Georgia title and registration, step by step

Which forms, which fees and which deadlines. For a car bought in the state and for one you bring from another.

In Georgia the title is issued by Georgia Department of Revenue — Motor Vehicle Division (GA DOR MVD). Georgia issues a paper title. The seller signs the assignment on the back of the title and hands it to you; you take that title to the Tag Office. A title's status (and any lien) can be checked online at DRIVES e-Services.

Where it happens. At the County Tag Office of the county where you live, run by the county Tax Commissioner. The state (DOR) does not handle titles at a counter, except the Salvage Unit by mail. Confirm the deadline and the event that starts it for your transaction: a purchase, receipt of the signed title or a move into the state can have different rules. Late-fee information in the state sources: $10.

Case 1: you bought a car in Georgia (private seller)

What the seller hands you

• The title with the transfer section completed: your name and address, sale price, date, odometer reading and the seller's signature (both owners if two names are joined by "and").
• If there was a loan: a lien release from the bank, or the lien already removed from the title.
• A bill of sale with VIN, price and signatures. You need it for the sales tax.

What you bring to the office

• The state forms (below), completed.
• The signed title and the bill of sale.
• Applicable insurance or financial-responsibility documents: 25/50/25: $25,000 bodily injury per person, $50,000 per accident and $25,000 property damage. Georgia is an at-fault state (no no-fault). Your insurer reports the policy to the state electronically; letting it lapse costs $25 plus reinstatement fines.
• Valid photo ID.
• Payment: title, registration, plate and sales tax if not paid yet.

Case 2: you bring a car from another state

• Everything above, plus: If the car was never registered in Georgia, a Georgia law enforcement officer must inspect the VIN and sign Form T-22B; the officer also checks the stolen-vehicle files (GCIC/NCIC).
• The original out-of-state title (or the bank's letter if it holds it for the loan).
• Tax: Georgia has no sales tax on cars: it charges a one-time Title Ad Valorem Tax (TAVT) of 7.0% on the market value set by the state, not on the price you paid. Paid when you apply for title at the Tag Office (the dealer files it for you). On a private sale there is no trade-in credit; with a dealer there is. New resident: 3%. Transfer between immediate family with TAVT already paid: 0.5% (MV-16). After that, no annual value tax.

Forms

• MV-1 — Motor Vehicle Title/Tag Application
• T-22B — Certification of Inspection by a Georgia law enforcement officer (out-of-state car)
• T-7 — Bill of Sale
• MV-18J — Application for Voluntary Registration Cancellation (seller)
• T-22R — Request for Inspection of a Rebuilt Motor Vehicle
• T-129 — Labor and Parts Certification (rebuild)

Fees — confirm current amounts (GA DOR MVD)

Amounts come from the linked state sources and can change. This guide distinguishes source checkpoints from narrow claim reviews; confirm the total for your transaction before you go. A dash means an amount has not been confirmed here.

Sales tax

Georgia has no sales tax on cars: it charges a one-time Title Ad Valorem Tax (TAVT) of 7.0% on the market value set by the state, not on the price you paid. Paid when you apply for title at the Tag Office (the dealer files it for you). On a private sale there is no trade-in credit; with a dealer there is. New resident: 3%. Transfer between immediate family with TAVT already paid: 0.5% (MV-16). After that, no annual value tax.

If you sell: protect yourself

Listed seller-notice or transfer document: MV-18J (Application for Voluntary Registration Cancellation) o en línea en DRIVES e-Services; placa: T-158 si la entregas. Check its conditions and the state process below. The plate belongs to the seller: they remove it and move it to the next car, keep it or surrender it to the DOR (T-158). The seller must cancel the registration (online or with MV-18J) BEFORE canceling insurance, or fines follow. The buyer signs the title assignment with the seller, brings proof of insurance and goes to the Tag Office within 7 days. Watch a real conflict between two official pages of the same DOR: the casual-sale page says title and registration must be completed within 7 days of the purchase date, while the fee schedule says you have 30 days to apply for the title and charges the $10 penalty only after day 30. Use the 7 days, the shorter deadline. Georgia also issues no temporary operating permit (TOP) to a private buyer: the DOR lets only the dealer that sold the car issue one, so plan how to move the car. Keep copies of the title, filed notices and handover date to answer later registration, toll or ownership questions.

Mistakes that cost

• Missing the deadline. Check the deadline and consequence for your transaction; filing periods and penalties do not all start from the same event.
• Title with cross-outs or correction fluid. Ask the issuing agency which correction or replacement document it accepts before using it.
• Buying with an "open" title (signed by a previous owner, not the person selling to you). Confirm the ownership chain and the documents the agency requires before paying.
• Showing up without in-state insurance. Confirm the insurance or financial-responsibility documents required for your situation.