How to Transfer a Car Title After Death in Minnesota

When it applies: the title names a transfer-on-death (TOD) beneficiary and there is no surviving owner. Minnesota lets an owner title a car in TOD form (Minn. Stat. 168A.125). If the owner was married, naming someone other than the spouse required the spouse's written consent.

Steps:

1. Confirm there is no surviving co-owner on the title. The TOD transfer happens only after the last owner has died.
2. Gather the title, proof of death and a lien release if a lien is listed.
3. Take everything to a deputy registrar office and pay the fees. Sales tax is not due on a TOD transfer.

Forms: if the title is lost, the Duplicate Title Application (PS2067A).

Documents:

• The Minnesota title showing the TOD beneficiary (or a duplicate title)
• Proof of death
• Lien release, if a lien is listed
• Payment of fees

Proof of death: DVS lists a copy of the death certificate, an obituary notice or a memorial card. The statute itself refers to a "certified death record." Contact DVS or your deputy registrar to confirm what they will accept, or bring a certified copy to be safe.

Two cautions: a listed lien must be released first. Certain state or county claims, such as Medical Assistance estate recovery, void the TOD transfer. If no beneficiary outlives the owner, the car goes into the probate estate instead.

When it applies: two people are named on the title. The word between the names decides what happens (DVS title manual):

• "OR": the surviving owner can put the title in their own name, or sell the car, with proof of death.
• "AND" or no word: there is no right of survivorship. The deceased owner's share passes like other estate property.

Steps:

1. Look at the title and check whether "OR" appears next to the first owner's name.
2. If "OR" is there, bring the title, proof of death, any lien release and the fees to a deputy registrar.
3. If "OR" is not there, also bring a notarized PS2071 form or an Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property. If the estate is being probated, see An Executor Has Been Appointed.

Forms (only when "OR" is not on the title):

• Assignment of a Vehicle to a Surviving Spouse/Not Subject to Probate (PS2071)
• Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property (PRO202)

Documents:

• Vehicle title
• Proof of death: a copy of the death certificate, an obituary notice or a memorial card
• Lien release, if applicable
• Payment of fees

Sales tax is not due when a joint owner receives the car with no payment (Minn. Stat. 297B.01).

When it applies: the owner died with no surviving co-owner on the title and left a spouse. DVS treats the spouse as the heir who must complete the transfer.

Minnesota law lets a surviving spouse take one automobile, regardless of its value (Minn. Stat. 524.2-403). The PS2071 form has no dollar limit.

Steps:

1. Get the Minnesota title. If it is lost, apply for a duplicate title using the PS2071 form and proof of death.
2. Complete the PS2071 under the "Surviving spouse" certification and sign it in front of a notary or a deputy registrar.
3. Sign the title on behalf of the deceased owner and assign it to yourself or to a buyer.
4. Bring the title, the PS2071, proof of death, any lien release and the fees to a deputy registrar office.

Forms:

• Assignment of a Vehicle to a Surviving Spouse/Not Subject to Probate (PS2071)
• Duplicate Title Application (PS2067A), if the title is lost

Documents:

• Minnesota title (or a duplicate title)
• Completed, notarized PS2071
• Proof of death: a copy of the death certificate, an obituary notice or a memorial card
• Lien release, if applicable
• Payment of the title fee and filing fee

Sales tax is not due on an inherited vehicle.

When it applies: there is no surviving spouse or co-owner, and the estate will not be probated. Minnesota has two routes.

1. The heirs' form (PS2071). The next surviving heir signs the form's "Not subject to probate" certification. This certifies the estate has not been and will not be probated and that there are no monetary claims or security interests relating to it. DVS and the form state no dollar limit and no waiting period. DVS's title manual describes heirs as immediate kin, such as the spouse and children 18 or older, or the next nearest kin if there are none.

2. The small-estate affidavit (PRO202). Under Minn. Stat. 524.3-1201, a successor can use the court's Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property if:

• the probate estate, less liens and encumbrances, is $75,000 or less, and
• at least 30 days have passed since the death, and
• no personal representative has been requested or appointed.

The statute directs the vehicle registrar to issue a new title to the successor named in the affidavit. The affidavit requires a certified copy of the death certificate.

Which route? Official sources word this differently. DVS's web page says the affidavit is used "when there are no legal heirs," while its title manual says a "non-heir" may use it. If you are unsure which applies, contact DVS or your deputy registrar office to confirm.

Steps:

1. Get the Minnesota title. If it is lost, apply for a duplicate title first.
2. Complete the PS2071 or the PRO202 affidavit and sign it in front of a notary.
3. For the affidavit, wait at least 30 days after the death and attach a certified death certificate.
4. Bring the title, the signed form, proof of death, any lien release and the fees to a deputy registrar office.

Forms:

• Assignment of a Vehicle to a Surviving Spouse/Not Subject to Probate (PS2071)
• Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property (PRO202)
• Duplicate Title Application (PS2067A), if the title is lost

Documents:

• Minnesota title (or a duplicate title)
• Completed, notarized PS2071 or affidavit
• Proof of death (a certified death certificate for the affidavit route)
• Lien release, if applicable
• Payment of fees

When it applies: the estate is being probated and the court has appointed an executor or administrator (personal representative). That person acts in place of the deceased owner (DVS).

Steps:

1. Get a certified court document from the probate court.
2. Get the Minnesota title. The transfer must be done on a title, so replace a lost one with a duplicate first.
3. The executor or administrator signs the title as seller for each owner listed. All appointed representatives must sign unless the court papers say they can act independently.
4. The new owner (an heir or a buyer) completes the buyer section.
5. Take the title, the certified court document, any lien release and the fees to a deputy registrar office.

Forms: Duplicate Title Application (PS2067A), if the title is lost.

Documents:

• Minnesota title, signed by the executor or administrator
• One certified Minnesota court document: Letters of Administration; a probate court order setting the car aside to the surviving spouse; a Decree of Partial Distribution awarding the car to the applicant; or the Final Decree of Distribution
• If the car will not be titled to everyone named in a decree of distribution, an assignment of ownership from those not taking title
• Lien release, if applicable
• Payment of fees

A death certificate is not needed here. The court document serves as proof of death.

When it applies: the front of the title lists a secured party (lienholder). A lien does not go away when the owner dies. Every DVS route for a deceased owner lists a lien release if applicable, and a TOD transfer is subject to the lender's rights (Minn. Stat. 168A.125).

Steps:

1. Check the title for a lienholder and the number of liens.
2. Contact the lender about paying off or taking over the loan. The lender's terms control this.
3. Once the loan is paid, get a release from each lienholder.
4. Bring the release with the rest of your transfer paperwork to a deputy registrar office.

Forms: Notification of Assignment, Release or Grant of Secured Interest (PS2017).

What counts as a release (DVS title manual):

• A signed lien release card
• A letter on the lender's letterhead (no notary needed)
• A notarized PS2017
• No paper is needed if the lender released an electronic lien

• Title fee: $8.25 (Minn. Stat. 168A.29).
• Filing fee: $12, plus a $1 deputy registrar surcharge (Minn. Stat. 168.33).
• Other surcharges and lien fees: DVS's fee sheet lists a few more small fees on title transfers, including a $10 "transfer tax." Official sources don't say whether that $10 applies to an inherited, TOD or spouse transfer. Contact your deputy registrar office to confirm the total.
• Duplicate title: $7.25 plus surcharges and the filing fee, if the original is lost.
• Sales tax: not due. Minnesota law says getting a car by inheritance, by will or by transfer-on-death is not a taxable purchase (Minn. Stat. 297B.01; Department of Revenue). A transfer to a surviving joint owner with no payment is also excluded.
• Using the will: DVS says a will cannot transfer a car, but it can be used to show the car was inherited, which exempts the heir from sales tax.
• When tax may apply: sales tax may be due if an administrator buys the car from the estate instead of inheriting it.
• Registration: the car must be transferred before its registration can be renewed.

No official source we found waives the title or filing fees for a spouse or heir.

Transfers are done at a deputy registrar office. There are nearly 200 across Minnesota. Because a deceased owner's transfer needs several documents and signatures, DVS recommends visiting an office in person.

Official sources don't say whether these transfers can be done by mail or online, or whether offices require appointments. Contact your local deputy registrar office to confirm before you go.

The person with legal authority signs the title as seller:

• Probate: the executor or administrator signs for each owner listed and provides the certified court document. An administrator may buy the car from the estate by signing as both seller and buyer, but sales tax may be due.
• No probate: an heir using the PS2071 form can sign for the deceased owner and transfer the title straight to a buyer (DVS title manual).
• "OR" co-owner: the surviving owner can sell with proof of death.

The seller lists the sale price in the sales tax declaration area on the back of the title and gives the buyer any lien release. Within 10 days of the sale, the seller reports it to DVS (Minn. Stat. 168A.10). The buyer should apply for a new title promptly: the statute allows 20 calendar days, but some DVS forms still say ten. Minnesota license plates stay with the vehicle (Minnesota Judicial Branch).

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