Selling a TX registered car out of state (vehicle registration, buyer)

[flashfearless]

So, I sold a car to someone who lives in KY and has registered the car in KY. I've looked around the TX DMV web site, but I can't find information on this subject. How would I go about getting a prorated refund for the registration money previously paid? Or am I SOL? I mean, figure I'm talking at least a ½ year's worth.

[ged_782]

Texas doesn't do refunds on unused portions of vehicle registration fees, regardless of whether the vehicle was sold or traded in state or out of state.


License plates and registration stickers in Texas used to be practically married to the vehicle, and they generally stayed with the vehicle when it was sold or traded-in, unless it was some kind of specialty plate. The buyer got the benefit of the previous owner's unused portion of the registration. Several years ago, it was changed to where if it was sold or traded-in to a dealer, the dealer has to remove the plates and registration sticker, and issue new ones to a subsequent buyer. It is recommended that private sellers do the same.


Honestly, I don't think Texas vehicle registrations are all that high compared to some other states (my last one was about $70-$75, IIRC) so eating about $35-$40 on the unused portion doesn't seem like that big of a deal to me, considering it's probably a vehicle selling for several thousand dollars. If you are selling a junker that's not worth much, then it may be more of an issue.