Does a bill of sale need to be notarized, and can electronic notarization actually handle it? In nearly every state, no – a bill of sale is legally valid with just buyer and seller signatures, no notary required. Louisiana is the main exception. its Office of Motor Vehicles requires a notarized bill of sale or invoice to title a used vehicle. Where notarization is required or simply preferred for extra protection, you can complete it online in about 10 minutes through a live video session with a commissioned notary.
Does a Bill of Sale Need to Be Notarized?
In the vast majority of states, no – a bill of sale is legally binding with just the buyer’s and seller’s signatures. Louisiana is the main exception. the Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles requires an original notarized bill of sale or invoice to title a used vehicle.
Even where it isn’t required, notarizing a bill of sale adds a layer of protection. it confirms both parties’ identities at the time of signing, which matters if the sale is ever disputed later – particularly for higher-value items like vehicles, boats, or business equipment.
How Do You Notarize a Bill of Sale With Electronic Notarization?
Electronic notarization lets you complete a bill of sale notarization entirely online. upload the document, verify your identity, connect live with a commissioned notary over video, sign, and receive the notarized file – typically within about 10 minutes.
- Fill out your bill of sale completely before your session, don’t sign it yet.
- Upload the document to your notarization platform of choice.
- Verify your identity with a government ID scan and a knowledge-based or biometric check.
- Join a live video session where a commissioned notary witnesses both parties’ signatures.
- Receive your notarized bill of sale, complete with a tamper-evident digital certificate.
If both buyer and seller need to sign, most platforms support scheduling both parties into the same session or notarizing sequentially, depending on availability.
Which States Actually Require a Notarized Bill of Sale?
Louisiana is the main state that requires the bill of sale itself to be notarized, through its Office of Motor Vehicles used-vehicle titling rules. A separate group of states requires notarization on the vehicle title instead of a different document that’s often confused with the bill of sale.
| Document | Notarization Requirement | States |
| Bill of sale itself | Original notarized bill of sale or invoice required by the Louisiana OMV to title a used vehicle | Louisiana (main state) |
| Vehicle title (separate document) | Seller’s signature on the title itself must be notarized – a different document from the bill of sale | Arizona, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Wyoming |
| Bill of sale, most states | No notarization required, though signatures from both parties are still needed | Remaining states |
If you’re selling a vehicle, check whether your state’s requirement applies to the bill of sale, the title, or neither – conflating the two is one of the most common mistakes people make when preparing a vehicle sale.
Bill of Sale vs. Vehicle Title Notarization. What’s the Difference?
A bill of sale is a separate receipt-style document recording the terms of a sale; a vehicle title is the state-issued ownership document itself. Notarization requirements for each are tracked independently, and a state can require one without requiring the other, which is exactly the case in most of the nine states with a title-notarization rule.
Ohio and Kentucky, for example, only require the seller’s signature on the title to be notarized; the bill of sale itself carries no such requirement in either state. Getting this distinction right avoids notarizing the wrong document, or worse, submitting an unnotarized title when your state’s DMV requires one.
How Much Does It Cost to Notarize a Bill of Sale Online?
BlueNotary, an online notarization platform, charges $25 for one signer and one stamp. A bill of sale usually has two signers, the buyer and the seller, so the typical price is $30 ($25 plus $5 for the extra signer). Each additional stamp is $8. Sessions typically take about 10 minutes.
Need a properly formatted document to start with? BlueNotary’s bill of sale templates cover the fields most states and buyers expect, before you notarize.
For volume sales or dealership accounts, the pricing page lists the plans. For sellers and dealerships, Business Pro costs $47 per seat per month for teams that use their own notaries, with $10 sessions and $0 for additional stamps.
For a one-off sale, remote online notarization is generally the fastest way to get a bill of sale notarized without a trip anywhere.
Have a question about a document in another language? Email BlueNotary at [email protected] and the team will help.
FAQ Section
1. Does a bill of sale need to be notarized?
In most states, no – buyer and seller signatures are enough. Louisiana is the main exception, where its Office of Motor Vehicles requires a notarized bill of sale or invoice.
2. Can you notarize a bill of sale with electronic notarization?
Yes, in states that authorize remote online notarization. The process typically takes about 10 minutes, including identity verification.
3. Is a notarized bill of sale the same as a notarized title?
No. A bill of sale and a vehicle title are different documents, and some states require notarization on one but not the other – always check which applies to you.
4. Which states require a notarized vehicle title?
Arizona, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Wyoming require notarization on the title itself, not the bill of sale.
5. Should I notarize a bill of sale even if my state doesn’t require it?
It’s optional but often worthwhile – notarization confirms both parties’ identities and can help resolve disputes later, especially for high-value items.
6. How much does it cost to notarize a bill of sale online?
BlueNotary charges $25 for one signer and one stamp, plus $8 for each additional stamp and $5 for each additional signer. A bill of sale usually has two signers, so the typical price is $30. Sessions typically take about 10 minutes.
