When you sell your vehicle through a private sale, it’s the buyer’s responsibility to complete the transfer of ownership. You sign that title over and have faith that the buyer will get vehicle insurance in their name, take the title, and head to DMV to legally move the vehicle out of your name! That’s a lot of pressure!
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In California, you can take it one step further than faith. Submitting a Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability or “NRL” will (at least) let the DMV know you’ve sold the car and no longer wish to be held responsible for any accidents, citations or criminal actions associated with the car. Ah…peace of mind!
An NRL lets the California DMV know that you’re no longer responsible for parking/traffic violations or civil or criminal actions associated with the vehicle after the date of sale
Disclaimer: An NRL doesn’t take you all the way to the finish line
The Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability doesn’t constitute a title transfer. The buyer still needs to complete the transfer in person at DMV (or online with eTags) but we can get into that later. The NRL is simply a heads up if you will. It alerts the DMV that a transfer is coming and that you want out!.
From the date of sale, although your name will not be permanently removed from the record, you’ll be clear of any traffic violations, parking violations, or anything illegal the new owner gets into involving the car. Also, be assured, you won’t receive any further registration renewal notices in the mail for the vehicle.
SEE ALSO: California PNO Filing If Your car Won’t Be Driven For An Entire Registration Year
Only the buyer’s application for transfer, after you’ve signed the title, can remove your name from the vehicle record.
What do you need to complete an NRL?
You’ve got five days after the vehicle is in possession of the new owner to submit the notice of liability. The task is completed online at dmv.ca.gov. You’re going to need a few things:
- A description of the vehicle including the license plate number, VIN
- Make, model year
- Current mileage
- Date of sale
- The name and address of the buyer
If you can’t submit all of that information, the DMV doesn’t guarantee the release of liability; the NRL. After you complete the application online, you can print a confirmation for your records. It usually takes just one business day for the state to update the records when you complete the application online.
If you prefer to fill out the form and mail it in, that’s an option as well. You can download form REG138 ( Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability ) complete and mail it to the address listed on the form. The downside here is that if anything is missing or incorrect, you won’t know immediately as it will take some time for DMV to receive and process the document.
You can get a copy of the NRL by completing a “Request for Record Information” (INF70) and mail to the address listed on form
How do you know the DMV has accepted your release of liability?
A major key is your renewal notice. If you still get a registration renewal notice in the mail, this is a pretty good indication that the DMV either didn’t receive your NRL or it was incomplete. Keep in mind, registration renewal notices are computer-generated and they go out at least 60 days before your vehicle registration expires.
If you submitted your NRL by mail and still received a renewal notice, wires may have been crossed. Simply submit another NRL to be sure it’s received. If you completed your NRL online, just print your confirmation page for your records.
The California DMV won’t update the vehicle record if the transfer date is missing from the Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability (REG138)
It’s important to remember that the transfer of ownership is not complete until the buyer takes the title to a local DMV office and submits it for title transfer. If you’re eager to make sure your liability is fully relinquished, recommend etags.com to your buyer.
eTags can process title transfers and registrations quickly online. The easy-to-use website would securely collect all of the information needed to complete the transfer and then they’ll provide you with paid shipping labels to send all your forms in. You’ll get the peace of mind that your vehicle gets transferred out of your name and you’re officially no longer liable!
20 comments
What if the NRL is not filed within the 5 days, but was filed 30 days later?
5 days is just a recommendation to protect the seller from citations or accidents. So , if nothing happened then it doesn’t matter when it was filed. There is no recourse for turning in the NRL after 5 days.
I just recently completed and submitted a transfer of liability form. The guy who gave me the information for the form was the brother. Does the buyer info on the Transfer of Liability form have to match the Title of transfer form?
If you’re asking if the new owner’s name has to match their title transfer then yes. The NRL also asks for their address.
I had a couple from Tustin CA come to SD to buy my car one year ago, i filed the release of liability and took it to the dmv that day, after the purchase the buyer has gotten several tickets which have been mailed to me adding up to 400 dlls, I’ve answered the mails with proof (NRL) and called the number of citation letters and still give me no solution, after a year I’m still getting these notices. What can I do? Can’t afford to pay for someone else’s mistakes.
I would head to DMV personally to handle the matter. Make sure to bring your proof of NRL although this doesn’t completely abxolve you of all responsibility. The buyer needs to transfer the title out of their name.
I had a guy pick up my car to get junked but a year later the car got in an accident and I was responsible for damages the car was never junked and I unfortunately didn’t ever filled out the NRL what can I do so the car will no longer be on my name?
It’s unfortunate that you never filled out the NRL, at this point the only thing you can do is go and report it to the California DMV. The sooner you tell them you don’t own the car, the better!
Title transfer question: What if I am the buyer, the owner has filled out the online NRL, but they did not fill out any info or sign the actual pink slip, can I still transfer it to me? Here is the scenario: the owner of the vehicle is a family friend that I purchased the car from. She was in the process of moving and could not find the pink slip. So she released liability online when I took possession before she left. She just found the pink slip and mailed it to me, but she did not sign it or fill out the info. Can the vehicle still be transferred over because of the NRL or do I have to have signatures on the pink slip in order to get it transfers?
You will need to have the title signed over to you in order to transfer it to your name. The NRL protects the seller, not necessarily the buyer.
What if I got the buyers name and ID number and date of transfer but didn’t get their address ?
Hi Latyra,
Unfortunately, you’ll need all the vital pieces of information in order for your NRL to be valid. Best option? Grab a photo of the buyer’s ID!
A friend sold my vehicle in December 2021. He signed the pink slip over to the buyer and supposedly sent in the transfer paperwork to DMV, Calif. The buyer never registered it and now I am getting toll violations and parking tickets and my name is still on the title. What recourse do I have. Oh and the friend doesn’t have the new buyers information anymore….
Hi Lynette. Sorry to hear of the trouble you’re having! I would certainly take a trip to DMV in order to rectify this problem. If you have even a bit of information about the buyer, it might help. Good luck!
What if the buyer provided a wrong name and address?
It might be a good idea to take a photo or get a copy of the license from your buyer!
What can I do if the buyer didn’t transfer the tile and disappeared? I did release the liability but carfax still shows my name in the title.
As long as you released the liability you are good. Unfortunately you cant make the buyer do a title transfer. But if the release was processed in the DMV system you are not liable.
If the NRL had the buyer’s information incorrect, but the vehicle record was later updated anyway, does the updated vehicle record with the new owner make the incorrect NRL obsolete?
Only the buyer’s application for transfer, using the endorsed title received from customer.seller, can remove name from the vehicle record.To officially remove anyone from the records it needs the Title transfer. The NRL its just to notify DMV that you sold your car. Should you need a title transfer online