How To Transfer a Car Title to a Family Member in South Carolina in 2026

The South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles (SCDMV) handles the transfer of a motor vehicle title to a family member in South Carolina. The SCDMV administers the title record, registration record, official forms, and fee schedules used for private transfers between individuals.

A family transfer may be processed as a gift or a sale, but the legal steps remain governed by South Carolina title law and SCDMV filing requirements. Under S.C. Code § 56-19-360, the transferee must apply promptly for a new certificate of title after delivery, and SCDMV’s current Form 400 instructions state that registration penalties apply after 45 days from the purchase date or the date the vehicle was first operated in South Carolina.

What Does Transferring a Car Title to a Family Member in South Carolina Mean?

A car title transfer between family members changes the legal owner of record in SCDMV’s vehicle files. In South Carolina, the certificate of title is the state's ownership document for titled vehicles, and it serves as prima facie evidence of the facts shown on the certificate under S.C. Code § 56-19-320.

Until the current title is properly assigned and the SCDMV issues a new title in the family member’s name, the present titled owner remains the owner of record. South Carolina’s voluntary transfer law requires the current owner to execute an assignment of title at delivery and requires the transferee to submit the title and application for a new certificate promptly after the vehicle is delivered. SCDMV uses the Title and/or Registration Application Form (Form 400) to process that change.

Eligible Family Members for Title Transfers in South Carolina

South Carolina provides special tax treatment for some family transfers, but that treatment is limited. For private-party transfers, the infrastructure maintenance fee exemption for immediate family applies only to the relationships listed in S.C. Code § 56-3-627: spouse, parents, children, sisters, brothers, grandparents, and grandchildren.

As a practical matter, the family transfers most often processed by SCDMV involve spouses, parents and children, siblings, and grandparents and grandchildren. More remote relatives, including aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, and in-laws, are not included in the statute’s immediate-family definition for that exemption. SCDMV also allows exemption claims for bona fide gifts and certain probate-based transfers, but those categories must be claimed on the application and supported as required by SCDMV.

How To Transfer a Car Title as a Gift to a Family Member in South Carolina

Step 1 — Confirm That the Title Can Be Assigned
The current owner should confirm that the vehicle is titled in that owner’s name and that any lien has been satisfied or properly addressed. If a lien remains on record, SCDMV will not issue a clear title until the lien is released or the lien information is carried forward as required on the application. The transferor’s duty to assign title at delivery is outlined in Buying or Selling a Car.

Step 2 — Complete the Title Assignment and the State Application
The current owner must sign over the certificate of title to the family member receiving the vehicle. South Carolina’s private-transfer guidance requires the reverse side of the title to show the odometer reading at the time of transfer, the purchase date, and the selling price; for a true gift, the transfer details should be completed in a manner consistent with the no-payment arrangement. The recipient must also complete Form 400, using the exemption area when the transfer qualifies as an immediate-family transfer or a bona fide gift.

Step 3 — Complete the Odometer Disclosure Correctly
South Carolina and federal law require mileage disclosure for non-exempt vehicles. SCDMV’s current instructions state that model year 2010 and earlier vehicles are exempt, and model year 2011 and later vehicles continue to require odometer disclosure for 20 years; vehicles with a GVWR above 16,000 pounds also fall within the mileage-exempt rules described in Form 400.

Step 4 — Notify SCDMV That the Vehicle Left the Prior Owner’s Possession
After the vehicle is transferred, the prior owner should file a Notice of Vehicle Sold (Form 416). South Carolina law requires notice to the Department after a transfer, and the form itself states that it protects the last registered owner until the new owner completes the transfer.

Step 5 — Handle the License Plate and Insurance Record
If the existing plate will not be transferred to another vehicle owned by the prior owner, the active plate should be surrendered with Form 452. SCDMV’s plate-return instructions also direct the prior owner to cancel South Carolina liability insurance on the sold vehicle after plate turn-in; expired plates do not have to be returned, according to the license plate return guidance.

Step 6 — Submit the Title and Registration Paperwork Promptly
The recipient should submit the assigned title, completed Form 400, and all supporting materials to SCDMV. Filing may be completed at a branch office or by certified mail to the titles and registration address published by SCDMV, and the application should not be delayed, as late penalties begin after 45 days if registration is not completed on time. South Carolina’s ordinary gift transfer process does not use a separate state gift affidavit for standard passenger-vehicle transfers; the exemption is claimed on Form 400.

How To Transfer a Car Title as a Sale to a Family Member in South Carolina

Step 1 — Review the Title and Settle the Purchase Terms
Before delivery, the seller should confirm that the certificate of title is available for assignment and that any prior lien has been released or will be shown correctly on the application. If the seller is financing the transfer, lienholder information must be entered in Section 2 of the state title application, as described in Buying or Selling a Car.

Step 2 — Assign the Title With the Sale Details
South Carolina requires the seller to sign the title over and include the odometer reading, purchase date, and selling price on the back of the title. The buyer must complete Form 400 for the new title and registration record.

Step 3 — Prepare Purchase Price Documentation if the Title Does Not Fully Reflect It
SCDMV’s private-sale guidance treats the signed title as the principal transfer document, but a separate bill of sale should be prepared when the assignment area does not contain a place for the sales price or when a clearer price record is needed for the filing package.

Step 4 — File the Sold Notice and Address the Prior Plate
The seller should notify SCDMV after the transfer and should remove or surrender the active plate if it is not being moved to another vehicle owned by that seller. The notice is filed on Form 416, and plate surrender is handled under SCDMV’s plate-return procedures.

Step 5 — Submit the Buyer’s Application and Pay the Required Charges
The buyer should file the assigned title, the completed Form 400, the required proof of registration, and payment of the title fee, registration fee, and any applicable infrastructure maintenance fee or sales tax. For private transfers from one immediate family member to another, S.C. Code § 56-3-627 excludes the transfer from the private-party infrastructure maintenance fee; if the relationship does not fit the statute or no other exemption applies, the usual private-transfer tax rules remain in place.

Step 6 — Complete Registration Within the State Deadline
South Carolina’s current application instructions state that the vehicle should be registered within 45 days from the purchase date, with penalties beginning on day 46. If a temporary operation is needed before the permanent plate is issued, SCDMV allows a 45-day temporary plate through Form 45-A.

What Documents Are Needed To Transfer a Car Title to a Family Member in South Carolina

Required for All Transfers

• Assigned certificate of title The current title must be properly signed by the titled owner and must show the transfer information required by SCDMV, including the odometer reading, purchase date, and selling price information on the reverse side.
• Title and/or Registration Application (SCDMV Form 400) This is the principal state application for the new title and, if requested, registration. It includes the buyer’s identifying information, owner signatures, lien information, exemption claims, and insurance certification when registration is requested.
• Odometer disclosure Mileage disclosure is required for non-exempt vehicles. SCDMV’s current instructions state that vehicles of model year 2011 or later continue to require disclosure for 20 years, while model year 2010 and earlier vehicles are exempt; vehicles over 16,000 pounds GVWR are also treated under the exemption rules described by SCDMV.
• Proof of South Carolina liability insurance, if registration is requested The insurance company name must be certified on the application when the vehicle is being registered.
• Paid county property tax receipt, if registration is requested SCDMV states that a vehicle cannot be registered until the county property taxes have been paid and the paid receipt is available for registration processing.

Additional Documents for Sale Transfers

• Purchase-price record or bill of sale, when needed South Carolina’s private-sale guidance relies primarily on the assigned title, but a separate bill of sale is appropriate when the title assignment does not contain a sales-price field or when clearer purchase documentation is needed for the filing package.
• Lienholder information on the application, if the buyer is financing the transfer Section 2 of Form 400 must identify the lienholder so that SCDMV can issue the title with the lien properly recorded.

Documents Required in Specific Circumstances

• Exemption claim information for immediate-family transfers or bona fide gifts Form 400 contains checkboxes for transfers from a parent, spouse, child, brother or sister, grandparent, or grandchild, and it also contains a checkbox for a bona fide gift. Those claims should match the actual transfer facts.
• Notice of Vehicle Sold (SCDMV Form 416) This form is completed by the prior owner after the transfer to notify SCDMV that the vehicle has left that owner’s possession.
• Application to Replace or Surrender Plate, Decal, or Registration (SCDMV Form 452) This form is used when an active South Carolina plate must be surrendered after the transfer.
• Application to Issue or Replace 45-Day Temporary Plates (Form 45-A), if temporary operation is needed. SCDMV requires the title, bill of sale, or lease contract when issuing a traceable temporary plate at a branch office.
• Power of attorney, if an agent signs instead of the owner. SCDMV’s Form 400 instructions state that a power of attorney must accompany the application when someone other than the owner signs. For a standard private transfer, SCDMV’s ordinary title materials do not list notarization of the title assignment or Form 400 as a routine filing requirement.

How To Transfer a Car Title to a Family Member Online in South Carolina

South Carolina offers several online vehicle services, but a standard private transfer from one family member to another is not one of them. A standard family title transfer still requires the assigned paper title and the completed state application to be submitted to SCDMV. The agency’s private-sale guidance states that the title and payment may be filed at a branch office or mailed via certified mail, meaning the transaction cannot be completed entirely online in ordinary family-transfer cases.

What's the Cost To Transfer a Car Title to a Family Member in South Carolina?

South Carolina’s core DMV charges for an ordinary passenger-vehicle transfer are shown below. The title fee and registration fee are fixed, while taxes and county property taxes vary depending on the transfer facts and the vehicle.

Private-party tax treatment is more fact-specific. For a transfer between members of the statutory immediate family, the private-party infrastructure maintenance fee does not apply under S.C. Code § 56-3-627. If the transfer is not exempt, SCDMV’s fee schedule states that the infrastructure maintenance fee is 5% up to a $500 maximum, and the statute specifies that a private purchase from a person other than a dealer is measured under the fair-market-value rule in that section.

South Carolina also imposes late penalties if registration is not completed within 45 days of the purchase date or the date of operation in South Carolina, as stated in the current application materials.

Contact Information for Assistance

South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles
PO Box 1498, Blythewood, SC 29016
Phone: (803) 896-5000
Official Website: South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles