How to Transfer a Car Title After Death in Alaska

When it applies: the front of the Alaska title says "transfer on death to" or "TOD" followed by your name. A new law (SB 104, Chapter 12 SLA 2026) lets owners name one or two beneficiaries on a title, starting July 1, 2026. Titles issued before that date will not have a TOD beneficiary.

How it works under the law:

• The car passes to the beneficiary when the sole owner, or the last surviving joint owner, dies.
• The beneficiary must outlive the owner by 120 hours (5 days).
• A will cannot change or revoke a TOD title.
• Two beneficiaries hold the car together, with right of survivorship.
• The beneficiary takes the car subject to any loan or lien.
• If the rest of the probate estate cannot cover allowed claims, administration costs, or the surviving spouse's or children's statutory allowances, the estate can reach the car. That claim must start within 12 months of the death, and only after the personal representative receives a written demand.

What the DMV has not published yet: as of November 2026, the DMV's deceased-owner page and forms list do not mention TOD titles, and no claim form or fee has been posted. Contact the DMV to confirm what to submit.

Steps

1. Check the title for "transfer on death to" or "TOD" and your name.
2. Get a certified copy of the death certificate. The Alaska Court System says the beneficiary fills out a DMV form, submits a certified death certificate and pays a fee.
3. Contact the DMV for the current claim form and fee.
4. Submit the application, proof of death and fee to the DMV.

Documents

• The Alaska title showing the TOD beneficiary
• Certified copy of the death certificate (or other official proof of death the DMV accepts)
• The DMV's application form and fee (contact the DMV to confirm)

When it applies: two names are on the title and one owner is still living. The word between the names on the front of the title decides what happens (DMV deceased-owner page).

• OR: the surviving owner can release the title alone. The DMV says no additional documents about the deceased owner are required. The Alaska Court System's chart lists a certified death certificate for this situation, so it is worth bringing one.
• AND: the deceased owner's share becomes part of their estate. The surviving owner must still sign, and the deceased owner's share is signed for by the court-appointed personal representative or, for a small estate, by the successor using the Small Estate Affidavit (Form 827).

Steps

1. Check whether the names on the title are joined by "AND" or "OR".
2. OR: sign to release the title, either to sell the car or to retitle it in your name.
3. AND: sign the title, and have the personal representative (with Letters) or the successor (with Form 827) sign for the deceased owner's share.
4. Submit the signed title, Form V1 and the $15 title fee. The DMV says all transfers require Form V1.

Forms

• Vehicle Transaction Application, Form V1
• Affidavit for an Estate with Assets of $150,000 or Less, Form 827 (AND titles, small estates only)
• Application for Duplicate Title, Form 809 (if the title is lost)

Documents

• Original Alaska title, signed by the surviving owner
• Completed Form V1
• Certified death certificate (listed by the court chart for OR titles)
• AND titles: court Letters, or a notarized Form 827
• Lien release, if a paid-off lien is shown
• $15 title fee

When it applies: your spouse has died and the car was theirs or yours together. The DMV has no separate spouse-only vehicle transfer form and does not describe a special route for spouses. The Alaska Court System notes that any item with a title, such as a vehicle, must follow the title rules.

A spouse uses the same routes as anyone else:

• You are on the title with "OR": see "The Car Was Co-Owned". You can release or retitle the car yourself.
• You are the named TOD beneficiary: see "The Title Names a Beneficiary (TOD)".
• Your spouse was the sole owner, or the title says "AND": use the Small Estate Affidavit (Form 827) if the estate qualifies and 30 days have passed, or the personal representative signs through probate.

Forms

• Vehicle Transaction Application, Form V1
• Affidavit for an Estate with Assets of $150,000 or Less, Form 827

Documents

• Original Alaska title
• Completed Form V1
• Notarized Form 827 or court Letters, unless you are an "OR" co-owner or TOD beneficiary
• Lien release, if applicable
• $15 title fee

When it applies: the DMV's Small Estate Affidavit, Form 827, based on AS 13.16.680. The DMV says probate is not required for this option. It can be used when:

• The entire estate, wherever located, less liens, is worth $150,000 or less: all vehicles together no more than $100,000, and other personal property no more than $50,000.
• At least 30 days have passed since the death.
• No application or petition to appoint a personal representative is pending or has been granted anywhere.
• You are the successor entitled to the car (someone, other than a creditor, entitled to the property under the will or state inheritance law).

Sources frame the real estate question differently. The statute says the estate must consist only of vehicles and personal property, and the court's version of the affidavit (P-110) asks the signer to state the estate has no real estate, or that any real estate passed automatically. Form 827 does not mention real estate. Contact the DMV to confirm if the estate owned real estate.

The DMV says the affidavit must be notarized, the original must be submitted, and the VIN must be written on it. Form 827 can be signed in front of a notary public or a DMV representative. The DMV also accepts a similar notarized statement with all the required information.

Steps

1. Wait at least 30 days after the death.
2. Complete Form 827 with the plate number and VIN, and sign it before a notary or DMV representative.
3. Complete Form V1 in your name.
4. If the title is lost, complete Form 809 first. The DMV says a duplicate title is needed before the transfer.
5. Submit the original affidavit, the title, Form V1, any lien release and the $15 title fee (plus any registration fees).

Forms

• Affidavit for an Estate with Assets of $150,000 or Less, Form 827
• Vehicle Transaction Application, Form V1
• Application for Duplicate Title, Form 809 (lost title only)

Documents

• Original notarized Form 827 with the VIN written on it
• Original Alaska title (or Form 809 if lost)
• Completed Form V1
• Lien release, if there is a lien
• $15 title fee plus any registration fees
• Death certificate: the DMV does not list one for this route. Contact the office to confirm.

When it applies: the deceased owner was the sole owner or co-owned with "AND", and a probate case is open. The DMV says only the court-appointed representative of the estate may transfer or sell the car.

The representative shows Letters Testamentary, Letters of Administration or a Letter of Appointment, and signs the title for the deceased owner. The DMV accepts signatures such as "[Name], Executor", "[Name], Executor of the Estate of [Deceased Owner]" or "[Deceased Owner] by [Name], Executor". Any surviving "AND" co-owners must also sign.

Small estates closed by the court: the Alaska Court System's chart says that for a small estate, the DMV also requires a certified copy of the Closing Statement showing the person has the right to the vehicle. The DMV's own deceased-owner page does not mention this, so confirm with the DMV.

Steps

1. Get the Letters from the court.
2. Sign the title using one of the DMV's accepted formats, along with any surviving "AND" co-owners.
3. If the title is lost, get a duplicate first with Form 809.
4. The new owner (an heir or a buyer) completes Form V1 and submits it with the title, Letters, any lien release and the $15 title fee.

Forms

• Vehicle Transaction Application, Form V1
• Application for Duplicate Title, Form 809 (lost title only)

Documents

• Original title signed by the personal representative (and any "AND" co-owners)
• Letters Testamentary, Letters of Administration or Letter of Appointment
• Certified Closing Statement, for a small estate (confirm with the DMV)
• Completed Form V1
• Lien release, if applicable
• $15 title fee

When it applies: there is still a loan on the car. A loan does not go away when the owner dies, and a TOD beneficiary takes the car subject to any existing lien.

To get a title without the lender on it, the lender must release the lien. Per the DMV's lienholder page, the lender signs the release on the title, or provides a notarized lien release letter (on the lender's letterhead if the title is lost). The release must include the date, signature and title of the person releasing it. A "PAID" stamp alone is not accepted.

If the lien stays, every title issued with a lienholder carries an extra $15 fee.

Steps

1. Ask the lender what they need, and for a lien release once the loan is paid.
2. Include the release with the rest of your transfer paperwork.
3. If a lien will remain on the new title, add the $15 lien fee.

Forms

• Vehicle Transaction Application, Form V1
• Application for Duplicate Title, Form 809 (if the title is lost)

Documents

• Lien release signed on the title, or a notarized lien release letter
• Original title
• $15 title fee, plus $15 if a lien is recorded

• Title fee: $15 (DMV). Manufactured homes are $100.
• Lien fee: $15 extra for any title issued with a lienholder.
• Registration: fees apply if the car will be registered. The DMV's deceased-owner page points to the Alaska Registration Fee Calculator, which notes in-person transactions may carry an extra $10 walk-in fee.
• Business partner offices can do most DMV transactions for additional fees.
• TOD claim fee: not yet published. Contact the DMV to confirm.
• Sales tax: the State of Alaska does not levy a sales tax. Several cities and boroughs do levy their own. No official source says whether a local tax applies to an inherited car, so contact your city or borough to confirm.

In person: a state DMV office or a DMV business partner office (extra fees). Some offices have posted closures, so check the DMV locations page before you go.

By mail: the DMV accepts mailed title transfers in general (add or remove an owner) at State of Alaska DMV, ATTN: Correspondence, 4001 Ingra Street, Ste 101, Anchorage AK 99503 (source). If you are unsure of the fee, the DMV says you do not have to send money and it can email you an invoice (titles page).

The deceased-owner page does not say whether these transfers can be mailed or done online, or whether an appointment is needed. Contact the DMV to confirm.

• Probate: only the court-appointed personal representative may sell the car, signing the title as executor or administrator with Letters.
• Small Estate Affidavit: the DMV says the successor must title the car in their own name first before selling it. Only dealers may reassign a title without titling it first (DMV).
• Co-owners: on an "OR" title the surviving owner can sign alone. On an "AND" title, all owners must sign, with the estate's representative or successor signing for the deceased owner.
• Bill of sale: the DMV says a bill of sale is not valid for ownership transfer; the title must be signed over. See selling a vehicle in Alaska.

If probate is needed, our state probate guide walks through it.