How to Transfer a Car Title After Death in Hawaii

We found no transfer-on-death beneficiary option for Hawaii car titles. The state's vehicle registration law (HRS Chapter 286) has no TOD section, and none of the four counties' transfer pages mention one. Bills to create a vehicle TOD option were introduced in 2018 and 2019-2020, but we found no sign that any became law.

To pass a car without probate in Hawaii, families use joint ownership or the county small estate affidavit. See The Car Was Co-Owned or No Probate (Small Estate or Heirs).

When it applies: the title and registration list the deceased person and a living co-owner. Hawaii law presumes a car registered in two or more names is owned in joint tenancy unless a written document says otherwise (HRS 286-49). The counties let the surviving co-owner transfer the car into their own name. County pages do not treat "AND" and "OR" titles differently; contact your county office to confirm if your title raises a question.

Steps (Honolulu's instructions)

1. Front of the title, Section A: fill in the odometer reading if required, then date, print and sign your name as the surviving owner.
2. Back of the title, Section D: complete the application for transfer as the new registered owner.
3. If a loan is shown, the lienholder completes Section B (release). A new lender completes Section E.
4. Gather the documents below and submit them to your county motor vehicle office. Pay the transfer fee, plus registration renewal if the registration has expired or expires within 45 days.

Documents

• Original Hawaii Certificate of Title, signed in Sections A and D
• Last-issued Certificate of Registration
• Current State of Hawaii Safety Inspection Certificate
• Death certificate. Honolulu requires a state-certified copy; photocopies are not accepted. Kaua'i asks for an original of the death certificate.
• Lien release (Section B of the title) if a paid-off loan is shown

Hawai'i County and Maui do not publish a joint-owner death procedure, so contact those offices to confirm what they need.

Forms: no separate form; the title itself is the application.

Hawaii has no spouse-only vehicle transfer route.

• If you are a co-owner on the title and registration, follow The Car Was Co-Owned.
• If the car was only in your spouse's name and no probate case has been opened, you can use your county's Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property of the Decedent like any other successor. See No Probate (Small Estate or Heirs).
• If a personal representative has been appointed, see An Executor Has Been Appointed.

There is no spouse-specific value limit. The affidavit statute lets a car registered in the deceased person's name be transferred regardless of value (HRS 560:3-1201).

When it applies: the car was registered only in the deceased person's name, and no personal representative has been appointed in Hawaii (and no petition to appoint one is pending). The person entitled to the car signs a sworn Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property of the Decedent under HRS 560:3-1201. Once it is presented with a death certificate, the county changes the registered owner to that person.

Value limit: the statute requires that the gross value of the deceased person's estate in Hawaii not exceed $100,000, "except that any motor vehicles registered in the decedent's name may be transferred regardless of value." The car's own value does not count against the limit. No official source says whether the affidavit can be used for a car when the rest of the Hawaii estate is over $100,000, so contact your county office to confirm in that case.

Who signs: the person or persons claiming to be the successor, who explain their relationship to the deceased person in the affidavit. The affidavit is signed in front of a notary. The person who receives the car is answerable to any personal representative or anyone with a better right to it (HRS 560:3-1202).

Steps

1. Confirm no probate case has been opened in Hawaii and no petition to appoint a personal representative is pending.
2. Get a certified copy of the death certificate.
3. Download your county's affidavit, fill in the car's license plate, make, body type and VIN, and explain your relationship to the deceased person.
4. Sign the affidavit in front of a notary public.
5. Get a current safety inspection certificate.
6. Take or send the papers to the motor vehicle office in the county where the car is registered. In Honolulu, call (808) 768-4324 for guidance first and book an appointment through AlohaQ.org.
7. Pay the county transfer fee and any registration renewal or back registration taxes.

Forms (use your county's version)

• Honolulu: Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property of the Decedent, CS-L (MVR) 39. Download it from the Honolulu vehicle ownership transfer page. The form link was not loading when we checked, so call (808) 768-4324 if you cannot open it.
• Hawai'i County: Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property of the Decedent.pdf)
• Maui County: Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property, also listed on Maui's forms page
• Kaua'i County: Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property of the Decedent, MVR-48. Kaua'i notes that "detailed legal requirements must be met" for cars registered only to the deceased person.

Documents

• Notarized affidavit (your county's version)
• Certified copy of the death certificate (Maui accepts an original or state-certified copy)
• Original Hawaii Certificate of Title
• Current State of Hawaii Safety Inspection Certificate
• Last-issued Certificate of Registration
• Government-issued photo ID (Hawai'i County asks for one at registration)

When it applies: a Hawaii court has appointed a personal representative (executor or administrator). Once that happens, the small estate affidavit can no longer be used.

Under HRS 286-52(f), the personal representative signs the certificate of ownership in place of the deceased owner and must give the county "evidence satisfactory to the director of finance" of the right to make the transfer.

None of the four county websites lists the exact papers for this case, including which court document they accept as proof of appointment. Contact your county motor vehicle office to confirm before you go. Honolulu's line for deceased-owner transfers is (808) 768-4324.

Documents commonly involved

• Original Hawaii Certificate of Title, signed by the personal representative
• Court papers showing the personal representative's appointment (ask the county which version it accepts)
• Certified copy of the death certificate
• Last-issued Certificate of Registration
• Current State of Hawaii Safety Inspection Certificate

Forms: no separate county form is published for this route.

No Hawaii county page gives a death-specific lien procedure. Here is how a lien is handled on a Hawaii title:

• When the loan is paid off, the lienholder completes Section B (release) on the title. Honolulu says a lien satisfaction letter may be submitted if the lienholder has not signed the title.
• If a new lender finances the car, the new lienholder completes Section E.
• If the recorded lienholder has no office in Hawaii, the new owner has 60 days instead of 30 to submit the transfer (HRS 286-52).

Once the lien is released, follow the co-owner, affidavit or executor route above. Contact the lender directly about the payoff and the title.

Each county sets its own title transfer fee (HRS 286-51):

• City and County of Honolulu: $10
• Kaua'i: $10
• Maui: $20
• Hawai'i County: $5

Other costs

• Late fee: $50 extra if the papers are submitted more than 30 days after the transfer (60 days if the lienholder has no Hawaii office). Honolulu's mail-in total with the penalty is $60.
• Registration renewal if the registration has expired or expires within 45 days.
• Back registration taxes for any years the car was not registered.
• A current safety inspection is required. Contact an inspection station for its cost.
• Notary fees for the affidavit vary.

Tax on an inherited car: the county transfer pages list only the transfer fee, registration renewal and any back registration taxes. We found no official statement about tax on an inherited car, so contact your county office or the Hawaii Department of Taxation to confirm.

Hawaii has no state DMV. Go to the motor vehicle office of the county where the car is registered. No county offers an online transfer for a deceased owner.

• Honolulu (Oahu): Department of Customer Services, Division of Motor Vehicles. In person at a satellite city hall with an appointment booked through AlohaQ.org; ownership transfer is not an Express Window transaction. For a car registered only to the deceased person, call (808) 768-4324 or visit a satellite city hall for guidance. Mail: Department of Customer Services, Division of Motor Vehicles, P.O. Box 30330, Honolulu, HI 96820-0330, check payable to "City and County of Honolulu." Honolulu transfer page
• Hawai'i County (Big Island): Vehicle Registration & Licensing, (808) 961-8351. Appointments can be booked up to 7 days ahead; walk-ins are served as available. Hawai'i County transfer page
• Maui County (Maui, Molokai, Lanai): Division of Motor Vehicles & Licensing. The official pages do not say whether an appointment is required or where to mail a deceased-owner transfer, so contact the office to confirm. Maui transfer page
• Kaua'i: Treasury Division, Motor Vehicle Registration. Joint-owner death transfers can go in the drop box or by mail to 4444 Rice St., Ste 466, Lihue, HI 96766-1340. Email kauaimvr@kauai.gov for help. Kaua'i transfer page

Hawaii county pages do not describe selling a deceased owner's car directly from the estate. Under HRS 286-52, a personal representative or successor signs the title in place of the deceased owner and must file a notice of any transfer by sale with the county, along with evidence of their right to make the transfer. Contact your county office to confirm what it needs.

When the car is sold:

• The seller completes Section A on the front of the title, with the odometer reading if required.
• The seller gives the buyer the signed title, the last registration and the safety inspection certificate.
• The seller files a Notice of Transfer with the county within 10 days. Not doing so can bring a fine of up to $100.
• The buyer must submit the paperwork within 30 days or pay the $50 late fee.

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