How to Transfer a Car Title After Death in Wyoming

Wyoming lets a vehicle owner, or all the owners together, name a beneficiary who receives the car when the owner (or the last surviving owner) dies. The owner fills out WYDOT Form MV-308, signs it before a notary and records it with the county clerk in the county where the car is titled. This has to be done while the owner is alive.

The car does not go through probate, and a will cannot change or cancel the designation. The beneficiary takes the car subject to any loan or lien on it. Form MV-308 says the designation is revoked if an owner's name changes or an owner is added to the title after the form was filed.

Steps

• Find out whether the owner recorded an MV-308 form. Check the owner's papers, or ask the county clerk's title office where the car is titled.
• Get a certified copy of the death certificate of the owner (or of the last surviving owner).
• Take the recorded form (or a copy), the death certificate and the $15 title fee to the county clerk.
• Ask for a new certificate of title in your name. The clerk issues it subject to any liens on the car.
• If you will drive the car, register it with your county treasurer.

Forms

• Form MV-308, Automatic Transfer of a Vehicle Title Upon Death to Beneficiary Designation (completed by the owner before death)
• Form MV-308i, instructions for the beneficiary designation

Documents to bring

• The recorded MV-308 form or a copy of it
• Certified copy of the death certificate
• $15 title fee
• Photo ID (Laramie County says to always bring photo ID to the titles office)

It depends on how the owners are listed on the title.

• Joint tenants with right of survivorship (JTWROS): if the title clearly says this, the surviving owner can apply to a county clerk for a new title in their own name with a certified copy of the deceased owner's death certificate. No sales or use tax is due on this transfer.
• JTWROS and selling: the survivor can sell without retitling first. Sign the title over to the buyer before a notary and give the buyer a certified copy of the death certificate.
• Names joined by "or" (not JTWROS): any one owner can transfer the whole car without the others' signatures. Laramie County says one notarized signature is enough on Wyoming titles issued on or after Jan. 1, 2020.
• Names joined by "and": every co-owner must sign to transfer.

Official sources don't explain how a surviving "and" or "or" co-owner removes a deceased co-owner's name when keeping the car. Laramie County's title office says transfers on death can be complicated by the number of owners or the type of ownership on the title. Contact the county clerk's title office to confirm what they need before you go.

Forms

• Form MV-300A, Application for Certificate of Title and VIN/HIN Inspection

Documents to bring

• Original Wyoming title
• Certified copy of the deceased owner's death certificate
• Completed MV-300A, if retitling
• Photo ID
• $15 title fee
• Lien release, if the title shows a lien that has been paid off

Wyoming does not have a separate spouse-only route for a car. A spouse uses the same routes as anyone else:

• If you are a co-owner on the title, follow the co-owner steps.
• If your spouse recorded an MV-308 naming you, follow the beneficiary steps.
• Otherwise, check whether the estate qualifies for the Affidavit of Distributee ($400,000 or less, at least 30 days after the death, no personal representative appointed or applied for).
• If it does not qualify, or a personal representative has been appointed, use the probate route.

Two details may matter for spouses, but neither is confirmed for a car inherited from a deceased owner. Wyoming law lists a $4 fee for new registration after a transfer from an owner to a spouse, child, brother, sister or parent. Wyoming also has a sales and use tax exemption for vehicle transfers between immediate family members, including spouses (Form WYMVEX-110). When you register the car, ask the county treasurer whether either applies to your transfer.

Forms

• Affidavit of Distributee (Laramie County version; other counties may use their own)
• Form MV-300A, Application for Certificate of Title

Documents to bring

• Original Wyoming title
• Certified copy of the death certificate
• Affidavit of Distributee or court papers, if you are not a JTWROS co-owner or named beneficiary
• Photo ID
• $15 title fee

Wyoming lets heirs transfer a car without probate using a sworn affidavit (W.S. 2-1-201). The county clerk in the county where the car is registered must transfer the title to the heirs when presented with the affidavit. All of these must be true:

• At least 30 days have passed since the death.
• The estate in Wyoming subject to administration is $400,000 or less, after liens and encumbrances.
• No application to appoint a personal representative is pending or has been granted in Wyoming.
• The affidavit is made by or on behalf of the people entitled to the car.

Sources differ on the cap wording. The statute counts the estate "located in Wyoming." Laramie County's affidavit form (rev. 7/2025) uses broader wording: the entire estate "wherever located." Contact your county clerk to confirm which they apply.

Steps

• Wait at least 30 days after the death.
• Get your county clerk's affidavit form. Laramie County publishes an "Affidavit of Distributee"; ask your county clerk whether they have their own version.
• Fill in the deceased owner's name and date of death, and the name and relationship of each heir entitled to the car.
• Sign under oath before a notary public or a deputy county clerk.
• Take the affidavit, death certificate, original title, title application, photo ID and $15 fee to the county clerk.
• Any lien stays on the new title unless it is released.

Forms

• Affidavit of Distributee (Laramie County version)
• Form MV-300A, Application for Certificate of Title

Documents to bring

• Sworn, notarized Affidavit of Distributee
• Certified copy of the death certificate
• Original Wyoming title
• Completed MV-300A
• Photo ID
• $15 title fee

Once a personal representative (executor or administrator) has been appointed, the small-estate affidavit can't be used. Under W.S. 31-2-104(c), the representative sends the county clerk a title application along with a verified or certified statement of the transfer. The statement gives the reason for the transfer, the interest transferred, the name of the new owner, the court process behind it, and anything else the county clerk asks for.

No official page we found lists the exact court documents county clerks want. Call the county clerk's title office first.

Steps

• Call the county clerk's title office and ask exactly what they need for a transfer from an estate.
• Complete a title application (MV-300A) in the name of the person receiving the car (an heir, a beneficiary or a buyer).
• Prepare a signed, verified statement of the transfer.
• Take the original title, the court papers, the statement, the application, photo ID and the $15 fee to the county clerk.

Forms

• Form MV-300A, Application for Certificate of Title

Documents to bring

• Original Wyoming title
• Court document appointing the personal representative (ask the county clerk which version)
• Verified or certified statement of the transfer
• Completed MV-300A
• Photo ID
• $15 title fee

A loan or lien does not go away when the owner dies. A car passing to a named beneficiary stays subject to any liens and security interests. If the loan is paid off, the lien must be released. Laramie County says a lien on a Wyoming title must be released by the county clerk's office in the county that filed it.

Steps

• Look at the front of the title for a lienholder.
• If the loan is paid off, get a lien release (termination statement) from the lienholder.
• Take the original title and the lien release to the county clerk in the county that filed the lien.
• If money is still owed, contact the lender about payoff or keeping the car before you transfer or sell it.

Forms

• Lien Release Statement / Statement of Termination (Laramie County Clerk)

Documents to bring

• Original Wyoming title
• Lien release statement from the lienholder

• Certificate of title: $15, original or duplicate (W.S. 31-3-102(a)(vii)).
• New registration after a family transfer: Wyoming law lists $4 after a transfer between joint owners or from an owner to a spouse, child, brother, sister or parent. Whether it applies to a transfer from a deceased owner isn't stated. Registration is handled by the county treasurer.
• VIN inspection: $10, required when the prior title is from another state.
• Lien fees (Laramie County): new lien $20; partial lien release $5.
• Recording MV-308 or filing the Affidavit of Distributee: no fee is published. Contact the county clerk to confirm.

Sales and use tax. A surviving owner on a JTWROS title pays no sales or use tax when retitling. For other inherited cars (named beneficiary, affidavit or probate), Wyoming's official sources don't directly say. Wyoming does collect tax on vehicles received as gifts, and it exempts transfers between immediate family members if the giver paid tax when they got the car (Form WYMVEX-110). Whether that exemption covers a transfer from an estate isn't confirmed. Ask your county treasurer, who collects vehicle sales tax, before you register.

Wyoming titles are processed by the county clerk in the county seat of your county of residence. Registration, plates and vehicle sales tax go through the county treasurer. For specific title questions, contact the county clerk's office, or call WYDOT Motor Vehicle Services at 307-777-4709.

No official source describes an online or mail option for an estate, affidavit or beneficiary transfer. Contact the county clerk to confirm. Laramie County uses an online virtual queue (Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.); other counties may differ. Bring photo ID.

How the car is sold depends on the route:

• Named beneficiary or Affidavit of Distributee: get the title in your name first, then sign the assignment on the title before a notary and give it to the buyer.
• JTWROS survivor: sign the title over without retitling first, and give the buyer a certified copy of the death certificate.
• "Or" title (not JTWROS): one owner's notarized signature is enough on titles issued on or after Jan. 1, 2020.
• Probate: the personal representative handles the transfer. Ask the county clerk how they want the representative to sign for a sale, because no official source spells this out.

The buyer pays any sales or use tax to the county treasurer before registering. Give the buyer an odometer disclosure statement where required. If probate is needed, our Wyoming probate guide walks through it.