Sahvelo

Transferring a vehicle in Alaska after someone dies

Read the owner line on the certificate before anything else. If the two names are joined by "OR", the Division of Motor Vehicles says the surviving owner may release the title and no additional documents related to the deceased are required — an agency stating what is not needed, which almost none of them do. If it says "AND", or there is only one name, the vehicle is in the estate, and Alaska has two published ways out of it.

State Alaska

The procedure is set by the state that issued the title, not by where the owner lived.

Sahvelo publishes 50 states for this topic. If the title came from another state, that state's motor vehicle agency is the authoritative source until we publish it. See what's published.

Paths
4 in this state

The paths this state offers

Every route Sahvelo has verified for transferring a vehicle after a death in this state, side by side. The guided questions identify which one applies to you.

Path When it applies Court involvement Tax owed Speed Authority
Surviving "OR" owner Two owners named on the certificate with their names joined by "OR" None The title transfer fee, calculated on the Division's fee calculator Fastest — the Division says no additional documents related to the deceased are required Alaska DMV, deceased owner
Transfer on death title The certificate carries the words "transfer on death to" or "TOD" and a named beneficiary who survives the owner by 120 hours None — a nontestamentary transfer on death A fee for the new certificate, to be established by the department Fast, but new: the route exists from 1 July 2026 and the Division has not yet published the form AS 13.33.401, added by Enrolled SB 104
The $150,000 affidavit (form 827) The whole estate wherever located is $150,000 or less, with vehicles at $100,000 or less and other personal property at $50,000 or less, thirty days have passed, and no probate case exists anywhere None — probate is not required for this option The title transfer fee, plus a second transfer if the vehicle is then sold Not earlier than thirty days after the death, and the vehicle must be titled to the successor before any onward sale Alaska DMV, deceased owner; form 827
Through the estate The vehicle is in the estate and the affidavit limits are exceeded, or a probate case already exists Yes — only the court-appointed representative may transfer or sell the vehicle The title transfer fee, plus whatever the court charges As long as the appointment takes; a court small estate must be opened as an informal probate first and closed by a sworn statement Alaska DMV, deceased owner; Alaska Court System, transferring ownership of assets

One word, and whether the death has to be proved at all

The Division of Motor Vehicles begins with the principle rather than a form: “When a vehicle owner has passed away, the correct process for releasing or transferring the vehicle title depends on the way the vehicle was owned and whether probate is required.” Then it splits the world in two.1

“Joint ownership with “OR”: The surviving owner may release the title. No additional documents related to the deceased are required.” That second sentence is unusual enough to be worth pausing on. Agencies almost always state what a route requires and leave families to guess about the rest; Alaska states the absence.1

The Alaska Court System's own chart is a shade more cautious for the same case, giving the document as a “Certified copy of Death Certificate”. Take one. It costs nothing to have it in the folder and the two state bodies do not quite agree.3

The other case: “Sole ownership or joint ownership with “AND”: The vehicle becomes part of the deceased owner’s estate and must follow probate procedures unless the estate qualifies for the Small Estate Affidavit (assets $150,000 or less).” One word apart on the certificate, and an entirely different process.1

A surviving co-owner is not out of it either way: “If there are surviving owners, they must also release the title unless the ownership was “OR.”” And on every route, “all transfers also require a completed Vehicle Transaction Application (Form V1)”.1

Three caps, and a family can pass the first and fail the second

Alaska's affidavit route needs no court: “Probate is not required for this option.” But the limit is not one number. “Total estate value is $150,000 or less, meaning: Vehicle assets worth no more than $100,000 Other personal property worth no more than $50,000”.•

So an estate of $150,000 made up of a single valuable vehicle is outside the route, because the vehicle cap is $100,000. Do the two sub-counts before concluding anything from the headline figure.•

Form 827 states the reach on its own face: “This affidavit may only be used when the entire estate, wherever located, less liens and encumbrances, has a value of $150,000 or less. In addition, the total value of all vehicles cannot exceed $100,000, and the total value of personal property, excluding the vehicles, cannot exceed $50,000.”2

Two phrases in that sentence decide cases. Wherever located — property in another state counts toward the Alaska figure, which is the opposite of the way Wyoming and Oklahoma draw their ceilings. And less liens and encumbrances — a financed vehicle enters the count at its equity, so a loan can bring an estate inside the route rather than pushing it out.2

Three further conditions complete it: “At least 30 days have passed since the owner’s death”, “No probate case has been filed or granted anywhere”, and “The person signing is the successor entitled to the vehicle”. Anywhere is the word to notice — a probate opened in another state closes this route.•

You cannot pass it straight on

The requirement families are least likely to expect is the last of four the Division lists: “Affidavit must be notarized”, “The original affidavit must be submitted”, “The VIN must be written on the affidavit”, and “The successor must title the vehicle in their own name first before selling or transferring it.”•

A successor who has already agreed to sell the car cannot hand the affidavit to the buyer and let them title it. The certificate comes into the successor's own name first — a second transaction, a second fee, and time. Form 827 repeats it: “The vehicle must be titled in the name of the successor listed below before it can be sold to another person.”•2

One small mercy in the other direction: the affidavit's notarization can be done at the counter. Form 827's certificate is completed by a “Notary Public or DMV Representative (Login ID & Office Location)”.2

And the form is not the only instrument the Division will take: “A similar notarized statement containing all required information” is expressly accepted.•

Alaska prints how to sign the title

Where the estate is being administered, the Division is blunt about who may act — “Only the court-appointed representative of the estate may transfer or sell the vehicle” — and names the documents that prove it: “Letters Testamentary Letters of Administration Letter of Appointment”.1

Then it does something very few agencies do: it prints the acceptable signature formats. “[Representative’s name], Executor”. “[Representative’s name], Executor of the Estate of [Deceased Owner]”. “[Deceased Owner] by [Representative’s name], Executor”.1

That list is worth using. A signature in the wrong form is among a frequent reasons a title application is rejected, and it is the kind of detail a family has no way of guessing.

The same letters also carry the authority to deal with a missing certificate: they let the representative “sign the title or complete a lost title affidavit on behalf of the deceased owner”. Where the title is gone, “A duplicate title must be obtained before the vehicle can be transferred” — form 809, the Affidavit of Lost Title.1

A transfer on death title, new from 1 July 2026

Enrolled SB 104 adds AS 13.33.401, and its own last section fixes the date: “* Sec. 9. Except as provided in sec. 8 of this Act, this Act takes effect July 1, 2026.” The designation lives on the certificate rather than in a file — a transfer on death title “must contain the words "transfer on death to" or” “the abbreviation "TOD," followed by the names of not more than two designated” beneficiaries.4

Which means it is findable. A family reading an Alaska certificate can see whether there is one, without having to search anybody's records — the opposite of Wyoming, where the equivalent document is recorded with a county clerk and never appears on the title.4

A will cannot undo it. The section begins “(q) Except as provided in this section, a transfer on death title may not be” and continues “changed or revoked by will or another instrument, by a change in circumstances, or in” — closing with “any other manner.” Only the owner could revoke it, in life, by transferring the vehicle and delivering the certificate or by filing to have the title reissued.4

It does not defeat the creditors. The beneficiary takes subject to the “(1) conveyances, encumbrances, assignments, contracts, liens, and” other interests and to “(2) claims of creditors against the owner or the owner's estate”, and where the probate estate cannot meet an allowed claim, the costs of administration or a spouse's or child's allowance, the estate may reach the vehicle. That exposure ends: a proceeding is barred “later than 12 months after the owner's death.”4

The beneficiary must survive by “owner by 120 hours.” — five days — and where two people are named they take as joint tenants with right of survivorship, the department issuing the new title in the conjunctive.4

The route is new enough that the Division's own deceased-owner page does not yet describe it, and the statute leaves the form and the fee to the department to establish. Call the Division and ask which form the application is before assembling anything.41

Two affidavits, two different tests, and a document the DMV asks for that its page does not mention

Alaska has two affidavits and they are not the same instrument. The Division's form 827 moves a vehicle. The Alaska Court System's form P-110, the Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property, moves the rest of the estate — and it carries “AS 13.16.680” at the foot of its first page.26

Their conditions differ in one way that decides cases. The court's affidavit is unavailable where the person owned land: “The person who died did not own any real property (land or buildings attached to land), no matter how small the value of the real property, or they had real property but it passed automatically to someone else because they were tenants by the entirety or there was a Transfer on Death Deed .” No matter how small the value.5

What the court's affidavit does with the property is also worth reading twice. It is filed with nobody — “you can use an Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property without a court case” — and it is simply presented: “give a copy of the Affidavit to any person or business who has personal property owned by the person who died. That person or business is required by law to give you the property.” But the successor does not own what they collect: “You cannot keep the property. You must give the property to the rightful beneficiaries under a Will or the heirs of the person who died if there is no Will.” The form itself says the same in statutory terms — the successor is “accountable for them to any personal representative of the estate (if one is appointed) and to any other person who has a superior right. AS 13.16.685”.56

And Alaska uses “small estate” for a third thing again, which is where families get lost. To the Court System it is a kind of informal probate decided by comparison rather than by a figure: value the estate, then add the homestead allowance, family allowance and exempt property and subtract probate, funeral and last-illness costs — “If the value from Step 2 is larger than the estate value from Step 1, the estate qualifies as a small estate.”7

If that is the road you took, there is one more document to bring, and only one of the two state bodies mentions it: “Note: If the estate is a small estate , the DMV also requires a certified copy of the Closing Statement showing that the person has the right to the vehicle.” The Closing Statement is the Sworn Statement of Personal Representative Closing Small Estate. Get a certified copy before going to the counter.37

What to do, step by step

The order of operations for each path. Only one of these applies to you — the guided questions will say which.

Surviving "OR" owner

Release the title. The Division asks for nothing about the death.

  1. First

    Read the owner line on the certificate

    "OR" between the two names is the whole test. "AND", or a single name, sends the vehicle into the estate instead.

  2. once the conjunction is confirmed

    The surviving owner releases the title

    No additional documents related to the deceased are required, in the Division's own words.

  3. with the released title

    Submit the Vehicle Transaction Application (Form V1)

    Required on every transfer, with any supporting documents needed to finalize the title. Take a certified copy of the death certificate as well — the Court System's chart asks for one on this case.

The Division's affidavit (form 827)

Wait thirty days, do the three counts, have it notarized, submit the original.

  1. thirty days after the death

    Wait thirty days from the death

    At least 30 days must have passed since the owner's death before the affidavit can be used.

  2. First

    Do all three counts

    The whole estate wherever located, less liens and encumbrances, at $150,000 or less; vehicles at no more than $100,000; everything else other than vehicles at no more than $50,000.

  3. while the thirty days run

    Confirm no probate case exists anywhere

    No application or petition for the appointment of a personal representative may be pending or granted in any jurisdiction — not merely in Alaska.

  4. once the thirty days have passed

    Complete form 827 and have it notarized

    Write the VIN on it. The certificate can be completed by a notary public or by a DMV representative at the counter.

  5. when the affidavit is signed

    Submit the original affidavit with the Form V1

    The original, not a copy. Where the certificate of title is lost, form 809 comes first.

  6. before any onward sale

    Title the vehicle in the successor's own name

    This has to happen before the vehicle can be sold or transferred to anybody else. It is a second transaction.

Through the estate

Letters, the right signature format, and — after a court small estate — a certified Closing Statement.

  1. First

    Obtain the letters or letter of appointment

    Letters Testamentary, Letters of Administration or a Letter of Appointment. Only the court-appointed representative may transfer or sell the vehicle.

  2. before going to the counter

    If the estate was closed as a small estate, get a certified Closing Statement

    The Court System says the DMV also requires a certified copy of the Sworn Statement of Personal Representative Closing Small Estate. The Division's own page does not mention it.

  3. when the documents are assembled

    Sign the title in one of the three published formats

    [Representative's name], Executor — or Executor of the Estate of [Deceased Owner] — or [Deceased Owner] by [Representative's name], Executor.

  4. with the signed title

    Submit the Vehicle Transaction Application (Form V1)

    With the letters, the signed title, and any surviving co-owner's release. Where the title is lost, form 809 first.

Transfer on death title

Proof of the death, a DMV form and a fee — from 1 July 2026.

  1. First

    Read the face of the certificate

    It must contain the words 'transfer on death to' or the abbreviation 'TOD', followed by one or two names.

  2. five days after the death

    Confirm the 120-hour survival

    The title passes to the beneficiary only if the beneficiary survives the owner by 120 hours — five days.

  3. before assembling anything

    Ask the Division which form to use

    The statute leaves the form and the fee to the department to establish, and the Division's deceased-owner page does not yet describe this route.

  4. once the form is known

    Submit proof of the death with the application and fee

    A death certificate, another official record of the death, or other evidence satisfactory to the department.

Documents and forms

Each name below links to the official form or the agency page that issues it.

Needed on every path

Needed on some paths

  • Affidavit for an Estate with Assets of $150,000 or Less (Form 827)

    Only if yes

    Applies to The Division's affidavit — notarized, original, with the VIN written on it

    Notarized, submitted in the original, with the VIN written on it. Certifies that the successor is entitled to the vehicle, that thirty days have elapsed, and that no personal representative has been applied for or appointed in any jurisdiction. A similar notarized statement containing all the required information is also accepted.

    Link checked 2026-08-19

  • Letters Testamentary, Letters of Administration or Letter of Appointment

    Only if no

    Applies to Through the estate — only the court-appointed representative may sign

    The court document that makes somebody the representative of the estate. Only the court-appointed representative may transfer or sell the vehicle, and these are the documents that give the authority to sign the title or complete a lost title affidavit.

    Link checked 2026-08-19

  • Certified copy of the Closing Statement

    Applies to Through the estate — only the court-appointed representative may sign

    The Sworn Statement of Personal Representative Closing Small Estate. Where the estate was closed as a court small estate, the Court System says the DMV also requires a certified copy showing that the person has the right to the vehicle.

    Link checked 2026-08-19

  • Certified copy of the death certificate

    Applies to "OR" on the title — the survivor releases it, and nothing about the death is requiredA transfer on death title — the death certificate, a DMV form and a fee

    The Court System's chart names it as the document for an "OR" title and, with a DMV form, for a transfer on death title. The Division says no additional documents related to the deceased are required on an "OR" title; the two do not quite agree, so take one.

    Link checked 2026-08-19

  • Affidavit of Lost Title (Form 809)

    Applies to The Division's affidavit — notarized, original, with the VIN written on itThrough the estate — only the court-appointed representative may sign

    Where the certificate cannot be found. A duplicate title must be obtained before the vehicle can be transferred, on both estate routes.

    Link checked 2026-08-19

  • Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property of Decedent (P-110)

    Applies to The Division's affidavit — notarized, original, with the VIN written on it

    The Alaska Court System's affidavit for the rest of the estate, under AS 13.16.680. Sworn before a notary or a court clerk and presented to whoever holds the property; it is not filed with the court. Unavailable where the person owned any real property.

    Link checked 2026-08-19

Where and how to file

  • In person

    Alaska Division of Motor Vehicles

    One agency serves the whole state: the Division of Motor Vehicles, in the Department of Administration, at 4001 Ingra Street, Suite 101, Anchorage AK 99503. Its published telephone number is (907) 269-5551.Every transfer needs the Vehicle Transaction Application (Form V1) and any supporting documents needed to finalize the title, whichever route applies.On the affidavit route the ORIGINAL affidavit must be submitted, not a copy, and the VIN must be written on it. The notarization can be done at the counter by a DMV representative.

    Find an office

    Applies to every path

  • In person

    Whoever holds the rest of the estate's property

    The court's Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property is not filed anywhere. Sign it under oath before a notary or a court clerk, then give a copy to any person or business holding property owned by the person who died.That person or business is required by law to give you the property. They may ask to see a copy of the death certificate first, and the form says so.What you collect is not yours. It must go to the beneficiaries under the will or to the heirs, and to a personal representative if one is appointed later.

    Find an office

    Applies to The Division's affidavit — notarized, original, with the VIN written on it

What it costs

Fees change, and the agency's own schedule is the only current source. Where Sahvelo cannot verify a fixed amount, it links the schedule rather than quoting a number.

FeeAmountNotesFee schedule
The title transfer fee Published by the agency The Division does not print a figure on its deceased-owner page. It says instead that fees can be calculated using the Alaska Registration Fee Calculator, so no amount is stated here. Current fee schedule
A second transfer, if the vehicle is being sold Published by the agency The successor must title the vehicle in their own name before selling or transferring it, so a sale after an affidavit is two title transactions rather than one. The Division states the requirement and no figure. Current fee schedule
A duplicate title where the certificate is lost Published by the agency A duplicate must be obtained before the vehicle can be transferred, using form 809. The fee is not stated on the deceased-owner page or on the form. Current fee schedule
The fee for a new certificate on a transfer on death title Published by the agency AS 13.33.401 requires the beneficiary to submit an application and pay a fee for the certificate of title, and leaves both the form and the fee to the department to establish by regulation. No figure is published yet. Current fee schedule
Notarization Published by the agency Form 827 must be notarized, but its certificate may be completed by a notary public or by a DMV representative, so a separate notary fee may not arise. The court's form P-110 may be sworn before a notary or a court clerk. Current fee schedule
Opening a probate case and obtaining letters Published by the agency Set by the Alaska Court System rather than by the Division, and not stated in anything read here. Note that qualifying as a court small estate requires an informal probate to be opened first — the classification is made after the inventory, not before. Current fee schedule

After you file

  • On the affidavit route the vehicle arrives in the successor's own name, and it has to. “The successor must title the vehicle in their own name first before selling or transferring it.”So a sale planned for the same week is a second transaction with its own paperwork and its own fee. Build the extra step into any agreement with a buyer.

    Applies to The Division's affidavit — notarized, original, with the VIN written on it

  • Collecting on an affidavit settles possession, not ownership. The court's form says the successor is “accountable for them to any personal representative of the estate (if one is appointed) and to any other person who has a superior right. AS 13.16.685”.And the Court System's guidance is blunter still: “You cannot keep the property.” It goes to the beneficiaries under the will, or to the heirs where there is none.

    Applies to The Division's affidavit — notarized, original, with the VIN written on it

  • A transfer on death title does not clear the debts. The beneficiary takes subject to the liens and to the claims of creditors against the owner or the estate, and where the probate estate cannot pay an allowed claim, the costs of administration, or a spouse's or child's allowance, the estate may enforce that liability against the vehicle.There is an end date: a proceeding must begin not later than twelve months after the owner's death, and cannot begin at all unless the personal representative has received a written demand.

    Applies to A transfer on death title — the death certificate, a DMV form and a fee

  • The title is not the registration and neither is the license plate. Check what the vehicle's registration status is once the certificate is in the new owner's name.Where the vehicle has no certificate of title at all — a snowmachine, an ATV, a boat, a tractor — none of this applies. Those pass as tangible personal property, on a bill of sale, assignment or deed of distribution prepared by the personal representative.

    Applies to every path

If your situation doesn't fit one of these paths

Common complications, and what each one changes.

  • The estate is under $150,000 but the truck is worth more than $100,000

    The route is closed. The Division's limit decomposes: “Total estate value is $150,000 or less, meaning: Vehicle assets worth no more than $100,000 Other personal property worth no more than $50,000”. Passing the headline figure is not enough.

    Do the count after subtracting what is owed. Form 827 measures the estate “less liens and encumbrances”, so a loan on the vehicle reduces what it contributes — which can bring an estate inside a cap it would otherwise fail.•2

  • Most of what was left is in another state

    It counts. Form 827 applies only where “the entire estate, wherever located, less liens and encumbrances, has a value of $150,000 or less”, and the court's form P-110 uses the same words for its own caps.

    That is the opposite of the way Wyoming and Oklahoma draw their affidavit ceilings, which count only property located in the state. A family moving between those states and Alaska should not carry the arithmetic across.26

  • The person owned land, even a small share

    That closes the court's affidavit absolutely: “The person who died did not own any real property (land or buildings attached to land), no matter how small the value of the real property, or they had real property but it passed automatically to someone else because they were tenants by the entirety or there was a Transfer on Death Deed .”

    It does not, on the Division's published wording, close the vehicle affidavit — form 827 asks about the value of the estate and not about real property. The two affidavits are different instruments with different conditions, and it is worth being clear which one is in hand.52

  • A probate case was opened in another state

    That closes the affidavit route. The Division's condition is “No probate case has been filed or granted anywhere”, and form 827 puts it as no application or petition “pending or has been granted in any jurisdiction”.

    The estate route is then the one to take, and Alaska accepts what the court issued: “Letters Testamentary Letters of Administration Letter of Appointment”.•21

  • The certificate of title cannot be found

    A duplicate comes first, on either estate route: “A duplicate title must be obtained before the vehicle can be transferred. A form 809 Affidavit of Lost Title will need to be submitted in addition to documents listed in this section.”

    Where the estate is being administered, the letters carry the authority to do it — they let the representative “sign the title or complete a lost title affidavit on behalf of the deceased owner.”1

  • It is a snowmachine, an ATV, a boat or a tractor

    None of this applies. “Vehicles that do not have Certificates of Title include snowmachines, ATVs, tractors, off-road equipment, boats and aircraft.” They are transferred as tangible personal property, by a bill of sale, assignment or deed of distribution prepared by the personal representative.

    The court's affidavit counts them the same way: its $100,000 vehicle cap includes “only vehicles that must be registered in Alaska” and excludes “snowmachines, ATVs, tractors, off-road equipment or boats” — which fall instead into the $50,000 count for other personal property. Boats are the exception to watch: the new transfer on death title reaches a boat as well as a vehicle.354

  • The estate was closed as a court "small estate"

    There is an extra document, and only the Court System mentions it: “Note: If the estate is a small estate , the DMV also requires a certified copy of the Closing Statement showing that the person has the right to the vehicle.”

    The Closing Statement is the “ Sworn Statement of Personal Representative Closing Small Estate ”. Order a certified copy at the same time as the letters rather than making a second trip.37

  • There is still a loan on the vehicle

    Nothing read here states what the Division requires to discharge a lien on a transfer following a death, so Sahvelo states no procedure. Ask the Division and the lender before the application goes in.

    Two things are established. Both affidavits measure the estate after subtracting liens and encumbrances, so a loan reduces the count rather than disqualifying the route. And a transfer on death beneficiary takes the vehicle subject to the “(1) conveyances, encumbrances, assignments, contracts, liens, and” other interests it was subject to at the owner's death.24

  • The will leaves the car to somebody other than the TOD beneficiary

    The title wins. The section reads “(q) Except as provided in this section, a transfer on death title may not be” “changed or revoked by will or another instrument, by a change in circumstances, or in” “any other manner.”

    Only the owner could have undone it, and only by act: transferring the vehicle and delivering the certificate, or filing to have the title reissued without the beneficiary or with a different one.4

Questions people ask about this

  • The title says my husband's name OR mine. What do I have to prove?

    On the Division's own wording, nothing about the death: “Joint ownership with “OR”: The surviving owner may release the title. No additional documents related to the deceased are required.”The Alaska Court System's chart for the same case names a “Certified copy of Death Certificate”, so take one. Either way you will need the Vehicle Transaction Application (Form V1).13

  • The title says AND. Does that change anything?

    Completely. “Sole ownership or joint ownership with “AND”: The vehicle becomes part of the deceased owner’s estate and must follow probate procedures unless the estate qualifies for the Small Estate Affidavit (assets $150,000 or less).”And a surviving co-owner still has to sign: “If there are surviving owners, they must also release the title unless the ownership was “OR.””1

  • How big can the estate be for the affidavit?

    $150,000 for the whole estate, wherever located, less liens and encumbrances — but there are two more caps inside it: “Vehicle assets worth no more than $100,000 Other personal property worth no more than $50,000”.All three have to be satisfied. Thirty days must also have passed, and no probate case may have been filed or granted anywhere.•2

  • We want to sell the car. Can the buyer just take the affidavit?

    No. “The successor must title the vehicle in their own name first before selling or transferring it.” Form 827 says the same on its face.So a sale is two transactions: the vehicle into your name, then out of it. Allow for the extra time and the extra fee before agreeing a date with a buyer.•2

  • I am the executor. How exactly do I sign the title?

    The Division prints the acceptable formats, which very few agencies do: “[Representative’s name], Executor”, “[Representative’s name], Executor of the Estate of [Deceased Owner]”, or “[Deceased Owner] by [Representative’s name], Executor”.Take a copy of the letters. “Only the court-appointed representative of the estate may transfer or sell the vehicle.”1

  • What is a transfer on death title, and does Alaska have one?

    It does, from 1 July 2026. The owner applies to name one or two beneficiaries, and the certificate then carries the words “transfer on death to” or “TOD” and their names. On the death the beneficiary submits proof of the death, an application and a fee.It cannot be revoked by a will, and the beneficiary must survive the owner by 120 hours. The Division has not yet published the form, so call and ask which one it is.41

  • There seem to be two different affidavits. Which do we need?

    The Division's form 827 moves the vehicle. The Court System's form P-110, under AS 13.16.680, moves the rest of the personal property — bank accounts, the Permanent Fund Dividend, belongings — and is presented to whoever holds it rather than filed with a court.Their conditions differ. P-110 is unavailable if the person owned any real property at all, “no matter how small the value”. Many families need both.256

  • If I collect the property on an affidavit, is it mine?

    No. “You cannot keep the property. You must give the property to the rightful beneficiaries under a Will or the heirs of the person who died if there is no Will.”The form makes it a sworn understanding: the successor is “accountable for them to any personal representative of the estate (if one is appointed) and to any other person who has a superior right. AS 13.16.685”.56

  • The court keeps saying "small estate". Is that the DMV affidavit?

    No, and the overlap in words causes real confusion. To the Alaska Court System a small estate is “a type of informal probate” — you open a probate case, the personal representative inventories the estate, and it qualifies if the allowances and costs exceed the estate value: “If the value from Step 2 is larger than the estate value from Step 1, the estate qualifies as a small estate.”If that is the road you took, the DMV wants one more document — a certified copy of the Closing Statement, the Sworn Statement of Personal Representative Closing Small Estate.73

  • What does it cost?

    The Division does not print a figure on its deceased-owner page. It says fees can be calculated using the Alaska Registration Fee Calculator, so no amount is stated here.Budget for a second title transaction if you are selling after the affidavit route, and for a duplicate title if the certificate is lost.•

What the terms mean

7 terms used on this page, defined from the statute
"OR" on an Alaska title
Two owners whose names are joined by OR on the certificate. The Division of Motor Vehicles says the surviving owner may release the title and that no additional documents related to the deceased are required — one of the few places in this corpus where an agency states an absence rather than a requirement. AND, or a single name, puts the vehicle into the estate instead. Alaska DMV — deceased owner
Affidavit for an Estate with Assets of $150,000 or Less (form 827)
The Division's own affidavit for a vehicle where no probate is happening. Available where the entire estate wherever located, less liens and encumbrances, is $150,000 or less, with vehicles at no more than $100,000 and other personal property at no more than $50,000, thirty days have elapsed, and no personal representative has been applied for or appointed anywhere. Notarized, submitted in the original, with the VIN written on it. Alaska DMV form 827
Successor
The person entitled to the property of somebody who has died, other than a creditor. On the Alaska Court System's account a successor may be the person nominated as personal representative in the will, a beneficiary named in the will, or an heir where there is no will. A successor who collects on an affidavit is accountable for the property to any personal representative appointed later and to anyone with a superior right, under AS 13.16.685. Alaska Court System — collecting personal property without a court case, AS 13.16.685
Transfer on death title
Alaska's vehicle and boat transfer-on-death instrument, created by AS 13.33.401 and effective 1 July 2026. It is a certificate of title containing the words 'transfer on death to' or the abbreviation 'TOD' and the names of not more than two beneficiaries. It is a nontestamentary transfer, cannot be revoked by will or by a change in circumstances, and passes the title only if the beneficiary survives the owner by 120 hours. AS 13.33.401, added by Enrolled SB 104
Small estate (Alaska Court System sense)
Not a dollar threshold and not the Division's affidavit. A kind of informal probate: the case is opened, the personal representative inventories the estate, and it qualifies if the homestead allowance, family allowance and exempt property, less probate, funeral and last-illness costs, exceed the estate value. It removes the notice to creditors and is closed by a Sworn Statement of Personal Representative Closing Small Estate — a certified copy of which the DMV then requires. Alaska Court System — small estates
Closing Statement
The Sworn Statement of Personal Representative Closing Small Estate, filed with the court after the property has been transferred, asking the court to close the probate and end the appointment. The Alaska Court System records that the DMV also requires a certified copy of it, showing that the person has the right to the vehicle — a requirement the Division's own deceased-owner page does not mention. Alaska Court System — transferring ownership of assets
Vehicle Transaction Application (Form V1)
The Division's base application. Required on every title transfer after a death, whichever route applies, together with any supporting documents needed to finalize the transfer. Alaska DMV — deceased owner

See the full glossary across every state

Still not sure which path is yours?

Ask a question to find the most relevant guidance Sahvelo has verified.

Prefer a guided path?

Answer a few questions about the title and the estate to find the transfer path that applies.

Find my vehicle transfer path

Sahvelo gives information drawn from statutes, agency guidance and official forms. It is not legal advice for your particular situation. Terms & disclaimer.

Sources

Every rule on this page traces to one of the following. Two are the Division of Motor Vehicles' own publications, three are the Alaska Court System's, and one is the Legislature's enrolled bill text.

  1. Alaska Division of Motor Vehicles — deceased owner

    The Division's own page: the "OR" and "AND" split, the statement that no additional documents related to the deceased are required on an "OR" title, who may act where probate is required, the three acceptable signature formats, the lost-title rule, and the $150,000 affidavit with its two sub-caps and four practical requirements.

    dmv.alaska.gov Checked 2026-08-19

  2. Alaska Division of Motor Vehicles — form 827, affidavit for an estate with assets of $150,000 or less (rev. 1/2018)

    The affidavit itself: the estate counted wherever located and less liens and encumbrances, the three certifications sworn under penalty of law, the requirement to title the vehicle to the successor before selling it, and the notary or DMV representative certificate.

    dmv.alaska.gov Checked 2026-08-19

  3. Alaska Court System — transferring ownership of assets

    Which vehicles have certificates of title and which do not, the four-row chart of how title is held against what document transfers it, and the certified copy of the Closing Statement the DMV requires after a small estate.

    courts.alaska.gov Checked 2026-08-19

  4. Alaska State Legislature — Enrolled SB 104 (34th Legislature), transfer of a title on the death of the owner

    The Act adding AS 13.33.401, effective 1 July 2026: the transfer on death title, the words it must contain, revocation only by act of the owner, the 120-hour survival rule, the beneficiary taking subject to liens and creditors, and the twelve-month limit on the estate's claim.

    akleg.gov Checked 2026-08-19

  5. Alaska Court System — collecting personal property without a court case

    The five conditions for the Affidavit for Collection of Personal Property, including the absolute bar where the person owned real property, who counts as a successor, how the affidavit is presented, and the two duties that survive the collection.

    courts.alaska.gov Checked 2026-08-19

  6. Alaska Court System — form P-110, affidavit for collection of personal property of decedent

    The affidavit's eight sworn statements, the two caps under AS 28.10.011, and the successor's accountability to a later personal representative and to anyone with a superior right under AS 13.16.685.

    public.courts.alaska.gov Checked 2026-08-19

  7. Alaska Court System — small estates

    What a "small estate" means to the court: a kind of informal probate qualified by comparing the estate value against the allowances and costs, closed by a Sworn Statement of Personal Representative Closing Small Estate.

    courts.alaska.gov Checked 2026-08-19

Where a source is marked pending re-verification, the page says so wherever the claim appears.

Related from the Sahvelo Journal: What Happens to a Car When Someone Dies?

Tell us what’s missing

400 characters left