Illinois Bill of Sale — Free Template & Generator
Illinois does not send private sellers to a notary. Section 3-112 of the Vehicle Code asks for one thing at the moment the car changes hands — the assignment and warranty of title, executed to the buyer in the space on the certificate — and then gives the buyer 20 days to apply to the Secretary of State. The bill of sale is the price-and-mileage record behind that application.
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- Illinois pre-selected
How it works
- 01 Illinois is already selected
The governing-law clause names the state; change it only if the sale happens elsewhere.
- 02 Enter the item and the parties
Vehicle, boat or general item — VIN and odometer, or HIN — plus price, payment method, seller and buyer.
- 03 Review clause by clause
The as-is terms, the seller’s title warranty and, for vehicles, the federal odometer statement.
- 04 Download, then file Illinois’s paperwork
Word & PDF on your device; the state steps and forms are listed below, each cited to the source.
What Illinois actually requires
Illinois rules for a private sale
Last verified September 6, 2026- What the seller must do Assign the title at delivery
“If an owner transfers his interest in a vehicle, other than by the creation of a security interest, at the time of the delivery of the vehicle he shall execute to the transferee an assignment and warranty of title in the space provided on the certificate of title, or as the Secretary of State prescribes, and cause the certificate and assignment to be mailed or delivered to the transferee or to the Secretary of State.” The timing word matters: at the time of delivery, not afterwards.
- Buyer’s deadline 20 days
The transferee “shall, promptly and within 20 days after delivery to him of the vehicle and the assigned title, execute the application for a new certificate of title in the space provided therefor on the certificate or as the Secretary of State prescribes, and cause the certificate and application to be mailed or delivered to the Secretary of State.” The 20 days run from delivery of both the vehicle and the assigned title.
- Notarisation Not required by § 3-112
Section 3-112 sets out the whole private-transfer sequence — assignment on delivery, mailing or delivery of the certificate, the buyer’s 20-day application — and nowhere in it requires an oath, an acknowledgment or a notary. Illinois neighbours differ sharply here: Pennsylvania and Missouri both make the assignment a sworn document, so an out-of-state title arriving in Illinois may still carry a notarial block that its own state required.
- Odometer Federal disclosure at transfer
Mileage disclosure comes from federal rule rather than the Illinois Vehicle Code: the transferor must disclose the mileage on transfer of ownership, and the title issued to the buyer must contain what the transferor disclosed. Vehicles over 16,000 lb GVWR and vehicles that are not self-propelled are exempt outright, and there is an age exemption of 20 years for model year 2011 and later.
How this document fits Illinois’s paperwork
Official form: Illinois has no separate state bill-of-sale form in the transfer chain. 625 ILCS 5/3-112(a) moves ownership through the assignment and warranty of title executed in the space provided on the certificate of title, or as the Secretary of State prescribes; the buyer’s side is the application for a new certificate under § 3-112(b).
Fill this in at the kitchen table before the keys move: it fixes the price, the date, the VIN and the odometer in one document that both sides sign. Then complete the assignment on the title itself, which is what § 3-112(a) requires at the moment of delivery, and get the application to the Secretary of State inside the 20 days § 3-112(b) allows. Keep your copy — the price on the bill of sale is what a later tax or lien question will be measured against.
FAQ
Illinois bill of sale questions
- Does Illinois require a bill of sale to sell a car?
- The transfer provision, 625 ILCS 5/3-112, moves ownership through the assignment and warranty of title on the certificate — it does not require a separate bill of sale. Sellers still write one because it is the only document that records the price and the mileage in the parties’ own words, signed by both.
- Does an Illinois bill of sale need to be notarized?
- Section 3-112 does not ask for a notary anywhere in the private-transfer sequence. Notarising it is optional; if the buyer or seller lives in a state that notarises title assignments, doing it anyway avoids an argument later.
- How long do I have to transfer a title in Illinois?
- 20 days. § 3-112(b) says the transferee shall, promptly and within 20 days after delivery of the vehicle and the assigned title, execute the application for a new certificate and get it to the Secretary of State.
- What if the seller keeps the title and promises to send it?
- § 3-112(a) requires the certificate and assignment to be mailed or delivered to the transferee or to the Secretary of State at the time of delivery of the vehicle — the title is meant to move with the car. A bill of sale showing the date, price and VIN is what a buyer left waiting has to work with, so make sure it is signed before money changes hands.
- Is this legal advice?
- No. Free Contract Generator provides self-help templates and general information, not legal advice, and no attorney-client relationship is created. Vehicle-transfer rules are set by each state and change; confirm the current rule with the agency cited and consult a licensed attorney for advice about your situation.