Who must sign the vehicle Certificate of Ownership?

• A. Legal Owner
• B. Registered owner
• C. Legal Owner, Registered owner, and Transferee
• D. Transferee

Answer: (C)

The transfer of a vehicle title requires the people with an ownership interest to authorize it: the legal owner, the registered owner, and the person who will become the new owner. The legal owner signs to relinquish their rights to the vehicle. If the registered owner is listed differently in the records, their signature is needed as well to confirm their consent and to ensure the DMV records can be updated correctly. The transferee—the buyer—signs to acknowledge receipt of the title and to authorize the change to ownership in the records. When all three sign, the transfer is properly documented, preventing future disputes and allowing the DMV to issue a new certificate in the buyer’s name. Without one of these signatures, the transfer can be incomplete or challenged.