Signing Over A Car
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 301.210 — the assigned certificate passes at delivery, or the sale is presumed fraudulent and void
At delivery. On a sale, the holder of the certificate of ownership endorses an assignment with warranty of title and a statement of all liens, and delivers it to the buyer at the time the vehicle is delivered. The buyer presents it to the director of revenue when applying for registration.
Without it. It is unlawful to buy or sell a vehicle registered in the state unless the assigned certificate passes between the parties at delivery, and a sale without it is presumed fraudulent and void, unless the parties executed a written agreement for delayed delivery as the section allows.
A dealer's thirty days. A dealer may deliver a vehicle with a written agreement to pass the assigned certificate within thirty days. If it does not, the sale is voidable at the purchaser's option and the dealer repurchases the vehicle.
Out of state, or destroyed. If the vehicle is sold to a resident of another state or country, or destroyed or dismantled, the owner immediately notifies the director of revenue.
Fees, taxes, odometer statements and the dealer rules are set out in other sections that are not on this page. Whether a particular sale left the seller liable is a question for a licensed Missouri attorney.
Sources for this section (1)
- Mo. Rev. Stat. § 301.210 — Sale and transfer: the assigned certificate passes at delivery
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Missouri attorney.