Transferring a Vehicle Title in Alaska

By Javier Marín, Editor·Last reviewed September 2026·How we check this

An Alaska vehicle title transfer happens when ownership of a registered vehicle changes — between private parties, from a dealer to a buyer, between family members, after inheritance, or when a vehicle is brought from out of state. Alaska gives the buyer 30 days to complete the transfer at a DMV office, and the title fee is a flat $15 regardless of the vehicle's purchase price.

Before the sale: seller's responsibilities

The seller of an Alaska-titled vehicle must:

Sign the back of the existing title in the "Seller" section, including the printed name, signature, date, and odometer reading.
Complete an odometer disclosure if the vehicle is less than 10 years old. The federal Truth in Mileage Act applies even to private-party Alaska sales.
Provide a signed bill of sale with the purchase price, date, and full names of both parties.
File a Form 822 — Notice of Vehicle Sale with the Alaska DMV within 10 days of the sale to remove liability for any post-sale events. This is the seller's protection from tickets and accidents that happen after the keys change hands.
Remove the license plates if not transferring them with the vehicle (Alaska plates stay with the owner, not the vehicle, so most sellers retain them).

Buyer's responsibilities

The buyer must complete the title transfer at any Alaska DMV office within 30 days of the sale, bringing:

The original title, signed and dated by the seller (a copy is not accepted).
A completed Form 812 — Application for Title and Registration.
The signed bill of sale.
The seller's odometer disclosure (or a separate form if the title doesn't have one).
A VIN inspection if the vehicle was previously registered out of state.
Proof of liability insurance meeting Alaska's 50/100/25 minimum.
Borough sales tax (if applicable to your region).
The $15 title fee plus any registration and lien-recording fees.

Fees and taxes

Alaska's title transfer fees are simple and flat:

Title fee: $15.
Lien recording fee: $15 if the vehicle is financed.
Initial registration fee: $100 for biennial passenger plates (or proportional 1-year amount).
Annual MVRT: varies by vehicle class and age — see our registration renewal guide.
Borough sales tax: 0%-7% depending on borough — Juneau 5%, Ketchikan 6.5%, Sitka 5%, Anchorage 0%, Fairbanks 0%, Mat-Su 0%.

Alaska charges no state sales tax on vehicle purchases — one of only five states with this advantage. The borough tax (where it applies) is paid at the DMV at the time of transfer.

Family and gift transfers

Alaska treats most family transfers as gifts for borough sales-tax purposes — meaning the borough tax is waived even in taxing boroughs. The qualifying relationships:

Spouse to spouse.
Parent to child or stepchild.
Sibling to sibling (some boroughs).
Grandparent to grandchild.

The transfer still requires a signed title, completed Form 812, and a notation on the bill of sale showing the relationship and that the vehicle was a gift. The $15 title fee still applies.

Inheritance transfers

When a vehicle owner dies, the title transfers to the heir based on the size and structure of the estate:

Small estates (under $100,000 total value) can use a Small Estate Affidavit after the 30-day waiting period. The affidavit, the original title, and Form 812 transfer the vehicle to the named heir.
Probated estates use the personal representative's letters of authority — the personal representative signs the title in the seller section and Form 812 names the heir as buyer.
Joint titles with right of survivorship transfer to the surviving owner with a death certificate and Form 812; no probate is required.

Vehicles bought out of state

A vehicle purchased outside Alaska needs:

The out-of-state title properly assigned by the seller.
A bill of sale.
A VIN inspection signed by an authorized officer in Alaska.
Form 812 and the standard fees.

If the prior state collected its sales tax at the time of purchase, Alaska's borough tax is still owed on top — there's no credit for sales tax paid to another state. The buyer should plan for both costs when budgeting.

Liens and lienholder titles

If the vehicle is being purchased with financing, the lender's name appears on the new Alaska title. The buyer signs the title and Form 812; the lienholder pays the lien-recording fee and receives the title (Alaska holds electronic lien titles for most lienholders). When the loan is paid, the lienholder files a release with the DMV and the title transfers to the owner — see our title replacement page for the full lien-release process.