Sahvelo

Transferring a vehicle in Minnesota after someone dies

Minnesota gives a surviving spouse one automobile without regard to its value, ahead of every claim against the estate. And it carries a warning worth reading before anything else: a medical assistance claim against the estate does not compete with a transfer-on-death beneficiary — it voids the designation outright.

State Minnesota

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
Transfer-on-death beneficiary The certificate carries "transfer-on-death to" or "TOD" after the owner's name None — the transfer is not testamentary Not established on this route Fastest — a certified death record and an application Minn. Stat. § 168A.125
Surviving spouse's exempt property A surviving spouse selects the vehicle from the estate None — no probate order is needed Not established on this route One notarized form, a memorial card or clipping, and a counter visit Minn. Stat. § 524.2-403; Minnesota DVS form PS2071
Collection by affidavit No beneficiary, no spouse claiming, nobody appointed anywhere, and a probate estate inside the ceiling None — the registrar is directed to act on the affidavit Not established on this route Thirty days after the death, then one document that also binds a transfer agent Minn. Stat. § 524.3-1201
Probated estate The estate is or will be probated, or the affidavit ceiling is exceeded Yes — the document must be a certified copy from a Minnesota court The title and transfer fees; sales tax is not due where a will or trust shows the applicant inherited the vehicle Depends which of the four documents is used: a Decree of Partial Distribution awarding the vehicle can come long before the Final Decree Minnesota DVS — deceased relative vehicle title transfer

Is the vehicle titled in Minnesota?

Everything on this page is Minnesota procedure and it governs Minnesota titles. Minnesota has issued titles for motor vehicles since 1972, and the certificate is the proof of ownership these routes act on.

Two Minnesota rules are about the estate rather than the certificate and can still matter where the car is titled elsewhere. The small estate affidavit measures the entire probate estate wherever located, and a surviving spouse's right to one automobile without regard to value is a right against the estate rather than against a particular certificate.34

The Division sorts a death into nine situations — joint owner with "or" on the title, joint owner without it, no co-owner, surviving spouse, no surviving spouse and not subject to probate, an estate subject to probate, no legal heirs and not subject to probate, other situations, and a transfer-on-death beneficiary — and adds revocable trusts. The detail behind those headings is filled in by script on the Division's page and could not be read here, so this page states only what the statutes and the form establish.1

One automobile, without regard to value

Section 524.2-403 gives a surviving spouse, in addition to the homestead and family allowance, household goods up to $15,000 in value in excess of any security interests — and, separately, "one automobile, if any, without regard to value". The dollar figure governs the furniture. The car is uncapped.3

It also ranks, which is what makes it useful in an estate with debts: rights to exempt property have priority over all claims against the estate, abating only as necessary to permit earlier payment of the family allowance. An insolvent estate does not take the car from a surviving spouse.3

Where there is no surviving spouse, the deceased's children are entitled jointly to the same property — except a child the will shows was omitted intentionally. But the priority is narrower for them: an adult child's rights under this section do not take precedence over certain state claims, including the medical assistance claim under section 256B.15.3

This is on top of whatever else is inherited. The rights are in addition to any benefit or share passing by will, by intestate succession or by way of elective share, unless the will provides otherwise.3

A Medicaid claim voids the designation

Minnesota's transfer-on-death statute has a subdivision on creditors, and it goes further than a creditor's ordinary right. The state is a creditor for that purpose — and then: "A claim authorized by section 256B.15 against the estate of an owner of a motor vehicle titled in transfer-on-death form voids any transfer-on-death conveyance of a motor vehicle as described in this section."5

Section 256B.15 is Minnesota's medical assistance claim against a deceased person's estate. Where the person who died had received medical assistance, the beneficiary named on the certificate should not assume the car is theirs — the conveyance is void, not merely subject to a claim.5

Other state claims behave differently and are almost as important. A claim or lien under sections 246.53, 261.04 or 270C.63 continues to apply against the beneficiary after the transfer where the estate's other assets are insufficient, and continues to apply to the vehicle itself until the beneficiary sells or transfers it to somebody the claim does not reach and who did not have actual notice or knowledge of it. Selling to a family member who knows about the claim does not clear it.5

The same statute answers what happens when nobody survives to take the car: where no designated beneficiary survives the owner, the motor vehicle must be included in the probate estate of the deceased owner.5

The registrar is directed, not asked

Where there is no beneficiary and no surviving spouse taking the car as exempt property, Minnesota's small estate affidavit does the work — and it does not ask. On vehicles the statute says a motor vehicle registrar shall issue a new certificate of title in the name of the successor upon presentation of the affidavit.4

"Wherever located" and "in any jurisdiction" are both doing work. Property in another state counts toward the ceiling, and an estate opened anywhere closes the route — not only one opened in Minnesota.4

The same affidavit reaches a shareholding: a transfer agent of any security shall change the registered ownership on the books of a corporation on presentation of it. And collecting is not keeping — the claiming successor shall disburse to anybody with a superior claim under § 524.2-403 or § 524.3-805, which includes a surviving spouse's right to one automobile.34

Proof of death, the counter, and the fees

Minnesota's proof of death is unusually easy on the surviving spouse route and unusually strict on the signature. Form PS2071 asks for "Proof of death (e.g. memorial card, newspaper clipping, or copy of death certificate)" — and then says "Notarization required", with a full notary block on the same page. The affidavit route is different: it needs a certified death record.24

Read the second certification on PS2071 before signing it. The not-subject-to-probate box certifies that the estate has not been and will not be probated, and that there are no monetary claims or security interests relating to it — three statements, one of which is about the future.2

The Division's advice is to do a death transfer at a counter: because of the multiple documents and signatures these transfers need, it recommends visiting a deputy registrar office. That adds a $1 local office surcharge to a title transaction that already carries a $8.25 title fee, a $12 filing fee and a $2.25 technology surcharge. Expedited processing is $20 more, and a duplicate title where the original is lost is $7.25.16

The Division does not claim finality for its own fee page. It says fees are set and distributed by the Minnesota Legislature, and tells the reader to verify them at a motor vehicle office or with Motor Vehicle Services.6

The nine situations, now readable — and a will is the wrong instrument

Until 2026-08-19 this page said the detail behind the Division's nine headings was filled in by script and could not be read. That was half right. Driver and Vehicle Services runs on Next.js and ships the substance of all nine situations in the HTML — inside a script payload with every angle bracket written as an escape. Decoding those escapes before stripping the scripts turns a page of headings into forty-four thousand characters of document lists.

What the Division wants on a probated estate is not a single document but any one of four, all certified and all from a Minnesota court: “Certified copy of Letters of Administration”, “Certified copy of Probate Court Order setting aside the property to the surviving spouse”, “Certified copy of a Decree of Partial Distribution of the estate specifically awarding the vehicle to the title applicant”, or “Certified copy of the Final Decree of Distribution indicating to whom the property was distributed.”7

The third is the one worth knowing about. A partial distribution that specifically awards the vehicle can release the car long before the estate closes, and it is a smaller thing to ask a court for than a final decree.7

And two sentences from the Division's common questions settle something families get wrong in both directions: “A will cannot be used to transfer ownership of a motor vehicle. However, a will may be used to show inheritance, exempting the heir from sales tax.” Wrong instrument for the title; right instrument for the tax.9

A trust only works if somebody finished the job while alive: “To be able to use the revocable trust document to transfer ownership of a vehicle, the vehicle must be titled in the name of the trust and the grantors (For example: Jones Trust, John Jones-Grantor).” And if it was not, “trust documents cannot be used to transfer the ownership.”9

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.

Transfer-on-death beneficiary

The certificate names a beneficiary. Ownership vests on the death — unless a medical assistance claim voids it.

  1. First

    Find out whether medical assistance was ever paid

    A claim under section 256B.15 against the estate voids the transfer-on-death conveyance entirely. This is the first question on this route, not the last.

  2. First

    Read the certificate

    It should carry the owner's name, any joint owners with their survivorship rights, and the words "transfer-on-death to" or "TOD" followed by the beneficiary's name.

  3. First

    Obtain a certified death record

    That is what the statute requires on this route — unlike the surviving spouse form, which accepts a memorial card or a newspaper clipping.

  4. First

    Apply for a new certificate of title

    The Division recommends doing a death transfer at a deputy registrar office. The title fee is $8.25, with a $12 filing fee, a $2.25 technology surcharge and a $1 local office surcharge.

  5. First

    Expect a lien to survive

    Ownership vests subject to the rights of secured parties, and certain state claims continue to apply to the vehicle until it is sold to somebody without notice of them.

Surviving spouse's exempt property

One automobile, without regard to value, ahead of every claim against the estate.

  1. First

    Select the vehicle

    The certification is that you have selected this vehicle from the personal property in the estate — the spouse is exercising a statutory choice rather than receiving a gift.

  2. First

    Gather proof of death

    A memorial card, a newspaper clipping, or a copy of the death certificate. The Division's own examples.

  3. First

    Have form PS2071 notarized

    Notarization is required and the form carries the notary block. Do this before going to the counter.

  4. First

    Take it to a deputy registrar with the certificate of title

    The Division recommends a counter for a death transfer because of the multiple documents and signatures needed. Pay the title fee and the filing fee.

Collection by affidavit

No beneficiary and no surviving spouse. The registrar is directed to issue a new certificate.

  1. Wait thirty days from the death

    The affidavit certifies it, and nothing can be collected before then.

  2. First

    Value the entire probate estate

    At the date of death, wherever located, including the contents of a safe deposit box, less liens and encumbrances. The ceiling is $75,000.

  3. First

    Check that nobody has applied to be appointed anywhere

    The certification is that no application or petition for a personal representative is pending or has been granted in any jurisdiction.

  4. First

    Obtain a certified death record

    The statute requires it alongside the affidavit.

  5. First

    Present the affidavit to the registrar

    A motor vehicle registrar shall issue a new certificate of title in the name of the successor on that presentation. The same affidavit also binds a transfer agent of a security.

  6. First

    Disburse to anybody with a superior claim

    The successor shall disburse the proceeds collected to any person with a superior claim under § 524.2-403 or § 524.3-805 — which includes a surviving spouse's right to one automobile.

Probated estate

Get the appointment, then pick the shortest of four court documents.

  1. First

    Establish who the court has appointed

    The executor or administrator acts in place of the deceased and completes the title as seller, signing for each person listed on it.

  2. as soon as the appointment is made

    Choose which certified document to ask the court for

    Letters of Administration, an Order setting aside the property to the surviving spouse, a Decree of Partial Distribution specifically awarding the vehicle, or the Final Decree of Distribution. A partial distribution can release the car long before the estate closes.

  3. before signing anything

    Read the appointment for who has to sign

    All appointed executors or administrators must sign the title unless the document indicates they can act independently.

  4. when the certified copy is in hand

    Take it to a deputy registrar

    With the title — or a duplicate if it is lost, destroyed or mutilated — the fees, and a lien release if applicable.

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

  • Assignment of a Vehicle to a Surviving Spouse / Not Subject to Probate (PS2071)

    Applies to One automobile, without regard to value, ahead of every claim against the estate

    Two certifications on one page — surviving spouse under § 524.2-403, or not subject to probate under § 524.2-201. Notarization is required.

    Link checked 2026-08-18

  • Proof of death

    Applies to One automobile, without regard to value, ahead of every claim against the estate

    On the surviving spouse form, a memorial card, a newspaper clipping or a copy of the death certificate. The Division's own examples.

    Link checked 2026-08-18

  • Certified death record

    Applies to Ownership vests on the death — unless a medical assistance claim voids itThe registrar is directed, not asked

    What the affidavit route and the transfer-on-death route require — a stricter document than the surviving spouse form accepts.

    Link checked 2026-08-18

  • Affidavit under Minn. Stat. § 524.3-1201

    Applies to The registrar is directed, not asked

    Made by or on behalf of the successor. The statute sets out what it must state, and directs the motor vehicle registrar to issue a new certificate on it.

    Link checked 2026-08-18

  • Notification of Lien Grant, Release and Reassignment

    Applies to Ownership vests on the death — unless a medical assistance claim voids itOne automobile, without regard to value, ahead of every claim against the estateThe registrar is directed, not asked

    The form Minnesota publishes for lien changes, listed by the Division on its deceased-owner page. Sahvelo has not read it and states nothing about what it requires.

    Link checked 2026-08-18

  • One certified document from a Minnesota court

    Applies to Probate — any one of four certified court documents

    Any one of four: Letters of Administration, a Probate Court Order setting aside the property to the surviving spouse, a Decree of Partial Distribution specifically awarding the vehicle, or the Final Decree of Distribution. All must be certified copies and all must come from a Minnesota court.

    Link checked 2026-08-19

Where and how to file

  • In person

    A deputy registrar office

    The Division's own recommendation: due to the multiple documents and signatures needed for these transfers, visit a deputy registrar office to complete the transfer.A deputy registrar adds a $1 local office surcharge. It can also print a duplicate title the same day where that service is selected.Form PS2071 must already be notarized when it arrives.

    Find an office

    Applies to Ownership vests on the death — unless a medical assistance claim voids itOne automobile, without regard to value, ahead of every claim against the estateThe registrar is directed, not asked

  • By mail

    Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS), 445 Minnesota Street, St. Paul, MN 55101-5187

    The Division publishes this address for applications sent by post, together with the fees due when mailing to DVS.Everything travels together: the certificate of title, the form or affidavit, the proof of death, and the fees.

    See the mailing instructions

    Applies to Ownership vests on the death — unless a medical assistance claim voids itOne automobile, without regard to value, ahead of every claim against the estateThe registrar is directed, not asked

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 fee Published by the agency Due on all initial applications for title and title transfers, including each time a title is issued. Current fee schedule
Filing fee Published by the agency Due with each title transaction — more than the title fee itself. Current fee schedule
Technology surcharge Published by the agency Due with each title transaction except where the only change is the addition or removal of a lien holder. Current fee schedule
Local office surcharge Published by the agency Charged for transactions processed at a deputy registrar — which is where the Division recommends doing a death transfer, so it is the usual case rather than the exception. Current fee schedule
Expedited processing Published by the agency Optional, due only if expedited service is requested. The Division publishes no ordinary processing time, and Sahvelo states none. Current fee schedule
Duplicate title Published by the agency Where the original certificate is lost, mutilated or stolen. A duplicate carries a legend that it may be subject to the rights of a person under the original certificate. Current fee schedule
Notary Published by the agency Form PS2071 states that notarization is required. Sahvelo states no figure, because the Division publishes none for this. Current fee schedule

After you file

  • A new certificate of title issues in the claimant's name. Sahvelo states no Minnesota processing time, because the Division publishes none — what it does publish is a $20 expedited processing option.The Division also says that if a title has not arrived within six months, the application for a duplicate title will be processed at no fee.

    Applies to Ownership vests on the death — unless a medical assistance claim voids itOne automobile, without regard to value, ahead of every claim against the estateThe registrar is directed, not asked

  • A state claim can still reach the vehicle after the title has moved. A claim or lien under sections 246.53, 261.04 or 270C.63 continues to apply against the beneficiary where the estate's other assets are insufficient, and continues to apply to the vehicle itself until it is sold to somebody the claim does not reach and who had no actual notice or knowledge of it.

    Applies to Ownership vests on the death — unless a medical assistance claim voids it

  • The obligation does not end at collection. The claiming successor shall disburse the proceeds collected to any person with a superior claim under § 524.2-403 or § 524.3-805 — so a surviving spouse's right to one automobile without regard to value survives somebody else having collected first.

    Applies to The registrar is directed, not asked

If your situation doesn't fit one of these paths

Common complications, and what each one changes.

  • The person who died had been on medical assistance

    Then a transfer-on-death designation may be worth nothing, and this should be checked before anything else. Minnesota's statute makes the state a creditor for this purpose and then goes further than a creditor's ordinary right: a claim authorized by section 256B.15 against the estate of an owner of a vehicle titled in transfer-on-death form voids any transfer-on-death conveyance of a motor vehicle. Voids — not competes with, not reduces. Other state claims behave differently and are almost as serious: a claim or lien under sections 246.53, 261.04 or 270C.63 continues to apply against the beneficiary after the transfer where the estate's other assets are insufficient, and follows the vehicle until it is sold to somebody the claim does not reach and who had no actual notice or knowledge of it.5

  • The named beneficiary died first

    Minnesota answers this directly rather than leaving it to be worked out: where no transfer-on-death beneficiary survives the owner of a motor vehicle, the vehicle must be included in the probate estate of the deceased owner. Which route then applies is the ordinary question — a surviving spouse can take one automobile without regard to value, and below the affidavit ceiling the registrar is directed to issue a new certificate on an affidavit.345

  • The estate owes more than it holds

    The surviving spouse still gets the car. Rights to exempt property under § 524.2-403 have priority over all claims against the estate, abating only as necessary to permit earlier payment of the family allowance — and the automobile is exempt property without regard to its value. The position is narrower for adult children taking the same right where there is no surviving spouse: their rights do not take precedence over claims under sections 246.53, 256B.15, 256D.16, 261.04 or certain clauses of § 524.3-805, which includes the medical assistance claim.3

  • Somebody else has already collected the estate on an affidavit

    Collecting is not keeping, and the statute says so. The claiming successor shall disburse the proceeds collected under § 524.3-1201 to any person with a superior claim under § 524.2-403 or § 524.3-805 — and a surviving spouse's right to one automobile without regard to value is exactly such a claim. A state or county agency with a medical assistance claim may also present the affidavit itself, which is worth knowing where the person who died had received medical assistance.34

  • There is property in another state

    It counts. Minnesota's affidavit measures the value of the entire probate estate, determined as of the date of death, wherever located, including specifically any contents of a safe deposit box, less liens and encumbrances. And the negative reaches just as far: the affidavit certifies that no application or petition for the appointment of a personal representative is pending or has been granted in any jurisdiction, so an estate opened in another state closes the Minnesota route.4

  • You cannot get a certified death certificate yet

    It depends which route you are on, and the difference is unusually wide. On the surviving spouse form the Division accepts a photocopy-level document and names its own examples: proof of death such as a memorial card, a newspaper clipping, or a copy of the death certificate. On the affidavit route and the transfer-on-death route the statutes ask for a certified death record. A family waiting on certified copies may still be able to move a car to a surviving spouse in the meantime.245

  • An estate is in probate and you want to know what the counter needs

    Sahvelo cannot tell you, and says so rather than guessing. The Division's deceased-owner page lists "Owner's estate subject to probate" as one of nine situations and fills in the detail behind each heading with script, so that detail could not be read at source. The same is true of the joint-owner situations and of revocable trusts. What is established is the Division's own advice about how to do any of it: because of the multiple documents and signatures these transfers need, visit a deputy registrar office. Ask there what a personal representative must present before assembling anything.1

Questions people ask about this

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

    Usually not. A surviving spouse is entitled to one automobile from the estate without regard to its value, and Minnesota publishes a form for it. Where there is no spouse claiming, and nobody has applied to be appointed personal representative anywhere, an affidavit collects a probate estate of $75,000 or less — and on vehicles the statute directs the registrar to issue a new certificate on it.34

  • Is there a limit on what the car can be worth?

    Not on the surviving spouse's route. The statute says one automobile, if any, without regard to value — the $15,000 figure in the same paragraph governs household furniture, furnishings, appliances and personal effects, not the car. The affidavit route does have a ceiling, and it measures the entire probate estate rather than the vehicle.34

  • They were on medical assistance. Does that matter?

    Very much, and on the beneficiary route it is decisive. A claim under section 256B.15 against the estate voids any transfer-on-death conveyance of a motor vehicle. Other state claims under sections 246.53, 261.04 or 270C.63 do not void the transfer but follow the vehicle into the beneficiary's hands until it is sold to somebody without notice of them.5

  • What counts as proof of death?

    It depends on the route. Form PS2071 accepts proof of death such as a memorial card, a newspaper clipping, or a copy of the death certificate. The affidavit route under § 524.3-1201 and the transfer-on-death route under § 168A.125 both ask for a certified death record.245

  • Does anything have to be notarized?

    Form PS2071 does — it says "Notarization required" and carries the notary block. Have it sworn before going to the counter, because the Division recommends completing these transfers in person at a deputy registrar office.12

  • What does it cost?

    The title fee is $8.25, and the fees that travel with it come to more than the title: a $12 filing fee, a $2.25 technology surcharge, and $1 more where a deputy registrar processes it. Expedited processing is an optional $20. A duplicate title, where the original is lost, is $7.25.6

  • How long do we have to wait?

    Thirty days on the affidavit route — the statute requires it and the affidavit certifies it. The surviving spouse form and the transfer-on-death route publish no waiting period, and Sahvelo states none.4

  • An estate is in probate. What does the counter need from us?

    Sahvelo has not established that. The Division lists "Owner's estate subject to probate" among the nine situations it distinguishes, and the detail behind each heading is filled in by script on its page, so it could not be read at source. That is an absence of readable guidance rather than a finding that no route exists — ask a deputy registrar office, which is where the Division recommends doing these transfers anyway.1

What the terms mean

6 terms used on this page, defined from the statute
Exempt property
What a Minnesota surviving spouse takes from the estate ahead of every claim against it, under § 524.2-403: household furniture, furnishings, appliances and personal effects up to $15,000 in value in excess of any security interests, and — separately and without any ceiling — one automobile, if any, without regard to value. Where there is no surviving spouse the children take the same property jointly, except a child the will shows was omitted intentionally. Minn. Stat. § 524.2-403
Deputy registrar
The local office where most Minnesota vehicle transactions are done. It is where the Division recommends completing a death transfer, because of the multiple documents and signatures these transfers need — and it can print a duplicate title the same day where that service is selected. A transaction processed there carries a $1 local office surcharge. Minnesota DVS — deceased relative vehicle title transfer
Claiming successor
The person who collects a small Minnesota estate by affidavit under § 524.3-1201. They must certify that the entire probate estate at the date of death, wherever located and less liens and encumbrances, is within the ceiling; that thirty days have passed; that no application for a personal representative is pending or granted in any jurisdiction; and that they are entitled to the property. What they collect is not theirs to keep outright — they must disburse to anybody with a superior claim. Minn. Stat. § 524.3-1201
Transfer-on-death title
A Minnesota certificate showing the owner's name, any joint owners with their survivorship rights, and the words "transfer-on-death to" — or "TOD" — followed by the beneficiary's name. No consideration is needed and the certificate never has to reach the beneficiary. Where the owner is married, naming anybody other than their spouse requires the spouse's written consent. Ownership vests in the beneficiary on the death, subject to the rights of secured parties. Minn. Stat. § 168A.125
Medical assistance claim
Minnesota's claim against a deceased person's estate under section 256B.15, for medical assistance paid on their behalf. On a vehicle it does something no ordinary creditor's claim does: a claim authorized by that section against the estate of an owner of a vehicle titled in transfer-on-death form voids any transfer-on-death conveyance of the vehicle. It also outranks an adult child's exempt property rights, though not a surviving spouse's. Minn. Stat. § 168A.125; Minn. Stat. § 524.2-403
Certified death record
The document the affidavit route and the transfer-on-death route both require. It is a stricter standard than the surviving spouse form asks for: form PS2071 accepts proof of death such as a memorial card, a newspaper clipping, or a copy of the death certificate, which is why a family still waiting on certified copies may be able to move a car to a surviving spouse first. Minn. Stat. § 524.3-1201; Minnesota DVS form PS2071

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. All are Minnesota state publications: Driver and Vehicle Services' own pages and form, and the Minnesota Statutes as published by the Office of the Revisor.

  1. Minnesota DVS — deceased relative vehicle title transfer

    The nine situations the Division distinguishes, its recommendation to use a deputy registrar office, and the statutes and form it points at.

    dps.mn.gov Checked 2026-08-18

  2. Minnesota DVS — form PS2071, assignment of a vehicle to a surviving spouse / not subject to probate (08/26)

    The two certifications, the acceptable proof of death including a newspaper clipping, and the notarization requirement.

    assets.dps.mn.gov Checked 2026-08-18

  3. Minn. Stat. § 524.2-403 — exempt property

    One automobile without regard to value for a surviving spouse or, failing one, the children — and its priority over all claims against the estate.

    revisor.mn.gov Checked 2026-08-18

  4. Minn. Stat. § 524.3-1201 — collection of personal property by affidavit

    The $75,000 ceiling measured wherever located, the thirty days, the direction that a motor vehicle registrar shall issue a new certificate, and the duty to disburse to superior claims.

    revisor.mn.gov Checked 2026-08-18

  5. Minn. Stat. § 168A.125 — transfer-on-death title to motor vehicle

    How the designation is made, the spouse's written consent where a married owner names somebody else, and the creditor subdivision under which a medical assistance claim voids the conveyance.

    revisor.mn.gov Checked 2026-08-18

  6. Minnesota DVS — vehicle fees

    The $8.25 title fee, the $12 filing fee, the technology surcharge, the deputy registrar surcharge, and what a duplicate or expedited processing costs.

    dps.mn.gov Checked 2026-08-18

  7. Minnesota DVS — deceased relative vehicle title transfer, estate subject to probate

    The four certified Minnesota court documents the Division accepts, the rule that all appointed executors must sign unless the appointment says otherwise, and the assignment needed where the decree names people who are not taking the title.

    dps.mn.gov Checked 2026-08-19

  8. Minnesota DVS — deceased relative vehicle title transfer, joint owner and no co-owner

    The document lists for a title with and without "OR" next to the first owner's name, for a surviving spouse, for the next surviving heir defined by statute, and for an estate with no legal heirs.

    dps.mn.gov Checked 2026-08-19

  9. Minnesota DVS — deceased relative vehicle title transfer, revocable trusts and common questions

    That a will cannot transfer a vehicle but can prove inheritance for sales tax, what a revocable trust must have been titled as, and what the Division says about a title issued by another state.

    dps.mn.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.

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

Tell us what’s missing

400 characters left