South Carolina motor vehicle bill of sale: free in Word, or sign it online

What the template includes

• Names and addresses of seller and buyer
• Year, make, model, body style, color and VIN
• Title number
• Odometer reading with the federal check boxes
• Price, payment method and trade-in
• Statement of liens
• "As is" condition or the warranty given
• Delivery of the vehicle, keys and signed title
• Consent to sign electronically

What you fill in

How it gets signed

1. 1Choose «Use this template», fill in the fields and review the full South Carolina bill of sale.
2. 2Send it by WhatsApp or email. The other party opens the link on their phone without an account.
3. 3They tap the brown bar at the bottom that says «Sign as …» and draw their signature once.
4. 4Everyone gets the signed PDF with its signature certificate. Anyone can check it at signsolu.com/verificar.

The signing screen tells each signer that signing means agreeing to sign electronically. It links to the electronic signature disclosure that the ESIGN Act asks for.

What you get once everyone signs

• The signed PDF. The final South Carolina bill of sale with every drawn signature in place.
• The signature certificate. It lists each signer and the date and time of each signature.
• A record you can check. The folio on the certificate opens the document history at signsolu.com/verificar.
• Reminders. Turn them on and SignSolú reminds every signer who has not signed yet.

Your first ten documents are free and need no card.

What the law says

In South Carolina, as in other states, the certificate of title shows who owns the vehicle. The bill of sale records the terms of the sale between the parties.

The SCDMV asks for a bill of sale when the assignment on the back of the title has no space for the sales price. The buyer has 45 days from the purchase date to register the vehicle, and pays an infrastructure maintenance fee of 5% of the price, capped at $500, or sales tax instead.

The seller notifies the SCDMV with the Notice of Vehicle Sold (Form 416) and surrenders an active license plate that is not moved to another vehicle.

The ESIGN Act, 15 U.S.C. 7001 gives an electronic signature the same legal effect as one on paper. A contract cannot be denied effect only because it was signed electronically.

What a South Carolina bill of sale proves

It proves the price, the date and the condition both parties accepted. Those three facts settle most disputes after a private sale.

It also shows when the vehicle left the seller's hands. Tickets or tolls after that date belong to the buyer.

Step by step for a private sale

1. 1Check that the VIN on the title matches the vehicle.
2. 2Fill in this template and send it to the buyer.
3. 3Both sign from their phones before the meeting.
4. 4Sign the title over to the buyer and hand over the keys.
5. 5The seller files the Notice of Vehicle Sold (SCDMV Form 416).
6. 6Within 45 days, the buyer takes the title, the bill of sale, the Title Application (SCDMV Form 400) and the paid property tax receipt to the SCDMV.

Common mistakes

Selling with a lien. Pay off the loan and get the lien release first. A buyer cannot title a car with an open lien.

Rounding the price. Write the exact amount paid. The figure matters for taxes at registration.

No copy for the seller. Keep the signed PDF. It is the seller's proof of the date the car changed hands.

Trade-ins and partial payments

Clause 3 has room for a trade-in. Describe the vehicle traded and its agreed value, so the cash price is clear.

If the buyer pays in installments, a bill of sale alone is not enough. Sign a promissory note for the balance and keep the title until the last payment.

SignSolú sends both documents together. The buyer signs the bill of sale and the note in one visit to the link.

Write the payment schedule in the note, with dates and amounts. A clear schedule keeps the sale friendly until the end.

Mark the bill of sale as paid only when the last installment arrives. Until then, the note governs the balance.

Getting paid safely in a South Carolina private sale

Cash and cashier's checks are the usual choices. Meet at the buyer's bank when the amount is large, so the teller confirms the funds.

Do not hand over the title until the money is in your account. A signed bill of sale with the price paid protects the seller only after payment clears.

If the buyer pays by bank transfer, wait for the confirmation in your own banking app. Screenshots sent by the buyer are not proof of payment.

What the buyer should check before signing

• The VIN on the dashboard, the door jamb and the title match.
• The name on the title is the seller's name.
• The title shows no open lien, or the seller has the lien release.
• A mechanic you trust has looked at the vehicle.
• A vehicle history report shows no salvage or flood record.

Once both sides are satisfied, send the bill of sale for signature. In South Carolina, buyer and seller usually sign the same day the keys change hands.

Before you sign

• Sign a PDF you already have. Upload it, place the signatures and send it.
• Digital signature explained. How a signature drawn on a phone holds up as evidence.
• Read every clause of the South Carolina bill of sale with the other party before anyone signs. Change what does not fit your deal.
• Check how electronic signatures are recognized where you sign in the e-signature validity guide by country.
• Learn how anyone can confirm a signed document at signsolu.com/verificar.
• Make an online signature once and use the PNG on any PDF, contract or email. It is free and needs no account.

Other templates

• Georgia bill of sale
• Mississippi bill of sale
• Arkansas bill of sale
• Indiana bill of sale
• Texas bill of sale