Bill of sale · firearm

Firearm Bill of Sale Form

A written record for a lawful private firearm sale — make, model, caliber, and serial number, with a buyer-eligibility certification printed on the form. Add up to two photos and download a fillable PDF. Confirm your state's transfer rules before you sell.

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Download a blank bill of sale, or build a custom one.

A firearm bill of sale is a written record of a private gun sale — make, model, serial number, caliber, price, and both parties' signatures with an eligibility statement. It documents a lawful transfer for both sides' permanent records.

How do you want to build it?

Download a clean, fillable firearm bill of sale. Type the details in any PDF viewer, or print it and write them by hand.

Not legal adviceThis template is a general record of a private sale — not legal advice. Firearm transfers are governed by federal law and widely varying state and local laws: interstate transfers must go through a licensed dealer (FFL), and some states require a background check or dealer processing for private sales. This form is not a substitute for any required background check, and I understand it is my responsibility to confirm this sale is lawful before completing it.

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Sample

A clean, fillable form — every line is a text field you can type into, or print blank.

Optional add-on

Need it notarized?

Louisiana and West Virginia require it, and a few situations reward it — same form, plus an acknowledgment certificate page.

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Selling in a specific state?

Bill of sale requirements by state

See which states have an official DMV form, which require a notary, and where this free builder is a suitable alternative — all 50 states + DC.

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Private sales & the law

Know the rules before money changes hands.

Three rules of federal law frame every private sale: an interstate transfer — buyer and seller residing in different states — must go through a licensed dealer (FFL); you may never transfer a firearm to anyone you know or have reason to believe is prohibited from possessing one; and federal age minimums apply. On top of that, many states require every private sale to run through a dealer or a background check, and several use purchase permits or firearm-owner ID cards. Check your state’s rules — both parties’ states, if they differ — before completing the sale.

The bill of sale itself is the record-keeping half: copy the serial number exactly as stamped, record the buyer’s ID in the additional-terms box if your state expects it, and keep your signed copy permanently — it documents when the firearm left your possession.

Good records, lawful sales

Why this record protects both of you.

For the seller, this signed page is proof the firearm left your possession on a specific date to a specific person — the thing you want on file if the gun ever surfaces somewhere it should not be. For the buyer, it is provenance: evidence of a lawful purchase at a fair price. Federal law prohibits transferring a firearm to anyone you know or have reasonable cause to believe is prohibited — if anything about the sale feels wrong, the record you want is no record at all: walk away.

Store your copy somewhere permanent. There is no federal registration of private sales, so this document is often the only trace either party holds. Not legal advice — transfer, background-check, and permit rules differ sharply by state, and they change. Verify yours before the sale, every time.

Before the DMV trip

Titling a firearm? Start with your state.

This form works in all fifty states. What changes is what your DMV wants alongside it — notarization, an odometer statement, a filing deadline. Pick your state for the specifics.

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What people ask

Firearm questions, answered.

Is a private firearm sale legal without a dealer?

That depends entirely on your state, and it is the question to resolve before anything else. Some states require every transfer to go through a licensed dealer with a background check; others permit private sales between residents of the same state. Federal law separately prohibits transferring to someone you know or reasonably should know is prohibited from possessing a firearm, and bars most private interstate transfers. Confirm your state's rule first — this document records a sale, it does not authorize one.

What goes on a gun bill of sale?

Make, model, type, caliber or gauge, and the serial number, plus both parties and the price. The serial is the identifying element and should be read off the firearm itself. Many sellers also record the buyer's ID details and have the document notarized; neither is universally required, and both are common practice for good reason.

Does a bill of sale register the firearm to me?

No. Most states maintain no firearm registry at all, so there is generally nothing to register with. What the document does is create a dated record of when the firearm left the seller's possession — which is precisely what a seller wants if that firearm ever surfaces in an investigation.

Should it be notarized?

It is optional in most places and worth doing anyway on a private firearm sale. Notarization does not change the legality of the transfer, but it removes any question about whether the signatures are genuine, and this is the category where that certainty is worth the small cost.

Not legal advice. Titling and registration rules are set by your state — check yours in the list above before finalizing a transfer.