Yes. You can get a title notarized without the buyer present, because a notary’s job is to verify one signer’s identity and witness that one person’s signature. The buyer being in the room has nothing to do with whether your signature can be notarized. If the buyer’s signature also needs notarization under your state’s rules, they can handle that separately at their own notary appointment.
Why the Buyer Doesn’t Need to Be There
A notary public does two things when notarizing a vehicle title: confirms that the person signing is who they claim to be, and watches them sign. The notary then applies an official seal and their own signature. That creates a legal record that your signature is authentic, which makes it much harder for anyone to later claim the title was forged or signed under duress.
Notarization does not mean the notary reviewed the deal, approved the price, or verified anything about the vehicle itself. It authenticates one signature. Because the notary is only vouching for the person in front of them, there’s no reason both parties have to appear together, and most notaries wouldn’t handle both signatures in one sitting anyway.
What to Bring to Your Appointment
Show up with the vehicle title and a current, unexpired government-issued photo ID such as a driver’s license or passport. The notary will compare the name and photo on your ID to you, then watch you sign. If the name on the title doesn’t exactly match the ID (a missing middle name, a last name that changed after marriage), some notaries will refuse to proceed until you resolve the discrepancy with the DMV.
You’ll also complete the odometer disclosure section on the title. Federal law requires anyone transferring a vehicle to disclose the current mileage, certify whether it’s accurate, and sign and date that disclosure. 1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 49 U.S. Code 32705 – Disclosure Requirements on Transfer of Motor Vehicles Federal odometer regulations don’t themselves require notarization of the disclosure, but many states fold it into the same notarization that covers your title signature. 2eCFR. 49 CFR Part 580 – Odometer Disclosure Requirements The disclosure includes the mileage at transfer, the date, both parties’ names and addresses, and the vehicle’s VIN, make, model, and year, so bring the buyer’s information with you if you don’t already have it written on the title.
When the Buyer’s Signature Also Needs Notarization
Some states require the buyer’s signature on the title to be notarized as well. When that’s the case, the buyer doesn’t need to be at your appointment. They can go to any notary on their own schedule and have their signature witnessed independently. The notary only cares about the person in front of them.
The real issue is coordination, not logistics inside one notary’s office. If the buyer lives far away or the sale crosses state lines, they’ll find a notary in their area. What matters is that by the time the title reaches the DMV, every signature that’s required to be notarized has been notarized. A title submitted with a missing notarization will be rejected, and fixing it afterward can mean redoing paperwork.
Power of Attorney if Someone Truly Can’t Appear
If one party genuinely cannot get to a notary, a power of attorney may allow someone else to sign on their behalf. Most states offer a specific DMV form for this, sometimes called a limited power of attorney for motor vehicle transactions. The form names a specific individual authorized to sign title documents for the person granting the authority.
A few restrictions to know. The power of attorney usually can’t be assigned to a company without naming a specific individual. For vehicles subject to federal odometer disclosure, some states require a separate “secure” power of attorney form rather than a general one. The power of attorney also becomes invalid if the person who granted it dies. Check your state’s DMV for the correct form and for any notarization requirements on the power of attorney itself, since those vary.
Does Your State Even Require Title Notarization
Not every state requires a notarized title. Roughly a dozen to fifteen states require the seller’s signature to be notarized, including Arizona, Kentucky, Louisiana, Montana, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania. Alaska, Hawaii, Mississippi, Nevada, Washington, and Wyoming also commonly require notarized title signatures.
Many states don’t require notarization at all for a standard private-party sale. Both parties sign the title and the buyer takes it to the DMV. Even where it isn’t legally required, getting your signature notarized adds a layer of protection if a dispute comes up later. Check your state DMV’s website before your appointment, because the cost of showing up without a notarized title when one is required is a wasted trip and a delayed transfer.
Remote Online Notarization
As of early 2025, forty-five states and the District of Columbia have laws authorizing remote online notarization, where the signer appears before the notary through a live video call rather than in person. That sounds like a clean solution for long-distance sales, but acceptance for vehicle titles specifically is a separate question. Many state DMVs still don’t accept remotely notarized titles even when their state otherwise allows remote notarization for other documents.
Before relying on remote online notarization for a title, contact the DMV in the state where the vehicle will be registered and ask directly whether they’ll accept it. The answer varies by state and sometimes by county office. A quick call in advance saves the frustration of having paperwork kicked back.
What Notarization Costs
Most states cap what a notary can charge per signature. Typical fees run around $5 per signature, with state maximums ranging from as low as $2 to as high as $25 or $30. A few states set no maximum, so the fee depends on the notary. Remote online notarization usually costs more, often around $25 per signature where it’s available.
Banks, credit unions, and shipping stores like UPS locations frequently offer notary services, and some banks provide free notarization for account holders. If both your signature and the buyer’s need notarization, each person pays for their own appointment.
File a Release of Liability After You Sign
Signing and handing over the title is only half your job as the seller. The other half, which too many sellers skip, is telling the DMV the vehicle has been sold. Most states have a notice of transfer or release of liability form you can submit online or by mail. Filing it removes you as the registered owner in the state’s records.
Without that notice, you stay on record as the owner even after the buyer drives off. If the buyer never registers the vehicle, and that happens more often than you’d expect, parking tickets, toll violations, or accident liability can land on you. Filing the release costs nothing in most states and takes a few minutes. It’s the single most important thing you can do to protect yourself after signing the title.
A written bill of sale is worth creating even if your state doesn’t require one. It documents the sale price, the date, both parties’ names and contact information, and the vehicle’s details. Keep a copy. If a tax question or a dispute about the sale date comes up later, the bill of sale settles it.