Sahvelo

Transferring a vehicle in Maine after someone dies

Most states read the conjunction between two names on a title. Maine reads a phrase. If the certificate states "joint ownership", the survivor keeps the whole vehicle on a copy of the death certificate. If those words are missing, the survivor and the estate own equal shares — and every immediate heir has to sign before the title can move.

State Maine

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
6 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 spouse The deceased was a married Maine resident and the vehicle was registered and titled in Maine, no will provides otherwise, and any lienholder gives permission None None — no title fee and exempt from the purchase and use tax Fastest of the paid-for routes; a notarized MVT-22 and a title application 29-A M.R.S. § 663; BMV surviving spouse sheet
Joint owner The title states "joint ownership" and a co-owner survives None $33 title fee where the joint owner was not your spouse Fastest overall — a copy of the death certificate, no affidavit and no notary BMV joint owners sheet
Personal representative The Probate Court has appointed a personal representative Yes — the appointment is the evidence $33 title fee Set by the appointment rather than by the Bureau BMV personal representative sheet
Owners in common, representative appointed Two or more names on a title that does not state joint ownership, and a representative has been appointed Yes — a copy of the appointment is attached to the MVT-22 $33 title fee Depends on the appointment; the affidavit is notarized by the representative alone BMV owners in common sheet
Owners in common, nobody appointed The same title, with no personal representative appointed A letter from the Probate Court that no will is being probated $33 title fee Slowest — the affidavit needs the common owner and all immediate heirs, plus a transfer from all of them BMV owners in common sheet; form MVT-22
Heir (Maine resident) A child, parent or sibling, where nobody has been appointed and there is no surviving spouse or surviving joint owner A statement from the probate court that no will has been probated $33 title fee Depends on assembling every heir in front of a notary BMV heir sheet; form MVT-22

Two words on the certificate decide the whole thing

The Bureau publishes two sheets for two names on a title, and the difference between them is not a conjunction. One is headed “For Joint Owners (Title states “joint ownership”)”. The other opens with a starred line: “*There are two or more names listed on the title as owners and the title does not state joint ownership.”45

Where the words are there, the answer is complete and cheap: “Under the terms of "joint" ownership, when a joint owner dies the surviving owner(s) retains complete ownership of the vehicle.” The survivor submits a title application and “A copy of the deceased's death certificate” — no affidavit, no notary.4

Where they are missing, the vehicle is owned in common: “if one of the common owners dies, the surviving common owner(s) and the deceased's estate own equal shares of the vehicle.” The estate becomes your co-owner, and somebody has to sign for it.5

That is why the common-owner sheet is written twice — once for an estate with a court-appointed personal representative, and once for an estate with nobody appointed. The second version asks for a notarized MVT-22 completed by the common owner and all immediate heirs, a letter from the Probate Court stating there is no will being probated, and a transfer to the common owner from all of those heirs.5

Maine prints the order of priority on the form

The Bureau's page asks one question — “What is your relationship to the deceased's vehicle? Choose only One (1) .” — and offers five answers, each with its own instruction sheet: surviving spouse, personal representative, joint owner, surviving common owner, and heir.2

But the choice is not free, and Maine says so on the form rather than leaving a family to infer it. Form MVT-22 prints, before its last boxes: “NOTE: The following statements are valid for the transfer of a vehicle only if there is no surviving spouse, no surviving joint owner and no personal representative appointed by Probate Court; and a statement from Probate Court indicating no will has been probated accompanies this form.”8

So the three senior claims — surviving spouse, appointed personal representative, surviving joint owner where the title says so — come first, and the common-owner and heir routes are what remains when none of them exists. The form even asks the question designed to find the people who have not signed: “Are there other persons living who had the same family relation with the deceased?”8

The surviving spouse pays nothing — if the lender agrees

Section 663 is two sentences long and it does not deem anything. It moves the ownership: “On the death of a married resident owner of a motor vehicle registered in this State, ownership of the motor vehicle passes to the surviving spouse if no will provides otherwise and permission is granted by a lienholder.”1

And then it pays for itself: “Registration and title of the vehicle must be transferred to the surviving spouse at no fee and is exempt from the purchase and use tax.” The Bureau repeats the point on its own sheet — “No fee is required if at the time of death, the deceased was a Maine resident, and the vehicle was registered and titled in Maine” — while noting that “A rush fee will still apply.”13

The condition to watch is the last one in the statute: “permission is granted by a lienholder.” Where there is a loan, the spouse's statutory entitlement depends on the lender, and the Bureau's sheet says the same thing in operational terms — a lien release, or consent from the lien holder on form MVT-27.13

A will can also close the section, since ownership passes “if no will provides otherwise”. Form MVT-22 asks about that directly: whether the deceased did or did not leave a will, and if a will provides for transfer of the vehicle, to whom.18

Maine says which relatives it means, and each of them signs

The heir sheet does something most states leave to the statute: it defines the word. “This is completed by the immediate heirs, who may be: the person's children, parents, or siblings.”7

A spouse is absent from that list on purpose — a surviving spouse has a route of their own, and it comes ahead of this one.78

What the route needs is a title application, “An MVT-22 completed by each heir” which “must be notarized”, “A statement from the probate court that shows no will has been probated”, and “A transfer of ownership.” Each heir — the affidavit is not one person's account of the family.7

The sheet closes with advice rather than a rule, and it is good advice: “*If you intend to sell the vehicle, it is recommended that you first obtain the title in your own name.”7

Residency comes before anything about the death

The Bureau's page is organized in two halves — “If you are a Maine resident” and “If you are NOT a Maine resident” — and the second half is short. With a Maine title: “You will need to continue the titling process with YOUR state.” Without one: “You will need to complete an MVT-8 to obtain a duplicate title before titling the vehicle in YOUR state.”2

The heir instruction is labeled for a Maine resident only, which is the same rule stated from the other side.2

A vehicle carrying another state's title is dealt with in an order that surprises people: “Step 1: You must title the vehicle in your name in its home state. Step 2: Once the vehicle is titled in your name, you may then proceed to title it in Maine.” The Maine application is the second step, not the first.2

One item is worth having before any call. The Bureau asks callers for the “CTA # or Title # or VIN”, and says to allow one to three business days for a reply by email.2

A ceiling that moves, and a statute that says where to find it

Outside the vehicle routes, Maine's affidavit for personal property obliges a holder to hand it over: “Thirty days after the death of a decedent, any person indebted to the decedent or having possession of personal property ... shall make payment of the indebtedness or deliver the personal property ... to a person claiming to be the successor of the decedent upon being presented an affidavit”.10

The ceiling in it is written as a base rather than as the answer: the estate, “wherever located, less liens and encumbrances”, must not exceed $40,000, “adjusted for inflation pursuant to section 1-108”.10

And then Maine does something almost no statute does: it names the place where the current number lives. “A county probate court shall annually publish on the court's publicly accessible website the value described in subsection 1, paragraph A , including the adjustment for inflation.” The section was amended in 2025 to add that duty.10

So the figure printed in the statute is the floor of a moving number. Check the county probate court's website for the year in question rather than relying on the base figure — including the base figure quoted here.10

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 spouse

Ownership passes by statute; the title and the tax are both free.

  1. First

    Deal with the lender first

    Section 663 passes ownership only if permission is granted by a lienholder, and the Bureau asks for a lien release or consent on form MVT-27.

  2. First

    Find the title, or apply for a duplicate

    A Duplicate Title Application (MVT-8) goes in the deceased's name, and the fee for it is waived in this case.

  3. once the title position is clear

    Complete and notarize an MVT-22

    Completed by the surviving spouse, before a notary or an attorney.

  4. once notarized

    Submit the title application (MVT-2)

    No title fee where the deceased was a Maine resident and the vehicle was registered and titled in Maine — unless you are adding an additional owner. Rush service is a separate $10.

Joint owner (title states "joint ownership")

The survivor keeps complete ownership on a copy of the death certificate.

  1. First

    Check the certificate for the words

    This route runs only where the title states joint ownership. Without those words Maine treats the owners as owners in common.

  2. as soon as it is available

    Get a copy of the deceased's death certificate

    A copy is what the sheet asks for. This is the one Maine death route with no notarized affidavit.

  3. once the copy is in hand

    Submit the title application (MVT-2)

    A $33 fee applies where the joint owner was somebody other than your spouse, and where you are adding a name to the title.

Personal representative

The court appointment is the evidence; no affidavit is listed.

  1. First

    Get a copy of the Probate Court appointment

    It is the third of the three items, and it is what this route rests on.

  2. alongside

    Find the title, or apply for a duplicate

    Where the original is lost, the title must be completed in the personal representative's name.

  3. once assembled

    Submit the title application (MVT-2)

    The fee is $33, with $10 more for rush service.

Owners in common, representative appointed

The estate owns half; the appointed representative signs for it.

  1. First

    Confirm the title does not state joint ownership

    That absence is what puts the estate on the title beside you, in equal shares.

  2. once the appointment exists

    Have the personal representative complete a notarized MVT-22

    With a copy of the Probate Court appointment attached.

  3. in parallel

    Clear the lender if the vehicle was financed

    The lien holder must release the lien or consent to the title going into the survivor's name alone, on form MVT-27.

  4. once notarized

    Submit the title application (MVT-2)

    A fee of $33, and $10 more for rush service.

Owners in common, nobody appointed

Every immediate heir signs, and the Probate Court certifies that no will is being probated.

  1. First

    Identify all the immediate heirs

    The affidavit must be completed by the common owner and all immediate heirs of the deceased, and they must transfer their interest to the common owner.

  2. alongside

    Get the letter from the Probate Court

    Stating there is no will of the deceased's being probated.

  3. once everyone is assembled

    Complete and notarize the MVT-22

    Signed by the common owner and every immediate heir.

  4. once notarized

    Submit the title application (MVT-2)

    A fee of $33, with the duplicate title fee waived if a duplicate was needed.

Heir (Maine resident)

For a child, parent or sibling where nobody has been appointed.

  1. First

    Check that nobody has been appointed

    The route runs where no personal representative has been appointed by the Probate Court, and where there is no surviving spouse or surviving joint owner.

  2. as early as possible — it gates the rest

    Get the statement from the probate court

    Showing that no will has been probated.

  3. once the statement is in hand

    Have each heir complete a notarized MVT-22

    Each heir — the form also asks whether other people share the same family relation with the deceased.

  4. once every heir has signed

    Submit the title application (MVT-2) with a transfer of ownership

    A $33 fee, plus $10 for rush service, and a lien release or MVT-27 consent where the vehicle was financed.

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

  • Form MVT-22 — affidavit of surviving spouse or personal representative

    Applies to Surviving spouse — ownership passes by statute, and the title costs nothingOwners in common, with a representative appointed — the estate signs for its halfOwners in common, with nobody appointed — every immediate heir signsAn heir — and Maine says which relatives it means

    Required on every route except the joint-owner route. Must be notarized, before a notary or an attorney. It also prints the order of priority between the claims.

    Link checked 2026-08-18

  • Form MVT-27 — consent of lien holder

    Only if yes

    Applies to Surviving spouse — ownership passes by statute, and the title costs nothingOwners in common, with a representative appointed — the estate signs for its halfOwners in common, with nobody appointed — every immediate heir signsAn heir — and Maine says which relatives it means

    Where the vehicle was financed, the claimant submits a lien release or obtains the lien holder's consent to title the vehicle in their name. For a surviving spouse the statute makes it more than paperwork: ownership passes only if permission is granted by a lienholder.

    Link checked 2026-08-18

  • A copy of the deceased's death certificate

    Applies to The title says "joint ownership" — a copy of the death certificate is enough

    What the joint-owner route asks for in place of an affidavit — a copy, and no notary.

    Link checked 2026-08-18

  • A copy of the Probate Court appointment

    Applies to Personal representative — three items, and the appointment is the evidenceOwners in common, with a representative appointed — the estate signs for its half

    The evidence on the personal representative's route, and the attachment to the MVT-22 where a common owner's estate has a representative.

    Link checked 2026-08-18

  • A statement from the Probate Court that no will has been probated

    Applies to An heir — and Maine says which relatives it meansOwners in common, with nobody appointed — every immediate heir signs

    Required on the heir route and on the common-owner route where nobody has been appointed. Form MVT-22 says the same thing: its last statements are valid only where such a statement accompanies the form.

    Link checked 2026-08-18

Where and how to file

  • In person

    Any Maine motor vehicle branch or town office

    The Application for Certificate of Title (MVT-2) is obtained by visiting any motor vehicle branch or town office location, or by contacting the Title Unit in Augusta. Town offices handle registration work across Maine, so the nearest counter may not be a BMV branch.Bring the title (or the duplicate application), the completed application, and whichever of the notarized MVT-22, the death certificate copy, the court appointment or the probate court statement your route requires.Rush service costs ten dollars and is the one charge a surviving spouse still pays.

    Find an office

    Applies to every path

  • phone

    Division of Title Services, Bureau of Motor Vehicles, 29 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333-0029

    The Bureau publishes a direct line for title questions: 207-624-9000, ext. 52138, and an email address for the same team.Have the CTA number, the title number or the VIN ready, along with your name and address and a brief description of the problem — that is exactly what the Bureau asks a caller for.For email it asks for the same identifiers in the subject line, and says to allow one to three business days for a response and to reply to the existing thread rather than sending a new message about the same question.

    Open the official page

    Applies to every path

  • In person

    The Probate Court for the county where the person lived

    Two different documents come from the same court. Where somebody has been appointed, a copy of the appointment. Where nobody has, a statement or letter that no will of the deceased's is being probated.The second one gates the heir and no-representative common-owner routes, so it is worth requesting early rather than after the affidavits are notarized.The same court administers the affidavit route for personal property under 18-C M.R.S. § 3-1201, and publishes the current inflation-adjusted small estate figure on its website.

    Find an office

    Applies to An heir — and Maine says which relatives it meansOwners in common, with nobody appointed — every immediate heir signsOwners in common, with a representative appointed — the estate signs for its half

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
Certificate of title Published by the agency The same statutory fee covers a first certificate, a certificate after a transfer, a corrected certificate, a duplicate and a records search. Current fee schedule
Certificate of title for a surviving spouse Published by the agency No fee, and exempt from the purchase and use tax, where at the time of death the deceased was a Maine resident and the vehicle was registered and titled in Maine. Adding an additional owner brings the fee back. Current fee schedule
Duplicate Title Application (MVT-8) Published by the agency Waived where the owner has died — every one of the Bureau's five instruction sheets says so. Current fee schedule
Rush service Published by the agency Ten dollars, and it is the one charge a surviving spouse still pays. Current fee schedule
Notarization of form MVT-22 Published by the agency The form must be notarized, before a notary or an attorney. No fee for that is published by the Bureau, and on the heir route each heir signs. Current fee schedule

After you file

  • Maine's instruction sheets look one step past the transfer, to the sale that often follows, and they list what the buyer needs: the title transferred to the buyer, a release of any lien, a bill of sale, and the affidavit or death certificate the route rests on.On the no-representative common-owner route the buyer also needs the statement from the Probate Court that no will is being probated — so keep it rather than filing it away.

    Applies to Surviving spouse — ownership passes by statute, and the title costs nothingThe title says "joint ownership" — a copy of the death certificate is enoughOwners in common, with a representative appointed — the estate signs for its halfOwners in common, with nobody appointed — every immediate heir signsAn heir — and Maine says which relatives it means

  • The Bureau's advice for an heir who plans to sell is to take the title first: “*If you intend to sell the vehicle, it is recommended that you first obtain the title in your own name.”It costs a title fee and saves the buyer from having to assemble the estate paperwork themselves.

    Applies to An heir — and Maine says which relatives it means

  • Where the loan was not paid off, the consent on form MVT-27 is the lender agreeing that the title may go into your name — not the lender writing off the debt. The Bureau's own framing of the lien question is to resolve who is taking over the loan.For a surviving spouse the point is statutory rather than administrative: ownership passes under section 663 only if permission is granted by a lienholder.

    Applies to Surviving spouse — ownership passes by statute, and the title costs nothingOwners in common, with a representative appointed — the estate signs for its halfOwners in common, with nobody appointed — every immediate heir signsAn heir — and Maine says which relatives it means

  • The vehicle is not the only thing the estate may hold. Thirty days after the death, anyone holding the deceased's personal property must deliver it to a claiming successor on an affidavit, where the whole estate wherever located, less liens and encumbrances, is inside the statutory figure.That figure moves. It is adjusted for inflation, and since 2025 each county probate court must publish the current value on its own website — so check there rather than relying on the number printed in the statute.

    Applies to An heir — and Maine says which relatives it meansOwners in common, with nobody appointed — every immediate heir signs

If your situation doesn't fit one of these paths

Common complications, and what each one changes.

  • Both names are on the title, but it does not say "joint ownership"

    Then Maine treats you as owners in common, and the consequence is stated plainly: “if one of the common owners dies, the surviving common owner(s) and the deceased's estate own equal shares of the vehicle.”

    The estate is now your co-owner. With a court-appointed personal representative, that person completes the notarized MVT-22 and attaches the appointment. Without one, the affidavit needs the common owner and all immediate heirs, a transfer to you from all of them, and a letter from the Probate Court.5

  • You are both the surviving spouse and the personal representative

    The Bureau asks you to choose only one relationship, and form MVT-22 ticks one box for each. The surviving spouse route is the cheaper one: no title fee and no purchase and use tax, where the deceased was a Maine resident and the vehicle was registered and titled here.

    The representative's route costs $33 and rests on a copy of the court appointment. Where both fit, the difference is the fee and the paperwork rather than the outcome.816

  • The child inheriting the car lives out of state

    The heir instruction sheet is labeled for a Maine resident, and the Bureau's page tells a non-resident to continue the titling process with their own state — with a Maine duplicate title first if the certificate cannot be found.

    What that state requires, and what evidence of the Maine estate it will accept, is a question for that state's agency. Whether Maine's waiver of the duplicate title fee reaches a non-resident's application is not stated on the page.27

  • There is a will, but nobody has probated it

    Both routes that rest on nobody having been appointed require the same document: a statement or letter from the Probate Court that no will has been probated. A will sitting in a drawer is not the obstacle — an unprobated estate is what these routes are for.

    Form MVT-22 asks about it directly, recording whether the deceased did or did not leave a will and, if a will provides for transfer of the vehicle, to whom. And a will can defeat the spouse's statutory route outright: ownership passes to the surviving spouse only “if no will provides otherwise”.781

  • One of the heirs will not sign, or cannot be found

    Both routes are drafted around all of them: “An MVT-22 completed by each heir” on the heir route, and “An MVT-22 completed by common owner and all immediate heirs of the deceased”, with “A transfer to the common owner from all immediate heirs”, on the other.

    The form asks the question that surfaces the gap — whether there are other people living who had the same family relation with the deceased. Where the answer is yes and they will not sign, the route that does not need them is an appointment by the Probate Court.758

  • The personal representative cannot find the certificate

    The sheet has a line for exactly that, and it changes whose name goes on the paperwork: “Title must be completed in the Personal Representative's name, if the original is lost.”

    The duplicate application itself is free in this case — the Bureau waives the fee for a Duplicate Title Application where the owner has died.6

Questions people ask about this

  • Our names are both on the title. Does the car come to me?

    It depends on two words. Where the title states “joint ownership”, the Bureau says the surviving owner “retains complete ownership of the vehicle” and you submit a title application with a copy of the death certificate.Where it does not, you are owners in common, and the surviving common owner and the estate own equal shares — which brings in either a court-appointed personal representative or every immediate heir.45

  • Does a surviving spouse pay anything?

    Not for the title or the tax. Section 663 requires registration and title to be transferred to the surviving spouse “at no fee” and the transfer “is exempt from the purchase and use tax”, and the Bureau adds the conditions: the deceased must have been a Maine resident at the time of death and the vehicle registered and titled in Maine.Two charges survive the waiver: a $10 rush fee if you want rush service, and the ordinary title fee if you are adding an additional owner to the title.13

  • Several of the five descriptions fit our family. Which do we use?

    Maine prints the answer on form MVT-22: the common-owner and heir statements “are valid for the transfer of a vehicle only if there is no surviving spouse, no surviving joint owner and no personal representative appointed by Probate Court; and a statement from Probate Court indicating no will has been probated accompanies this form.”So work down the list. A surviving spouse, a surviving joint owner and an appointed personal representative come first; the heir and common-owner routes are what remains.8

  • Who counts as an heir?

    The Bureau names them: “the immediate heirs, who may be: the person's children, parents, or siblings.” Form MVT-22 offers the same three boxes, plus an “Other” line.A surviving spouse is not on that list because a spouse has a route of their own, ahead of this one. And the affidavit is completed by each heir, not by one on behalf of the rest.78

  • We cannot find the title

    File a Duplicate Title Application (MVT-8) in the deceased's name. Every one of the Bureau's instruction sheets adds the same line: “The fee is waived for a Duplicate Title Application in this case.”One exception to whose name goes on it: on the personal representative's route, “Title must be completed in the Personal Representative's name, if the original is lost.”26

  • What does it cost?

    $33 for a certificate of title on every route except the surviving spouse's, and $10 more for rush service. The same statutory fee covers a first certificate, a certificate after a transfer, a duplicate, a corrected certificate — and a search of the Bureau's records.The duplicate title is free where the owner has died, and the surviving spouse pays no title fee and no purchase and use tax at all.912

  • Is there a small estate limit in Maine?

    There is, and the printed number is not the operative one. Section 3-1201 requires the whole estate wherever located, less liens and encumbrances, not to exceed $40,000 “adjusted for inflation pursuant to section 1-108”.Since 2025 the statute also says where to find the live figure: “A county probate court shall annually publish on the court's publicly accessible website the value described in subsection 1, paragraph A , including the adjustment for inflation.”10

What the terms mean

6 terms used on this page, defined from the statute
Joint ownership (as stated on the title)
A phrase printed on a Maine certificate of title. Where it appears, the Bureau's rule is that when a joint owner dies the surviving owner or owners retain complete ownership of the vehicle, and the survivor titles it on a title application and a copy of the death certificate. Where it does not appear, the owners hold in common instead. Maine BMV — instruction sheet for joint owners
Common ownership
Two or more names listed as owners on a Maine title that does not state joint ownership. On the death of one of them, the surviving common owner or owners and the deceased's estate own equal shares of the vehicle — so the estate must be represented before the title can move. Maine BMV — instruction sheet for owners in common other than spouses
Immediate heir
The Bureau's own term for the people who may use the heir route where no personal representative has been appointed: the person's children, parents, or siblings. Form MVT-22 offers the same three relations plus an "Other" line, and asks whether other people living share the same relation. Maine BMV — instruction sheet for an heir (Maine resident)
MVT-22
Maine's affidavit of surviving spouse or personal representative, used on every death route except the joint-owner route. It must be notarized before a notary or an attorney, and it prints the order of priority: the common-owner and heir statements are valid only where there is no surviving spouse, no surviving joint owner and no personal representative appointed by Probate Court. Maine BMV — form MVT-22
MVT-27
The consent of a lien holder. Where a Maine vehicle was financed, the claimant either submits a lien release or obtains the lender's consent on this form to title the vehicle in their own name. For a surviving spouse it is not merely administrative: 29-A M.R.S. § 663 passes ownership only if permission is granted by a lienholder. Maine BMV — instruction sheet for a surviving spouse, 29-A M.R.S. § 663
Purchase and use tax
The tax Maine charges on a vehicle transfer. Section 663 exempts the transfer of registration and title to a surviving spouse from it, alongside waiving the fee. 29-A M.R.S. § 663

See the full glossary across every state

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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 are Maine state publications: the Bureau of Motor Vehicles' own page, instruction sheets and form, and the Maine Revised Statutes as published by the Office of the Revisor of Statutes.

  1. 29-A M.R.S. § 663 — transfer on death of spouse

    Transfer on death of spouse: ownership passes to the surviving spouse if no will provides otherwise and permission is granted by a lienholder, at no fee and exempt from the purchase and use tax.

    legislature.maine.gov Checked 2026-08-18

  2. Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles — death of an owner

    The Bureau's three questions — the title, the lien, and your relationship to the vehicle — the five instruction sheets, the two-step sequence for an out-of-state title, and the separate instructions for a non-resident.

    maine.gov Checked 2026-08-18

  3. Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles — instruction sheet for a surviving spouse

    The fee waiver and its conditions, the notarized MVT-22, the waived duplicate title fee, and the lien release or MVT-27 consent.

    maine.gov Checked 2026-08-18

  4. Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles — instruction sheet for joint owners

    The route for a title stating joint ownership: complete ownership to the survivor, on a title application and a copy of the death certificate.

    maine.gov Checked 2026-08-18

  5. Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles — instruction sheet for owners in common other than spouses

    Equal shares between the survivor and the estate, and the two versions of the paperwork — with a court-appointed personal representative, and without one.

    maine.gov Checked 2026-08-18

  6. Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles — instruction sheet for a personal representative

    Three items, including a copy of the Probate Court appointment, and the rule that the title must be completed in the representative's name where the original is lost.

    maine.gov Checked 2026-08-18

  7. Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles — instruction sheet for an heir (Maine resident)

    Who counts as an immediate heir, the MVT-22 completed by each heir, and the statement from the probate court that no will has been probated.

    maine.gov Checked 2026-08-18

  8. Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles — form MVT-22, affidavit of surviving spouse or personal representative

    The affidavit every route but one uses, and the note printing the order of priority between the claims.

    maine.gov Checked 2026-08-18

  9. 29-A M.R.S. § 603 — fees

    The single fee that covers a first certificate, a certificate after a transfer, a duplicate, a corrected certificate and a records search.

    legislature.maine.gov Checked 2026-08-18

  10. 18-C M.R.S. § 3-1201 — collection of personal property by affidavit

    Collection of personal property by affidavit: the thirty-day wait, the four statements, the inflation-adjusted ceiling, and the duty on each county probate court to publish the current figure.

    legislature.maine.gov Checked 2026-08-18

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?

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