Bill of sale · Maine

Maine Bill of Sale

Maine sends every buyer to the town office first — where the excise tax runs on the car's original sticker price, not yours. The mandatory bill of sale, the mill-rate arithmetic, and the BMV's part, in order.

The Maine answer

Town office first, BMV second, bill of sale throughout.

The Maine sequence surprises newcomers: excise tax at the town office (MSRP-based, age-discounted), then registration and the 5.5% sales tax, then title work — with the bill of sale required at the start and referenced throughout. Sign it at the handshake, make two copies, and the rest is errands.

Maine official bill of sale, first page — VIN, odometer reading and sale price — Maine’s official bill of sale as the state publishes it. Click to download the full PDF.

Official state form

Maine Bill of Sale — BMV version

Verified Maine BMV copy — the required private-sale document, ready to print and sign.

Download

25-plus-year classic?

Build a photo bill of sale — the title-exempt car’s best record

When no title changes hands, a photo-rich bill of sale is the strongest ownership evidence there is.

Start

Pine Tree questions

Maine specifics, answered.

Is a bill of sale required in Maine?

Yes — Maine requires a bill of sale for private vehicle sales, and it should carry both parties, the vehicle description with VIN, the price, and the date. The state publishes an official form; ours is the verified copy below.

Why does the buyer go to the town office before the BMV?

Because Maine's excise tax is municipal: paid at your town or city office, computed on the vehicle's ORIGINAL MSRP — not what you paid — at 24 mills in year one, declining to 4 mills by year six and beyond. Only after the town stamps the excise paid does the BMV (or a participating town agent) handle registration and title. The excise money stays with the municipality, funding local roads.

So a cheap old car can still owe real excise tax?

Less than you'd fear — the mill rate falls with age, so a six-year-old vehicle pays 4 mills on its original sticker (a $30,000-MSRP car owes $120/year). But yes, the price you negotiated never enters the excise math. Sales tax is separate: 5.5% on the purchase price, collected at first registration.

What about titles and driving the car home?

Maine's title requirement has a rolling age exemption — vehicles more than 25 model years old (currently model year 2000 and older) transfer without a title, on the bill of sale and prior registration. To drive a fresh purchase home, the BMV issues transit plates; don't borrow the seller's plates, which stay with the seller.

Not legal advice. Verified against Maine BMV and municipal excise sources in July 2026 — official links in our 50-state requirements table.

Beyond the family sedan

Whatever's in the driveway or the barn.

The Maine rules above apply to whatever you are selling. Pick the item type to get a form with the right identifying fields on it.