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Out-of-state vehicle gift · Texas registration

Registering a car gifted from another state in Texas

A zero-dollar transfer is not automatically a Texas motor vehicle gift. First confirm that the transfer and relationship fit the current Comptroller rules, then preserve the issuing state's title execution and complete the Texas county filing.

See the sequenceOpen Texas requirements
Four-part transaction

Connect the gift to the Texas registration

  1. 01Confirm statutory gift eligibility

    An eligible out-of-state donor can qualify when the vehicle is brought into Texas. Current categories include a spouse transferring separate property; parents, stepparents, parents-in-law, and foster parents; children, stepchildren, children-in-law, and foster children; siblings and siblings-in-law; grandparents, grandchildren, great-grandparents, and great-grandchildren, including the listed in-law equivalents; and a guardian as donor. Qualifying 501(c)(3) and revocable-trust transfers also have specified paths. Cash, assumption of a lien or other debt, services or labor, or an exchange of real or tangible property is consideration and defeats gift treatment.

  2. 02Execute the issuing-state title

    The titled donor signs the out-of-state title using the issuing state's requirements, including notarization if that state requires it. Resolve recorded liens before filing unless the lienholder and county confirm another valid path; taking over a lien or other debt is consideration, not a gift. Do not substitute Form 14-317 for the ownership document or use an open title.

  3. 03Complete the Texas gift record

    Complete Form 130-U and the current Form 14-317 with the real donor, recipient, relationship, vehicle, and no-consideration facts. Every principal donor and recipient signs. Each signature may be notarized or acknowledged in person by authorized county staff; an out-of-state notary is accepted, and a reproduced or faxed notarized signature from a non-appearing party is allowed. A vehicle distributed on or after September 1, 2025 from a decedent's estate to a distributee under a will or intestacy, or transferred under a qualifying rights-of-survivorship agreement, follows the inherited-vehicle path and is exempt from motor vehicle tax. Use the distribution or transfer date, not the date of death.

  4. 04File with the Texas county office

    The donor, recipient, or an authorized agent using power of attorney files in person with the county tax assessor-collector where Form 130-U is submitted; a motor vehicle title service may not file Form 14-317. Bring the assigned title, forms, lien evidence, accepted ID, Texas insurance, applicable inspection evidence, $10 gift tax when the transfer qualifies, and title and registration fees. Texas uses a 30-day title-transfer clock after assignment and a separate 30-day registration clock after the vehicle enters Texas; specified active-duty members may have 60 days.

Document control

Keep the record that proves each handoff

  • Original out-of-state title assigned under the issuing state's signature and notarization rules
  • Texas Form 130-U with the applicable donor and recipient entries
  • Current Form 14-317 signed by every principal donor and recipient, with each signature notarized or acknowledged in person by authorized county staff
  • Evidence supporting the eligible donor-recipient relationship, if the county requests it
  • An acceptable release for every recorded lien unless the lienholder and county confirm another valid path
  • Proof of Texas liability insurance, accepted unexpired photo ID, fees, and applicable inspection evidence

Official sources

Optional written review

Have us check this transaction before you submit it

We review the state sequence, ownership trail, forms, and known blockers, then give you a source-linked written next step. The review does not transfer ownership, submit forms, determine legal rights, or include representation.

$39one written transaction review