Free Mississippi Bill of Sale Template & Generator

Mississippi Bill of Sale Requirements

Additional Forms Required in Mississippi

• Application for Certificate of Title (Form 78-002)

Mississippi runs vehicle transfers through the county Tax Collector's office, not a central DMV, and the deadline is 30 business days from purchase — a rule that replaced the state's older, much-repeated 7-day window. If you buy a vehicle outside your home county, you get 48 hours to transport it home, and then the 30-business-day clock to title and register applies. Missing the registration window triggers penalties that start at 5% and escalate by 5% every 30 days to a 25% cap.

The use tax is tiered by vehicle type and, importantly, assessed on the net price. Cars and trucks under 10,000 lbs GVW are taxed at 5% of the purchase price after dealer discounts and trade-ins; trucks over 10,000 lbs are taxed at 3%. The tax is collected at the Tax Collector's office when the buyer titles the vehicle, and Mississippi gives no credit for sales tax paid to another state — a detail that surprises people moving in with a recently purchased car.

Titling is inexpensive: the standard certificate of title is $9, or $39 for a Fast Track title processed within 72 hours. First-time registration adds $14 (renewals are $12.75). Mississippi has titled motor vehicles since 1969, so nearly every car and truck on the road is titled; pre-1969 vehicles may be titled voluntarily, and since 1999 trailers over 5,000 lbs GVW and manufactured homes must be titled. The buyer's title application is Form 78-002 — not Form 78-006, which is the replacement-title application (a common mix-up).

The seller has one Mississippi-specific duty that protects them directly: remove the license plate at the time of transfer and surrender it to the Tax Collector's office. Once the plate is surrendered, the state no longer shows the vehicle as currently registered to you, which cuts off liability for whatever the buyer does next. Notarization is not required anywhere in the process — both parties simply sign the title assignment and the bill of sale, and keep their copies.