Selling a Vehicle FAQs
Answers to common questions about selling a vehicle in the US as a non-US resident.
What do I need to do to transfer ownership of the vehicle to a new owner?
In order to transfer your vehicle to a new owner, you must sign and notarize your Montana title.
A notary public is an official who verifies the identities of document signers and witnesses their signatures, countersigning and stamping (notarizing) the document.
You can Google “notary near me” to find one close by. You might call ahead and ask whether a foreign photo ID is acceptable, as some national chains require US ID.
If you’re selling your vehicle to a dealership, they will have a notary on staff to complete your title notarization.
How should I document the sale of my vehicle to a new owner?
Legally, signing the title is the only thing required to transfer a vehicle to a new owner.
It’s often wise, however, to document that you’re selling your vehicle “as-is” with no warranty, to prevent the buyer from claiming that you said the vehicle is guaranteed to be perfect, gets 100 miles per gallon, can fly, etc.
A simple Bill of Sale will accomplish this.
How do I receive funds when I sell my vehicle?
If you are selling to a private party, they can pay you however you both agree.
If you are selling to a dealership, they may have certain requirements - a common one is payment to a US bank account.
You can set up a US bank account online with Wise. (Their foreign exchange fees are 2-4x lower than traditional banks, which makes transfer back to your home currency cost-effective).
The dealership I want to sell my vehicle to must make payment to the owner listed on the title, which is my Limited Liability Company. It doesn’t have a bank account. What should I do?
Most dealerships can make payment to a documented agent of the company.
Your Limited Liability Company’s Articles of Organization are often sufficient to prove that you’re an agent of the company.
If the dealership cannot make this work, you can use visitor.us as a middleman: sign and send the title to visitor.us, and we’ll sign and send it back to the buyer.
We’ll forward your funds to you upon receipt, less $250 in service fees.
Be sure to ask the selling dealer about their payment requirements before committing to sell them your vehicle.
What should I do with my license plates when I sell my vehicle?
Remove your license plates from your vehicle when you sell it - the plates are yours to keep!
If you let the new owner keep your plates, they may incur tickets and/or tolls that you might become responsible for.
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