California title transfers have a seller step and a buyer step

Write down both deadlines when a vehicle changes hands. DMV gives the buyer 10 days to submit the ownership transfer. It gives the seller 5 calendar days to submit a Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability, or NRL.

For the seller, submit the NRL personally and save the confirmation rather than relying on the buyer. Use the exact sale date, odometer, buyer name and address, plate, and VIN. DMV warns that missing information can keep the notice from qualifying as a release of liability.

An NRL does not transfer ownership and does not remove the seller’s name from the vehicle record. The buyer still needs the signed title, fees, and any smog, lien, odometer, or transfer form the situation requires.

Family transfers, donations, missing titles, and vehicles with a lien can need different forms or exceptions. Use DMV’s transaction page before the handoff, but keep the 5-day seller notice and 10-day buyer transfer separate.