How to Transfer a Car Title After Death in Georgia

Georgia's official title guidance, including the DOR's inheritance page, its Motor Vehicle Manual and the title application (Form MV-1), offers no transfer-on-death (TOD) or beneficiary option for car titles. Georgia's transfer-on-death deed law covers real estate, not vehicles. The closest option is a joint title marked "Joint Tenants with Rights of Survivorship," which only works for co-owners. If that applies, see "The Car Was Co-Owned." Otherwise, see the spouse, no-probate or executor situations below.

When it applies: the car was titled to two or more people. Georgia lists joint owners with "and," never "or," so all owners normally have to sign when the car is sold.

The shortcut works only if the front of the title carries the legend "Joint Tenants with Rights of Survivorship" (JTWROS). That legend has to be requested on the title application, and it does not carry over automatically from one title to the next. With it, the deceased owner's share passes to the surviving owner.

How the process works (title has the JTWROS legend):

• To sell: the surviving owner completes the title assignment and attaches a copy of the deceased owner's death certificate.
• To keep the car: the surviving owner completes Motor Vehicle Title Application (MV-1) in their own name and brings it, the Georgia title, a copy of the death certificate and the $18 title fee to the County Tag Office in the county where they live.
• Removing a deceased owner this way does not trigger Title Ad Valorem Tax (TAVT).

If the title does not have the legend: official sources do not describe a separate process for the deceased owner's share. Contact your County Tag Office to confirm which inheritance documents it needs (Letters, Year's Support, or Form T-20).

Forms: Motor Vehicle Title Application (MV-1)

Documents:

• Georgia title showing the "Joint Tenants with Rights of Survivorship" legend
• Copy of the deceased owner's death certificate
• Form MV-1 and the $18 fee, if titling in the survivor's name

When it applies: the car was in your late spouse's name. Georgia has no spouse-only car form. A surviving spouse can use any of the routes on this page (survivorship title, Form T-20, No Administration Necessary, or Letters), plus one court route meant for spouses and minor children: Year's Support.

Year's Support: the probate court can award the spouse support for the family's needs over 12 months, and the order can include the car. There is no fixed dollar cap; the court sets the amount. The petition must be filed within 24 months after the death.

How the process works:

• File a Petition for Year's Support (Georgia Probate Court Standard Form 10) with the county probate court. The copy linked here is hosted by Rockdale County Probate Court; ask the probate court where you file for its current version.
• Make sure the Year's Support order gives a complete description of the car.
• Complete Motor Vehicle Title Application (MV-1) in your name and bring it, a certified copy of the Year's Support order and the original title (with all liens released) to your County Tag Office.
• If you later want to sell the car, title it in your own name first.

Title tax: a spouse counts as an immediate family member. If the car was already under TAVT, you pay a reduced 0.5% rate. If it was under the older annual tax, it can stay on annual tax unless you choose to pay full TAVT. The tag office may ask for Affidavit to Certify Immediate Family Relationship (MV-16).

Forms: Motor Vehicle Title Application (MV-1) · Petition for Year's Support (Georgia Probate Court Standard Form 10) · Affidavit to Certify Immediate Family Relationship (MV-16) · Affidavit of Inheritance of a Motor Vehicle (T-20)

Documents:

• Certified copy of the Year's Support order describing the car (or the documents for another route on this page)
• Original title in your spouse's name, with all liens released
• Form MV-1
• Form MV-16, if the tag office asks for it

When it applies: there is no will, or a will that will not be probated, and no estate administration will be opened. Georgia's no-probate route for cars has no dollar limit. Its conditions are about debts and agreement:

• No administration of the estate is going to be opened.
• The estate owes no debts.
• The surviving spouse and heirs have agreed who gets the car.

How the process works:

• The heir who will own the car completes Affidavit of Inheritance of a Motor Vehicle (T-20) in their full legal name and signs it in front of a notary. Any correction or alteration voids the form.
• If there is a will that will not be probated, attach a legible copy of it.
• Get a certified copy of the death certificate.
• Make sure every lien on the title is released (on the title or on Form T-4).
• Complete Motor Vehicle Title Application (MV-1) in the heir's name.
• Bring everything, the $18 title fee and any tax due to the County Tag Office in the county where the heir lives.
• If you plan to sell the car, title it in your own name first.

Only one heir? A legible copy of a probate court order of No Administration Necessary can be used instead of Form T-20. The court requires all heirs to agree to the division. The standard Petition for Order Declaring No Administration Necessary (Georgia Probate Court Standard Form 9) is for estates with no will. Ask your county probate court for its current version.

A note on the forms: the DOR's posted Form T-20 is a 2005 version that says "left no will," while the DOR's own page and manual say T-20 is also used with a will that will not be probated. Georgia law also has a related route for a will where the car was the person's only asset and was not financed. Contact your County Tag Office to confirm which form it accepts if there is an unprobated will.

2026 change: since July 1, 2026 (HB 1181), the application must include the last title issued to the person who died, if it is available.

Forms: Affidavit of Inheritance of a Motor Vehicle (T-20) · Motor Vehicle Title Application (MV-1) · Petition for Order Declaring No Administration Necessary (Georgia Probate Court Standard Form 9)

Documents:

• Form T-20, notarized (or a copy of the No Administration Necessary order, if only one heir)
• Certified copy of the death certificate
• Legible copy of the will, if there is one that will not be probated
• Original title in the deceased's name, with all liens released
• Form MV-1
• Form MV-16, if claiming the family TAVT rate and the tag office asks for it

When it applies: the probate court has issued Letters Testamentary or Permanent Letters of Administration.

How the process works:

• Get a certified copy of the Letters from the probate court.
• Make sure all liens on the title are released (on the title or on Form T-4).
• To give the car to an heir: the executor signs the title assignment to the heir using their full legal name. If there is more than one executor, only one needs to sign. The heir completes Motor Vehicle Title Application (MV-1) and applies at their County Tag Office with the Letters.
• If the title is missing: Georgia will not issue a replacement title in a deceased person's name. The executor first applies for a title in the estate's name. The DOR manual warns that a title issued in the executor's own name may trigger TAVT, so ask the county tag office before choosing which name goes on the title.
• Older cars: if the car is 20 or more years old (exempt from odometer disclosure) and the title is unavailable, the executor can use Bill of Sale (T-7) instead.
• Pay the $18 title fee and any TAVT due.

Temporary Letters: if the named executor has died and the court issues Temporary Letters of Administration, the car can be titled in the estate's name only. It cannot be sold or transferred until Permanent Letters are issued.

Forms: Motor Vehicle Title Application (MV-1) · Bill of Sale (T-7) · Affidavit to Certify Immediate Family Relationship (MV-16)

Documents:

• Certified copy of Letters Testamentary or Permanent Letters of Administration
• Original title in the deceased's name, assigned by the executor, with all liens released
• Form MV-1 completed by the new owner
• Form T-7, only if the title is unavailable and the car is exempt from odometer disclosure
• Form MV-16, if an immediate family member is claiming the family TAVT rate and the tag office asks for it

When it applies: a lender is listed on the title. A car loan does not go away when the owner dies. Every inheritance route requires that all recorded liens be released, either in the spaces on the title or on Form T-4 signed by the lender.

How the process works:

• The lender releases the lien on the title or on Notice of Satisfaction of Security Interest or Lien Holder's Affidavit (T-4). If the lienholder is an individual, include a copy of their driver's license.
• Lenders that use Georgia's electronic lien system release electronic liens electronically; Form T-4 cannot be used for those.
• Then follow the route that fits: joint owner, Year's Support, Form T-20, or Letters.

Effect on the no-probate route: Form T-20 requires that all liens on the Motor Vehicle Division's records be released and that the estate owe no debts. So the T-20 route works only after the loan is paid off and released. If the family cannot pay it off, an executor or administrator may be needed.

Forms: Notice of Satisfaction of Security Interest or Lien Holder's Affidavit (T-4)

Documents:

• Lien release on the title, or Form T-4 signed by the lienholder
• The inheritance documents for the route you are using

• Title fee: $18.
• Late-title penalty: the $10 penalty for applying more than 30 days after a transfer does not apply to an heir. It does apply to someone who buys a car from an estate and waits more than 30 days.
• Plate fees: $20 for a license plate and registration decal, or $5 to transfer a plate. Official sources do not say whether an heir can keep the deceased owner's plate; contact your County Tag Office to confirm.

Title Ad Valorem Tax (TAVT). Georgia charges a one-time title tax instead of sales tax on most vehicles. The standard rate is 7.0% of the car's fair market value. For an immediate family member (spouse, parent, child, sibling, grandparent or grandchild, including stepparents and stepchildren) who inherits:

• If the car was already under TAVT, the family member pays a reduced 0.5% rate.
• If the car was under the older annual tax, it stays on annual tax unless the family member chooses in writing to pay full TAVT.
• The family member signs a notarized affidavit of the relationship. The DOR's form is Affidavit to Certify Immediate Family Relationship (MV-16); the DOR says it may be required.
• Removing a deceased owner from a "Joint Tenants with Rights of Survivorship" title does not trigger TAVT.

Official sources do not say what an heir who is not an immediate family member pays. Contact your County Tag Office to confirm.

Title applications for inherited cars are handled at the County Tag Office (run by the county tax commissioner) in the county where the new owner lives. The DOR keeps a list of county tag offices. For some cases with a probated will, the DOR manual says paperwork can also go to the DOR Motor Vehicle Division.

Official sources do not say whether county tag offices accept inherited-car applications online or by mail, or whether you need an appointment. This varies by county, so contact your tag office before you go.

Heirs who live outside Georgia: a Georgia title can be issued to an out-of-state heir when the car is already titled in Georgia. If the car has no Georgia title and the heir lives in another state, the heir must title it in their home state first.

See the DOR's inherited vehicle page for the current document list.

Who can sign the title over to a buyer depends on the route:

• Executor or administrator with Letters: signs the title assignment to the buyer using their full legal name. Only one executor needs to sign. If the title is missing, the executor first gets a title in the estate's name, unless the car is 20 or more years old, in which case the executor can sign Bill of Sale (T-7).
• Temporary administrator: cannot sell. Permanent Letters are required.
• Heirs using Form T-20, No Administration Necessary or Year's Support (anyone without Letters): must title the car in their own name first, then sell it as the owner.
• Surviving joint owner on a JTWROS title: signs the title over to the buyer and attaches a copy of the death certificate.

The buyer must title the car within 30 days or pay a $10 penalty, and pays TAVT on the purchase.

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