In a private purchase of a vehicle, the car's current owner will sign the title to release the ownership. The soon to be the owner(buyer) will now submit the signed title to the State's Department of Motor Vehicles for the registration process. During this process, DMV will transfer the vehicle's ownership to the buyer. Because the transfer is not immediate, the buyer will be handed over a temporary registration by DMV. Within a month, the new title is given to the buyer. The title transfer is not free, and a registration fee is associated, which the buyer has to bear.
The vehicle title document has many blank lines. If you are buying or selling a car, make sure you or the owner signs the correct line to release the vehicle's ownership. In case, the owner signs the wrong line or make corrections, the transfer process could be delayed, or other complication could occur. However, this can vary according to the rules of each state's DMV.
For ownership transfer, some states require additional documents, such as a bill of sale. A bill of sale is a document that shows the amount the vehicle was bought for. Once DMV has issued a new title, the ownership changes officially.