Sahvelo

Transferring a vehicle in Indiana after someone dies

Indiana publishes no page about a deceased owner at all. What it publishes is a form, and the form does the whole job: one sworn page moves a car out of an estate worth up to a hundred thousand dollars, five days after the death, with no court. The expensive mistake is not on any vehicle page — it is on a tax form, and it catches the family who take over the car loan.

State Indiana

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
3 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
Affidavit without administration Nobody appointed anywhere, and the gross estate less liens is inside the ceiling None Exempt as an inheritance — unless loan payments are assumed Five days after the death, then one branch visit Indiana BMV $100,000
Transfer on death beneficiary The owner named a beneficiary on the title and signed the TOD statement before dying None Exempt as an inheritance — unless loan payments are assumed Fastest — the title, a copy of the death certificate, and a branch Indiana BMV — Titles: Transfer on Death
Court order title application No BMV title application process fits Yes — a judge signs an order the Bureau specifies the contents of 7% of the amount in the order or on the bill of sale, unless an ST-108E exemption is included Slowest — a court, an inspection, and a posted packet to Indianapolis Indiana BMV — Court Order Title Application Checklist

Is the vehicle titled in Indiana?

Everything on this page is Indiana procedure and it governs certificates Indiana issued. What decides that is the state printed on the certificate of title, not where the person lived.

The certificate may not be on paper. Since 1 July 2025 an Indiana title may be possessed in either printed or electronic form, and the application says that if no selection is made, an electronic title will automatically be issued. A family who cannot find a title in the house have not necessarily lost it.8

Residence and the titling state are separate questions and can point different ways. The Bureau says so itself on its transfer on death page: ownership of the vehicle must be transferred according to the laws and policies of the decedent's state of residence.2

One form, five days, $100,000

Indiana has no deceased-owner article and nothing in the Bureau's Titles navigation about death. It has State Form 18733, the affidavit for transfer of a certificate of title without administration, and the form carries its own authority on its face: the legal authority for this form is IC 29-1-8-1(c).1

Its reach is stated in the instructions, and the measure is the estate rather than the car: complete this form to request a transfer of vehicle ownership for an estate, wherever located, less liens or encumbrances, whose gross value does not exceed $100,000. The ceiling is a property of the estate, then, not of the car — a modest car in a large estate is outside it, and a valuable car in a small one is inside. The Bureau is then directed rather than asked — a transfer of vehicle or watercraft ownership shall be made by the Bureau of Motor Vehicles upon receipt of this affidavit.1

The five sworn statements

A copy of the death certificate is required in addition to this affidavit — a copy, in the form's own words, with nothing said about certification. And the affidavit must be duly executed by the distributees of the estate, so it is the people entitled to the property who sign, not one nominated relative.1

A transfer on death designation nobody signed

Indiana lets an owner name a beneficiary on the certificate itself, and the beneficiary's route afterwards is the shortest the state has: take the Indiana title containing the designation and a copy of the death certificate to a BMV license branch and apply for a new title. No court, no affidavit, no valuation.2

One sentence decides whether the route exists at all. A transfer on death beneficiary designation that is printed on an Indiana certificate of title is not valid unless the vehicle owner had signed the TOD statement prior to their death. Families who asked for the designation, received the new title and put it in a drawer are exactly the ones this catches — the Bureau's instruction is that once the new title is issued, the owner must sign and date the TOD signature line on the face of the title.2

What to look for is described on the same page: the title prints a statement similar to "[Owner] transfers on death to [TOD Beneficiary]", or, where there were two owners, "[Owner] and [Owner] transfer on death to [TOD Beneficiary]". Check for the owner's signature beside it before making the journey.2

Taking over the loan costs 7%

Nothing else on this page costs an Indiana family as much to get wrong, and no vehicle page mentions it. It is on a Department of Revenue form. An inherited car is exempt from Indiana's sales and use tax under exemption 7 of the ST-108E: vehicles or watercraft transferred from one individual to another with no consideration involved or received as outright gift or inheritance.5

The next sentence of the same exemption takes it away from a financed car. Assumption of loan payments by the purchaser constitutes consideration and is therefore not exempt — unless the transferred party was listed on the original security agreement, and a copy of that agreement is submitted with the title paperwork. An heir who simply keeps up the payments has given consideration, and owes the tax.5

A second exemption sits beside it for a different transaction: number 11 covers adding or deleting a spouse, child, grandparent, parent or sibling of the owner of a motor vehicle, and requires the Direct Relative Identification Statement on the front of the form to be completed. Either way the claim fails on paperwork alone if the form is short — the exemption claim is not valid without providing a required identification number and purchase price information.5

The lien is also a gate on the transfer itself, separately from the tax. Prior to selling a vehicle, all lienholders must have released their interest in it, and Indiana's affidavit asks the claimant to certify that the vehicle is not subject to any liens that are the responsibility of the claimant.17

45 days, and a penalty twice the fee

The Bureau leads its buying and selling guidance with the deadline, and the wording is what makes it reach a death: the certificate of title must be applied for within 45 days after the vehicle is purchased or otherwise acquired. Purchased or otherwise acquired — a family who inherit a car are acquiring it.3

The arithmetic is unusual. An Indiana title is $15, and the administrative penalty for a late one is $30 — double the fee it is charged on top of. A speed title costs $25 more and processes the application in a substantially shorter time.46

The Bureau does not say when a vehicle is acquired for an inherited car, so the safe reading is the earliest date the family could be said to have taken it. Sahvelo states nothing further, because the page states nothing further.3

The plates are simpler here than in most states. Indiana does not require the plates of a sold vehicle to be returned, and they may be transferred to a different vehicle owned by that same person — a plate follows the person, not the car. The Bureau's instruction is that the seller should remove the plate at the time of the transaction.3

When nothing fits, the Bureau prints the order

Indiana keeps one route in reserve for everything its forms do not reach: if you are unable to establish ownership through any one of the available BMV title application processes, you must obtain a court order. What is unusual is that the Bureau prints what the order has to contain, so the family can hand a checklist to the attorney.6

Two warnings on that checklist are worth reading before leaving the courthouse. Ensure the order is free of errors: do not use erasures or alterations, as these will not be accepted. And if the VIN on the required physical inspection does not match the VIN on the order, a corrected court order will be required before the transaction can be processed — a second trip to the judge, not a correction at the counter.6

This route has its own clock, and it starts at the courthouse rather than at the death: the $30 penalty is assessed if the title application packet is not received within 45 days after the file stamp date on the court order. The packet goes to the BMV Central Office Title Processing center in Indianapolis, not to a branch.36

Since 2026-08-19 this page can say what the order itself has to contain, because IC 9-17-3-5 lists it: “An order or a process of an Indiana court described in subsection (a) must include the: (1) year of manufacture of; (2) make and model of; (3) vehicle identification number of; and (4) name and address of the person that is entitled to; the vehicle.” Check the draft order against those four items before the judge signs it. Having an omission corrected while the case is open is a different task from reopening it afterwards.12

The section also covers a transfer “under any provision of an Indiana statute” or “by operation of law”, not only a court order, and what is attached to the application is “written evidence showing the order, process, statute, or operation under which the person obtained ownership of the vehicle.” The Bureau then “shall use due diligence to ascertain that the sale was in conformity with” it, and the authority “may substitute for proof of ownership under IC 9-17-2-4” — it replaces the missing certificate and nothing else.12

The Indiana Code, read at last — and it is looser than the form in one place

Everything above comes from the Bureau's own forms and pages, because until 2026-08-19 the Indiana Code could not be read: iga.in.gov answers every client that is not a browser with a 691-byte application shell — for its pages, for its own JavaScript, and for the files that hold the Code. It can be read now, and three sections change what this page can say.

The affidavit route's statute is IC 29-1-8-1, and its general rule is a forty-five day wait and six sworn statements. A vehicle gets its own carve-out in subsection (c): “nothing in this section shall prohibit a transfer of the certificate of title to the motor vehicle if five (5) days have elapsed since the death of the decedent and no appointment of a personal representative is contemplated. A transfer under this subsection shall be made by the bureau of motor vehicles upon receipt of an affidavit containing a statement of the conditions required by subsection (b)(1) and (b)(6). The affidavit must be duly executed by the distributees of the estate.”9

Read the condition carefully, because it is not the one the form uses. The statute asks whether an appointment “is contemplated” — a statement about what the family intends. State Form 18733 certifies that no application or petition for appointment “is pending or has been granted in any jurisdiction”, which is a statement about what has happened. The form is what the Bureau will accept at the counter; the statute is the law behind it. Where they differ, expect the counter to apply the form.91

One requirement of the general affidavit is worth knowing even though the vehicle carve-out does not import it: subsection (b)(5) makes the affiant swear “That the affiant has notified each distributee identified in the affidavit of the affiant's intention to present an affidavit under this section.” Telling the others first is part of the statutory scheme, whatever the vehicle shortcut requires.9

The transfer-on-death route has words the Bureau's pages do not print. IC 9-17-3-9 says a certificate “worded in substance as "A.B. transfers on death to C.D." or "A.B. and C.D. transfer on death to E.F."; and signed by the owner or owners; is a good and sufficient conveyance on the death of the owner or owners”. Signed by the owner — that is the requirement a designation fails on.10

It needs no consideration, does not have to be delivered to the beneficiary to be effective, vests on the death, and “is not testamentary”. Where a named beneficiary dies before the owner, Indiana supplies a substitute rather than letting the designation fail, through IC 32-17-14-22.10

What the beneficiary hands over is three things, and the first one catches families: IC 9-17-2-2(b) requires them to “Surrender the certificate of title designating the person as a transfer on death beneficiary”, submit “proof of the transferor's death”, and submit an application. The paper certificate is not optional on this route.11

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.

Affidavit without administration

Nobody appointed, and the whole estate is inside the ceiling. One sworn page and a branch visit.

  1. Wait five days from the death

    The affidavit certifies that five days have elapsed since the death. That is the whole of the waiting period.

  2. First

    Check the two statements that close the route

    No application or petition for a personal representative pending or granted in any jurisdiction, and a gross estate less liens and encumbrances inside the ceiling. Both are sworn under penalty of perjury.

  3. First

    Deal with any lender before anything else

    All lienholders must have released their interest before the vehicle changes hands. Where the lender no longer exists, the answer is a court order directing the Bureau to release the lien.

  4. First

    Complete State Form 18733 and State Form 205

    The affidavit is executed by the distributees of the estate. On the title application, choose paper if you want paper — an electronic title issues by default.

  5. First

    Claim the tax exemption, or work out that you cannot

    An inheritance is exempt from the 7% tax under exemption 7 of the ST-108E. Assuming the deceased's loan payments is consideration and removes it, unless you were listed on the original security agreement — in which case attach a copy of that agreement.

  6. First

    Take it to a BMV license branch with a copy of the death certificate

    A copy is what the form asks for. The Bureau shall make the transfer on receipt of the affidavit.

  7. Do it within 45 days of acquiring the vehicle

    After that an administrative penalty of $30 is charged — double the $15 the title costs.

Transfer on death beneficiary

The owner named a beneficiary on the title and signed it in their lifetime. The shortest route Indiana has.

  1. First

    Check the owner's signature on the TOD line

    The designation is not valid unless the owner signed the TOD statement before their death. The signature is on the face of the title, beside the printed statement.

  2. First

    Gather the title and a copy of the death certificate

    The title must be the one containing the transfer on death designation.

  3. First

    Apply for a new Indiana title at a BMV license branch

    No court, no affidavit, no valuation of the estate.

  4. Do it within 45 days

    The same deadline runs on this route as on any other, and the same $30 penalty follows it.

Court order title application

No BMV process fits, so a judge orders the title. The Bureau prints exactly what the order must say.

  1. First

    Get an order that contains all five things

    The VIN, the make, model and year, an instruction to the Bureau to issue a certificate of title to the owner, the address of the persons entitled to ownership, and the judge's signature with the court's seal or stamp.

  2. First

    Read it before you leave the courthouse

    Erasures and alterations are not accepted, and a VIN that does not match the physical inspection means a corrected order rather than a correction at the counter.

  3. First

    Have the vehicle physically inspected

    State Form 39530, completed by law enforcement or an employee of an Indiana BMV license branch.

  4. First

    Assemble the payment and the tax paperwork

    A $15 title application fee, an optional $25 speed title on top, and 7% sales tax on the amount in the order or on the bill of sale — or an ST-108E where the transfer is exempt.

  5. First

    Post the whole packet to the BMV Central Office

    Central Office Title Processing, 100 North Senate Avenue, Room N411, Indianapolis. Not a branch. An incomplete application is returned entire.

  6. Send it within 45 days of the file stamp date

    The $30 additional administrative penalty is assessed if the packet is not received within that time after the date stamped on the court order.

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

Where and how to file

  • In person

    A BMV license branch

    The affidavit route goes in with a copy of the death certificate, the certificate of title and State Form 205.The transfer on death route needs only the title carrying the designation and a copy of the death certificate.Choose paper on the title application if you want a paper title. If no selection is made, an electronic title is issued automatically.

    Find an office

    Applies to One sworn page, five days, and an estate ceiling of $100,000The title, a copy of the death certificate, and a branch — but only if the owner signed it

  • By mail

    BMV Central Office Title Processing, 100 North Senate Avenue, Room N411, Indianapolis, IN 46204

    Court order applications are processed by the BMV Central Office rather than at a branch. Include the checklist itself with the application.Payment is by MasterCard or Visa, check, electronic check or money order, on a Collection of Payment form.If all required documents are not submitted or the information is incomplete, the entire application will be returned.

    See the mailing instructions

    Applies to The Bureau prints exactly what the judge's order has to say

  • By mail

    The address noted on the form

    The Bureau's instruction for its title forms is to print and complete the form, then return it to the address noted on the form.It asks that the form be filled out completely and that any payment or additional documentation necessary for processing be included, to ensure timely processing.

    See the mailing instructions

    Applies to every path

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
Title application fee Published by the agency The Bureau's fee chart lists it as issue, duplicate or replace title. Indiana charges an inherited transfer what it charges any other transfer. Current fee schedule
Administrative penalty for a late title Published by the agency Charged where the certificate of title is applied for more than 45 days after the vehicle is purchased or otherwise acquired. On the court order route the same penalty runs from the file stamp date on the order. Current fee schedule
Speed title Published by the agency Optional and in addition to the title application fee. The Bureau says it ensures the title is processed in a substantially shorter time; it does not publish a number of days, and Sahvelo states none. Current fee schedule
Gross retail and use tax Published by the agency 7% of the price, and an outright gift or inheritance is exempt under exemption 7 of the ST-108E. Assuming the deceased's loan payments is consideration and removes the exemption unless the person taking the car over was listed on the original security agreement. Current fee schedule
Plate transfer Published by the agency The fee chart lists transfer, amend, duplicate or replacement plate, decal or certificate of registration together at this figure. An Indiana plate may be transferred to another vehicle owned by the same person. Current fee schedule

After you file

  • The title that issues is electronic unless paper was selected on the application. An electronic title is a digital representation of the certificate, serving as a replacement for a paper one, and it lives in the BMV's record rather than in a drawer.The plate does not follow the car. Indiana does not require the plates of a sold vehicle to be returned, and a plate may be transferred to a different vehicle owned by that same person — the fee chart lists a plate transfer separately from the title.

    Applies to every path

  • The Bureau applies a stated standard: if it determines that sufficient credible evidence exists to substantiate the applicant's claim of ownership, a title will be issued.If anything is missing the whole packet comes back. An incomplete application is returned entire rather than held while the gap is filled, so the checklist is worth working through twice before posting.

    Applies to The Bureau prints exactly what the judge's order has to say

  • Where the exemption was claimed on an ST-108E, the form itself is the proof. Where loan payments were assumed by somebody not on the original security agreement, the transaction is taxable at 7% and the tax is paid at the branch when the title is applied for.

    Applies to every path

If your situation doesn't fit one of these paths

Common complications, and what each one changes.

  • The title names a beneficiary, but nobody signed it

    This is the Indiana trap, and it catches families who thought the job was finished. The Bureau's rule is that a transfer on death beneficiary designation printed on an Indiana certificate of title is not valid unless the vehicle owner had signed the TOD statement prior to their death. Adding a beneficiary produces a new title with the statement printed on it, and the Bureau's instruction is that once that title is issued, the owner must sign and date the TOD signature line on its face. A title that came back from the branch, was read once and filed away is exactly the failure case. Where the signature is missing the designation does nothing, and the estate routes apply instead — which for most families means State Form 18733.21

  • You are taking over the payments on the car

    Then the inheritance is not tax free, and nothing else on the Indiana page costs as much to get wrong. Exemption 7 of the ST-108E covers a vehicle transferred with no consideration involved or received as an outright gift or inheritance. The same exemption then says that assumption of loan payments by the purchaser constitutes consideration and is therefore not exempt, unless the transferred party was listed on the original security agreement — in which case a copy of that agreement must be submitted with the title paperwork. Nothing on any Bureau vehicle page says this. It is worth checking whose names are on the loan document before deciding whether to keep the car or sell it.5

  • The lender that holds the lien no longer exists

    Indiana answers this directly rather than leaving it to the family to work out, and the answer is a court. All lienholders must have released their interest before a vehicle changes hands, and where the financial institution or dealer is no longer in business, the Bureau's instruction is to contact your local court to obtain a court order directing the BMV to release the lien. Where the lienholder was an individual rather than an institution there are three ways out: they sign off in the lien release section on the title, they provide a lien release letter, or they sign a general Affidavit, State Form 37964. A release letter has to be on the lienholder's letterhead and state the titled owner's name, the date the lien was released, and the vehicle's year, make and VIN — and the Bureau will accept a copied, emailed or faxed one.7

  • An estate has already been opened, or one has to be

    The affidavit route closes, and what replaces it is not published. State Form 18733 certifies that no application or petition for the appointment of a personal representative is pending or has been granted in any jurisdiction — any jurisdiction, so an estate opened in another state closes the Indiana route too. What the Bureau of Motor Vehicles requires from an appointed personal representative is not established: Indiana publishes no deceased-owner page and nothing about letters of administration at a branch, and Sahvelo asserts nothing about a procedure it has not read. That is an absence of published guidance rather than a finding that no route exists. Ask the BMV Central Office what a representative must present, and treat the court order route as Indiana's own stated fallback — its checklist says that where you cannot establish ownership through any available BMV process, you must obtain a court order.16

  • The forty-five days have already gone

    It costs $30 and it does not end anything. Indiana requires a certificate of title to be applied for within 45 days after the vehicle is purchased or otherwise acquired, and charges an administrative penalty after that — twice the $15 the title itself costs, which is an unusual ratio. What the Bureau does not say is when an inherited vehicle counts as acquired, so the safe reading is the earliest date the family could be said to have taken it, and Sahvelo states nothing further. On the court order route the clock is measured differently and precisely: the packet must be received within 45 days after the file stamp date on the order.346

  • There is no title anywhere in the house

    It may never have been printed. Since 1 July 2025 an Indiana certificate of title may be possessed in either printed or electronic form, and the application form says that if no selection is made, an electronic title will automatically be issued — so a car titled after that date may have no paper certificate at all, and the record sits with the Bureau instead. A lienholder holding the title is the other common reason, and where the title is electronic the lienholder releases the lien electronically. Neither situation is a lost title, and it is worth establishing which one it is before applying for a duplicate.87

  • The court order has a correction on it, or the VIN does not match

    Both send the family back to the judge rather than to the counter. The Bureau's checklist says to ensure the order is free of errors and not to use erasures or alterations, as these will not be accepted. And where the VIN on the required physical inspection does not match the VIN on the court order, a corrected court order will be required before the transaction can be processed. Since the application is posted to the Central Office rather than handed over in person, a defect costs a round trip through the post as well as a second hearing — and if all required documents are not submitted or the information is incomplete, the entire application is returned.6

Questions people ask about this

  • Do we have to open an estate just to transfer the car?

    Usually not. Where nobody has applied to be appointed personal representative anywhere, State Form 18733 moves the vehicle on one sworn page, and the Bureau of Motor Vehicles shall make the transfer on receipt of it. The condition is the size of the estate rather than the car: a gross value, wherever located and less liens and encumbrances, that does not exceed $100,000.1

  • How long do we have to wait after the death?

    Five days. The affidavit certifies that five days have elapsed since the death of the decedent and that no appointment of a personal representative is contemplated. That is the whole waiting period. Nothing else has to run before the form can be signed, which is why an Indiana family can often deal with the car in the first week.1

  • Is there a deadline for doing it?

    45 days. Indiana requires the certificate of title to be applied for within that time after a vehicle is purchased or otherwise acquired, and charges a $30 administrative penalty afterwards — double the $15 the title costs. The Bureau does not say when an inherited vehicle counts as acquired, so the safe reading is the earliest date the family could be said to have taken it.34

  • Do we have to pay sales tax on an inherited car?

    Not on a straightforward inheritance. Exemption 7 of the Department of Revenue's ST-108E covers a vehicle transferred with no consideration involved or received as an outright gift or inheritance, claimed on that form at the branch. But if you take over the payments on the deceased's car loan, that assumption is consideration and the transfer is taxable at 7% — unless you were listed on the original security agreement, and a copy of it goes in with the title paperwork.5

  • Does the affidavit have to be notarized?

    Sahvelo states nothing about notarization here, because State Form 18733 says nothing about it. The form carries no notary block; what it carries is a signature under penalty of perjury, and a warning that making a false statement may constitute the crime of perjury. A branch is the place to confirm before signing, and this page will not fill the silence in either direction.1

  • The title names a beneficiary — is that enough?

    Only if the owner signed it. The Bureau's rule is that a designation printed on an Indiana certificate of title is not valid unless the vehicle owner had signed the TOD statement prior to their death, on the TOD signature line on the face of the title. Where it was signed, the beneficiary takes the title and a copy of the death certificate to a branch and applies for a new one — no court, no affidavit and no valuation. Where it was not, the estate routes apply.2

  • What happens to the license plate?

    It stays with the person, not the car. The Bureau does not require the plates of a sold vehicle to be returned, and says they may be transferred to a different vehicle owned by that same person. Its instruction is that the plate should be removed from the vehicle at the time of the transaction. The fee chart lists a plate transfer, amendment, duplicate or replacement at $9.50.34

  • An executor has been appointed. What does the BMV want from them?

    Sahvelo has not established that, and will not guess. Indiana publishes no deceased-owner page and nothing about presenting letters of administration or letters testamentary at a branch. What is established is that an appointment closes the affidavit route, because the affidavit swears that no application for a personal representative is pending or has been granted in any jurisdiction. Ask the BMV Central Office directly, and note that Indiana's own stated fallback where no BMV process fits is a court order.16

  • We cannot find the title. Is it lost?

    Possibly not. Since 1 July 2025 an Indiana title may be possessed in either printed or electronic form, and the application form says that if no selection is made, an electronic title will automatically be issued — so a recently titled car may have no paper certificate at all. A lienholder holding it is the other common explanation. Establish which before applying for a duplicate.8

  • What does the court order actually have to say?

    Four things, and IC 9-17-3-5 lists them: “(1) year of manufacture of; (2) make and model of; (3) vehicle identification number of; and (4) name and address of the person that is entitled to; the vehicle.”Check the draft order against that list before it is signed. An order that omits the vehicle identification number, or names a person without an address, does not meet the section.12

  • How do we tell whether the title really has a transfer-on-death designation?

    By the words and the signature. IC 9-17-3-9 makes a certificate good if it is “worded in substance as "A.B. transfers on death to C.D." or "A.B. and C.D. transfer on death to E.F."” and is “signed by the owner or owners”.The owner's signature is what designations fail on. A beneficiary printed on a certificate the owner never signed conveys nothing.10

  • Is it really only five days?

    For a vehicle, yes. IC 29-1-8-1's general affidavit waits forty-five days, and subsection (c) carves the vehicle out: a transfer is not prohibited “if five (5) days have elapsed since the death of the decedent and no appointment of a personal representative is contemplated.”The statute also asks for less: an affidavit “containing a statement of the conditions required by subsection (b)(1) and (b)(6)”, rather than all six. The Bureau's own form asks for more than that, and the form is what the counter will apply.9

What the terms mean

6 terms used on this page, defined from the statute
Transfer without administration
Indiana's name for moving a vehicle out of an estate with no court involved. State Form 18733 carries it, its legal authority is IC 29-1-8-1(c) as printed on the form, and it reaches an estate — wherever located, less liens or encumbrances — whose gross value does not exceed $100,000. Five days must have elapsed since the death, no appointment of a personal representative may be contemplated, and the affidavit must be duly executed by the distributees of the estate. Indiana BMV $100,000
Distributee
The person entitled to take property from an estate, and on Indiana's affidavit the person who has to sign. The form names the signer as the claimant or distributee of the estate and says the affidavit must be duly executed by the distributees — plural — so where more than one person is entitled, this is not a form one relative completes alone. Indiana BMV $100,000
Transfer on death beneficiary
A person named on an Indiana certificate of title to take the vehicle when the owner dies. The owner creates the interest by obtaining a title conveying it, and the resulting title prints a statement similar to "[Owner] transfers on death to [TOD Beneficiary]". The designation is not valid unless the owner signed the TOD statement, on the signature line on the face of the title, before their death — printing it is not the act. Indiana BMV — Titles: Transfer on Death
Consideration
What somebody gives in return for a vehicle, and in Indiana the word that decides whether an inherited car is taxed. The Department of Revenue exempts a vehicle received as an outright gift or inheritance where no consideration is involved — and then states that assumption of loan payments by the purchaser constitutes consideration and is therefore not exempt, unless the transferred party was listed on the original security agreement. An heir who keeps up the payments has given consideration and owes 7%. Indiana Department of Revenue — ST-108E
Electronic title
An Indiana certificate of title held as a record rather than printed. The Bureau's application says a certificate may be possessed in either printed or electronic form, that an electronic title is a digital representation serving as a replacement for a paper one, and — the part that surprises families — that if no selection is made, an electronic title will automatically be issued. A car titled since 1 July 2025 may therefore have no paper certificate at all. Indiana BMV Form 205
Speed title
Indiana's expedite. It costs $25 in addition to the $15 title application fee, and the Bureau describes what it buys without committing to a number of days: paying the optional speed title fee ensures that the title is processed in a substantially shorter time than the normal processing period. Sahvelo states no processing time for either, because the Bureau publishes none. Indiana BMV — fee chart

See the full glossary across every state

Still not sure which path is yours?

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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. All of them are Indiana state publications: the Bureau of Motor Vehicles' own forms and title pages, and the Department of Revenue's exemption certificate.

  1. Indiana BMV — State Form 18733, affidavit for transfer of title without administration (R10 / 11-24)

    The no-administration route: the $100,000 ceiling measured across the estate, the five-day wait, the five sworn certifications and the direction that the Bureau shall make the transfer.

    forms.in.gov Checked 2026-08-18

  2. Indiana BMV — Titles: Transfer on Death

    How a designation is created and what it looks like on the title, the rule that it is not valid unless the owner signed it before dying, and what the beneficiary does afterwards.

    in.gov Checked 2026-08-18

  3. Indiana BMV — Titles: Buying & Selling a Vehicle

    The 45 days deadline for applying for a title after a vehicle is purchased or otherwise acquired, who carries the duty, and what happens to the plates.

    in.gov Checked 2026-08-18

  4. Indiana BMV — fee chart

    The $15 title fee, the $25 speed title and the $30 administrative penalty for a late title.

    in.gov Checked 2026-08-18

  5. Indiana Department of Revenue — ST-108E, gross retail or use tax exemption for a motor vehicle (State Form 48841, R6 / 5-23)

    Exemption 7 for a gift or inheritance, and the sentence that removes it where loan payments are assumed by somebody who was not on the original security agreement.

    forms.in.gov Checked 2026-08-18

  6. Indiana BMV — Court Order Title Application Checklist

    When the court order route applies, exactly what the order must contain, the fees and the 7% tax, and the clock that runs from the file stamp date.

    in.gov Checked 2026-08-18

  7. Indiana BMV — Titles: Liens

    That all lienholders must have released their interest before a vehicle changes hands, the three ways an individual lienholder can release, what a release letter must say, and what to do when the lender no longer exists.

    in.gov Checked 2026-08-18

  8. Indiana BMV — State Form 205, application for certificate of title for a vehicle (R14 / 4-26)

    The application every route ends at, the electronic title that issues by default where no selection is made, and the mandatory disclosure of a social security or federal identification number.

    forms.in.gov Checked 2026-08-18

  9. Indiana Code § 29-1-8-1 — small estates; payment upon presentation of affidavit; vehicle or watercraft

    The small estate affidavit: the $100,000 ceiling for deaths after 30 June 2022, the forty-five days and six sworn statements, and the vehicle carve-out in subsection (c) — five days, two of the six statements, and no appointment contemplated.

    iga.in.gov Checked 2026-08-19

  10. Indiana Code § 9-17-3-9 — transfer on death conveyance; requirements

    The transfer on death conveyance: the wording a certificate must carry, the owner's signature, no consideration or delivery required, vesting on death, not testamentary, and the substitute beneficiary under IC 32-17-14-22.

    iga.in.gov Checked 2026-08-19

  11. Indiana Code § 9-17-2-2 — application for a certificate of title; contents

    What every title application must contain, and what a transfer on death beneficiary must do: surrender the certificate designating them, submit proof of the transferor's death, and apply.

    iga.in.gov Checked 2026-08-19

  12. Indiana Code § 9-17-3-5 — sale or transfer of vehicle under court order or by law

    Transfer under a court order, an Indiana statute, or by operation of law — and the four items an Indiana court's order must contain.

    iga.in.gov Checked 2026-08-19

Sources last reviewed 2026-08-18. Sources are re-checked on a schedule, and this date changes when they are. Where a source is marked pending re-verification, the page says so wherever the claim appears.

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