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Vehicle document checklist
Paperwork gets scattered across a glovebox, an inbox, and a drawer, and then someone asks for it at the worst moment. This is the list worth having in one place. Requirements differ by state and country, so treat it as a starting point and check what your own jurisdiction and insurer require.
Use your browser's print command to put this checklist on paper.
The checklist
10 documents
Document checklist
Vehicle ______________________
- Title or registrationProof of ownership and the document a sale cannot happen without.
- Bill of saleWhat you paid and when you bought it. The first entry in the cost history.
- Service recordsThe maintenance history. The difference between "well kept" and "trust me".
- Receipts and invoicesBacks up every record, and proves parts quality to a buyer.
- Warranty documentsCoverage terms and dates, including aftermarket part warranties.
- Insurance policyCoverage details, and any agreed-value paperwork for a modified car.
- Inspection or emissionsMost recent certificate and its expiry, where your area requires one.
- Recall noticesWhat was open, what was performed, and when.
- Modification recordsParts, install dates, and anything an insurer or buyer should be told about.
- Keys and codesHow many keys exist, plus wheel-lock and radio codes. Missed until it is urgent.
Print it, tick what you have, and note where each document lives.
Why each document matters
Title or registration
Proof of ownership and the document a sale cannot happen without.
Bill of sale
What you paid and when you bought it. The first entry in the cost history.
Service records
The maintenance history. The difference between "well kept" and "trust me".
Receipts and invoices
Backs up every record, and proves parts quality to a buyer.
Warranty documents
Coverage terms and dates, including aftermarket part warranties.
Insurance policy
Coverage details, and any agreed-value paperwork for a modified car.
Inspection or emissions
Most recent certificate and its expiry, where your area requires one.
Recall notices
What was open, what was performed, and when.
Modification records
Parts, install dates, and anything an insurer or buyer should be told about.
Keys and codes
How many keys exist, plus wheel-lock and radio codes. Missed until it is urgent.
Other templates
- Vehicle maintenance log template
One row per service. Date, odometer, work, parts, cost, who did it.
- Car mod list and build sheet template
Every modification with its part number, cost, and install date.
- Car build budget worksheet
Estimate against actual, by cost category and stage.
In the product
BuildBay attaches these to the vehicle they belong to, so the record and the paperwork that proves it stay together.
Keep it in one place instead
A sheet works until it does not: the glovebox copy gets wet, the spreadsheet gets forgotten. BuildBay keeps the same fields per vehicle, with receipts and photos attached, private by default.