When you're ready to sell a vehicle registered that visitor.us registered for you, the steps are straightforward - but it’s important to follow Montana DMV rules so that ownership transfers cleanly to the buyer. This guide walks you through exactly what to do.
Locate your Montana title
In order to transfer ownership of your vehicle to a buyer, you must provide them with the vehicle's Montana title.
After we registered your vehicle, we received your vehicle's Montana title, and contacted you to arrange shipment of that document.
If you cannot find your vehicle's Montana title, email us at [email protected] to arrange for a Duplicate Title order.
Complete the Montana Title Assignment
A Review of the Montana Title Form
Below is an example of a Montana vehicle title document (with some fields blurred out):
Front
Note: Montana titles issued after Oct 1, 2025 do not include a Notary block. This is because, as of that date, Montana no longer requires sellers to notarize vehicle titles (even titles issued before that date).
Rear
Before you write on any title
Write-overs, cross-outs, and white-outs may create the need for additional paperwork, delays and fees. Write on titles only after practicing on a separate piece of paper.
While it's important to be careful when writing on a title, mistakes sometimes happen.
If you make a mistake on a title, these are the steps that can be taken to correct an error.
Buyer's information
The buyer's information should be written in blue or black ink the blue area of the Seller Completes in Ink section:
Note: "Print name of buyer" means hand write, as opposed to sign. A printer or typewriter is not required.
Odometer disclosure
If the vehicle is 2011 and newer (and is not a trailer), the seller must write the current odometer reading in the area marked in orange.
If the vehicle is 2010 and older or a trailer, these fields can be left blank.
Seller's signature
The seller must sign and handwrite the seller's name (as it appears in the Registered Owner section of the title) in the red area.
If multiple owners are listed on in the Registered Owner section of the title, all Registered Owners must sign.
As of October 1, 2025, the seller's signature on a Montana title no longer needs to be notarized, so if your vehicle's title has a notary section (marked in yellow), it can be ignored. Montana titles issued after Oct 1, 2025 do not include a Notary block.
For LLC owners
If you own your vehicle through a Montana Limited Liability Company (LLC), then the seller's signature must include the capacity in which the signer is signing.
For example, if your name is John Doe, and your vehicle is registered to Example LLC, you must sign as follows:
Example LLC by /John Doe/, owner
(where /John Doe/ is your signature)
The Rear of the Title (Leave it blank)
The rear of the title is reserved for licensed auto dealer reassignments. Since you're not a licensed auto dealer, leave the rear of the title blank.
Get Paid
When you hand your vehicle's properly signed Montana title to the buyer, the buyer owns the vehicle.
Only hand your vehicle's signed title to a buyer when you have received the proceeds of the sale, or are reasonably confident that you will receive the proceeds.
Document the Transaction with a Bill of Sale (Recommended)
Although providing your vehicle's properly signed Montana title to the buyer is sufficient to transfer ownership, it's best practice to capture a bill of sale between yourself and the buyer.
From the seller's perspective, a bill of sale should document that you are selling the vehicle "As-is," (if you are selling it as-is) and that any issues are the buyer's responsibility to address.
A bill of sale should include:
Vehicle year, make, model, VIN
Sale price
Date of sale
Seller’s name and signature
Buyer’s name and signature
Sale conditions (i.e., "as-is," no warranty, etc.)
Remove Your License Plates from the Vehicle
Montana requires sellers to remove their license plates from the vehicle when they sell it. Why? So that parking tickets, tolls, etc. don't come to the old owner.
Montana requires sellers to remove their license plates from the vehicle when they sell it.
If you do not remove your license plates, you may become liable for tickets and tolls that the buyer incurs.
You're welcome to keep your plates as a souvenir of your visit!
License Plates on the PanAmerican Highway
If you're traveling in Mexico, Central America, or South America, you don't need to worry about the buyer racking up tickets or tolls on your behalf - any tickets or tolls will be due immediately, not sent to the vehicle's registered address to be paid later.
And so, because the vehicle on the PanAm is almost always on a TIP that is tied to the license plates that the vehicle entered the country on - and because switching license plates will cause them to be mis-aligned with the TIP - allowing buyers on the PanAm to keep your plates (at least until they are able to enter a new country and switch onto their own plates) is advisable.
If you're traveling on the PanAm, you can let the buyer keep your plates.
If the plates hold sentimental value, you can always arrange for the buyer to send them to you after switching onto their own plates.
Notify your insurer
After getting paid for the sale of your vehicle, contact your insurer and cancel coverage.
visitor.us does not manage insurance, so this step must be completed directly with your insurance carrier.
What If Your Buyer Is also a visitor.us Customer?
visitor.us can assist your buyer with:
Montana registration
Montana title transfer into their name
Plates and registration documents
If your buyer wants to register with Montana through visitor.us, simply direct them to:
We can take it from there.
Registration is Buyer's Responsibility
It is the buyer's responsibility to register and title the vehicle in their own name.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to notarize anything to sell my vehicle?
No. As of October 1, 2025, Montana no longer requires sellers to notarize a vehicle's title.
Can visitor.us handle the sale for me?
visitor.us is laser-focused on vehicle registrations, so unfortunately, we cannot directly support a purchase/sale transaction.
My buyer needs a temp tag, but not a full registration. Can visitor.us provide a temp tag a-la carte to my buyer?
visitor.us only provides temp tags to customers that purchase our full vehicle registration service.
What if the transaction happens outside of the United States?
The Montana title signing process is identical.
The buyer will use the signed Montana title to import or register the vehicle in their destination country.