Free Indiana Boat Bill of Sale

Indiana gives a newly bought boat a grace period, and your paperwork is what unlocks it.

A watercraft whose operator holds a bill of sale from a dealer or private individual is exempt from the registration requirement, provided the document shows the purchaser’s name and address, a purchase date not more than 45 days old, and the make, model, and identification number assigned by the manufacturer.

So the document in your glovebox is doing real work. Write it properly at the point of sale and you can use the boat while the title and registration are processed.

Build your Indiana boat bill of sale around what the Bureau of Motor Vehicles expects to see.

• The buyer’s name and address
• The date of sale
• Hull identification number
• Make, model, and year
• The selling price
• The seller’s signature

Indiana handles boats through the BMV rather than a natural resources agency, which surprises people who expect a wildlife office to be involved.

Tip: Where proof of ownership is missing and the watercraft is not required to be titled, Indiana offers a Watercraft Ownership Affidavit instead. Ask about it early rather than assuming a missing document ends the sale.

The order matters in Indiana. A watercraft is titled first, then registered.

Residents must apply for a certificate of title within 45 days of the purchase date, or an administrative penalty is charged. New Indiana residents get 60 days from becoming a resident.

Out-of-state owners are caught too. A watercraft operated, used, stored, or docked in Indiana for 60 consecutive days or more during a calendar year needs an Indiana title unless it is specifically exempt from registration.

Several older exemptions were removed from Indiana law from January 2021, including non-motorized sailboats and voluntarily registered watercraft. A boat that escaped titling under the old rules may not escape it now.

Indiana handles the legacy cases sensibly, and sellers should know where they stand.

Someone who owns a boat that was exempt from the title requirements before the earlier cut-off dates is not required to apply for a certificate of title before selling it. What they must do is give the purchaser a bill of sale.

That is the whole obligation, and it is easy to meet. Write the document, sign it, hand it over.

Buyers should still verify the hull number against the boat and ask whether any lender ever financed it. Fees, taxes, and penalty amounts change, so confirm current figures with the BMV before your visit. Start your Indiana boat bill of sale now and keep a copy aboard for the first 45 days.