Selling your car for cash in Miami: the Florida paperwork

To sell a car in Florida you sign the seller's section of the title, write in the exact mileage, keep your license plate, and let FLHSMV know the car has been sold. If you sell to a licensed dealer, the dealer handles the transfer paperwork. This guide covers what paperwork is needed to sell a car in Florida, whether you sell your car for cash in Miami to a dealer or to a private buyer, in the order you'll do it.

Dealer or private buyer: the paperwork differs

A sale to a licensed motor vehicle dealer and a private sale follow different steps. In a private sale you fill in the title, file the notice of sale and sort out the plate yourself. When a licensed dealer buys the car or takes it in trade, the dealer completes the transfer paperwork, and Florida law does not require a separate notice of sale from you for a sale to or by a licensed dealer (Fla. Stat. 319.22). Either way, keep a copy of the signed title or bill of sale.

What you sign on the Florida title

On a Florida paper title, the seller completes the section on the front called Transfer of Title by Seller: the buyer's name and address, the price, the date, the odometer reading, and your signature. Both the buyer and the seller must acknowledge the odometer disclosure on a title transaction, so write the exact reading from the dashboard, not a rounded figure. The buyer then has 30 days to apply for a new title or pays a late fee.

Electronic title: order the paper before a private sale

A Florida title can be electronic: the record sits in the FLHSMV database and nothing is printed until someone requests it. To sell to a private buyer you need the paper title in hand. If there is no lien on the car you can request it online at the MyDMV Portal for $4.50; it arrives by mail in about 3 to 4 weeks, so order it before you list the car. A trade-in at a Florida dealer is different: you do not need a paper title beforehand.

The plate stays with you

In a Florida sale the license plate stays with the seller, not the vehicle. Take it off before the car leaves. You can move it to another vehicle you own, or surrender it at a driver license office, a motor vehicle service center or a tax collector's office. Do that before you cancel the insurance: Florida requires $10,000 of personal injury protection (PIP) and $10,000 of property damage liability (PDL) on every registered vehicle, and cancelling the policy while the plate is still registered to you can lead to a suspension and reinstatement fees (FLHSMV).

Notice of sale: HSMV 82050, or section 7 of HSMV 82040

Florida asks a seller to notify FLHSMV within 30 days of a sale, with the VIN and the buyer's name and ID. Filing the notice, or delivering the endorsed title, protects you from civil liability if the car is involved in something after it leaves your hands (Fla. Stat. 319.22). Who files it depends on the sale:

• Private sale: you file form HSMV 82050, Notice of Sale, or use the notice of sale printed on the back of the title.
• Trade-in at a licensed dealer: you sign the notice in section 7 of form HSMV 82040 and the dealer files it within 30 days (FLHSMV procedure TL-52).
• Sale to a licensed dealer: the statute does not require a separate notice from the seller for a sale to or by a licensed dealer. Keep your copy of the paperwork all the same.

If there is still a loan on the car

A car with a lien on the title cannot be sold in a private sale until the lien is satisfied and reported to FLHSMV. Trading it in at a licensed Florida dealer is the exception. If that's your case, have the lender's name and your payoff figure ready when you ask for an offer.

Tax when you sell

If you sell a personal car for less than you paid, the loss is not deductible: the IRS says losses from the sale of personal-use property, such as your home or car, aren't tax deductible (Topic 409, reviewed Sep 24 2026). If you sell for more than you paid, ask a tax adviser. Rules change; check the official source or a tax adviser before you rely on any of this.

What to have ready for an offer

Whoever buys the car, dealer or private, have these ready:

• The title, or the lender's name if there is a lien.
• The current registration.
• A government ID that matches the name on the title.
• All the keys.

Get an offer from Xuma

Xuma Auto buys cars in Miami. Send the VIN, the condition and a few photos on the sell or trade page and you get an offer the same day; take it as cash or put it toward a car from us. If you would rather we sell the car on your behalf, consignment is the other route. Questions about your title or lien before you send anything? Ask us.