excise tax is a separate, recurring annual tax paid to your town office, based on the vehicle's MSRP and age — and it must be paid before the town or BMV will register the vehicle. Budget for both, plus the $33 title fee ($10 more for expedited service).

Maine enforces its paperwork with a $50 penalty when required title documents are not delivered to the Secretary of State within 30 days, so the buyer should not sit on the transfer. The title application itself, Form MVT-2, is not available online — you pick it up and complete it at a town office or BMV branch, which is also where registration happens.

Maine is an inspection state: an annual safety inspection is required statewide through the State Police program's network of roughly 2,600 stations, and Cumberland County vehicles additionally need an emissions (OBD) test. A current inspection sticker is worth confirming before money changes hands, since the buyer will need the vehicle inspected to keep it legally on the road.