Sahvelo

Transferring a vehicle in Missouri after someone dies

Missouri's answer for a surviving spouse is not a threshold. One automobile belongs to the spouse absolutely, as exempt property, without regard to what it is worth — and the Department of Revenue moves it on a notarized affidavit and a photocopy of an obituary. Two conditions close that route, and one of them is a separation rather than a divorce.

State Missouri

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
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 — and the beneficiary may be allowed one assignment straight to a buyer Mo. Rev. Stat. § 301.681
Exempt property affidavit A surviving spouse, or an unmarried child under 18, claiming one vehicle None — no probate order is needed Not established on this route One notarized affidavit and a photocopy of the proof of death Mo. Rev. Stat. § 474.250; Missouri DOR Form 2305
Estate with letters or a small estate certificate No beneficiary named and no qualifying spouse or minor child The probate division — though a small estate may need no more than a clerk None where the personal representative takes title, or on a gift with a gift affidavit Slowest — thirty days, and a bond unless the court dispenses with it Mo. Rev. Stat. § 473.097

Is the vehicle titled in Missouri?

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

One Missouri rule is about property rather than paperwork and can apply even where the car was titled elsewhere. Section 474.250 entitles a surviving spouse or unmarried minor children to one automobile absolutely as property of the estate, without regard to its value. Whether another state's agency will act on that is its own question.3

One car, without regard to its value

A family expects this question to be answered with a dollar figure. Missouri answers it with a noun. Section 474.250 says the surviving spouse, or unmarried minor children of a decedent, are entitled absolutely to certain property of the estate without regard to its value — and the list begins with the family bible and other books and includes one automobile or other passenger motor vehicle, including a pickup truck, with its means of propulsion.3

Entitled absolutely, without regard to value. A valuable car is inside this route on exactly the same terms as a worthless one, which is what a threshold-based route can never do. The statute also fixes the order: the property belongs to the surviving spouse if there is one, otherwise to the unmarried minor children in equal shares.3

The Department of Revenue implements it without a court. A surviving spouse or unmarried minor child may transfer ownership of a vehicle — limited to one vehicle — titled in the deceased owner's name without obtaining a probate order, and "minor" for this purpose means a child under the age of 18. Five things go in: the title application in the claimant's name, the certificate of title, a photocopy of the proof of death, the notarized affidavit, and the $8.50 duplicate title fee with a $9 processing fee.1

The proof of death is unusually easy. The Department's own examples of an acceptable photocopy are a death certificate or an obituary — so a family still waiting on certified copies is not blocked.1

It reaches one vehicle. The affiant swears under penalties of perjury that this is the only motor vehicle owned by the deceased being transferred as exempt property, and the statute says one automobile. A second car goes through the probate division.23

A separation of more than a year closes it

The condition that decides the hardest Missouri cases is printed beside the surviving spouse's details on the affidavit: the spouse must have been married to the decedent and not divorced or separated for more than one year prior to the death. Separated, not divorced. A couple who had lived apart for more than a year without ever going to court are outside the route, and the form asks before the affidavit is sworn.2

Where there was no surviving spouse the form turns to the children, and asks for the names, dates of birth and addresses of the deceased's unmarried minor children under 18, together with the affiant's relationship to each of them.2

One more question on the form is worth preparing for. It asks whether there are any pre-nuptial, antenuptial or post-nuptial agreements concerning the personal property of the deceased — and if there are, a copy must be attached. The affidavit is notarized, and a license office notary costs $2.00.2

Where the exempt property and the family allowance use the whole estate up, the probate division may refuse to grant letters altogether. After that order the surviving spouse may collect and sue for the personal property of the estate in the same manner and with the same effect as if they had been appointed executor — which is worth knowing where there is more than a car to deal with.7

The certificate that a will cannot override

Missouri puts the beneficiary designation inside the certificate, so it can be read rather than inferred: the certificate shall include, after the name of the owner, the words "transfer on death to" or the abbreviation "TOD", followed by the beneficiary's name. Where it is there, the vehicle never enters the estate — naming a beneficiary on the title application avoids the need for the vehicle to go through probate on the owner's death.14

There are only two ways to undo it: selling the vehicle with proper assignment and delivery of the certificate, or applying to reissue the certificate with a different beneficiary or none. Then the sentence that settles arguments between a will and a title — the designation may not be changed or revoked by a will, any other instrument, or a change in circumstances.4

Joint tenancy is Missouri's default and it matters here. Form 108's instruction is that where the application shows two or more owners the unit will be held in joint tenancy, and if that is not desired the tenants in common block must be marked — and a certificate in beneficiary form cannot be issued to tenants in common at all.6

Everything else goes through the probate division

The Department of Revenue states it without qualification: if the deceased owner had not designated a transfer on death beneficiary, the vehicle must go through probate before a transfer of ownership can occur. What it then accepts is wider than a full administration — letters of administration, letters testamentary, or a small estate certificate or affidavit, in the original or as a certified copy — with the title properly assigned by the administrator, executor or personal representative, and $17.50 for a motor vehicle or trailer title.1

The small estate affidavit reaches an entire estate of $40,000, less liens, debt and encumbrances, thirty days after the death and provided no application for letters or for refusal of letters is pending or has been granted. Missouri then asks for something most states do not: a bond in an amount not less than the value of the personal property, approved by the judge or clerk of the probate division — though the court may dispense with it where it finds it is not necessary.5

A jointly held car may be outside the count altogether. The statute says that for the itemized description and valuation, the phrase "property of the decedent" does not include property held by the decedent as a tenant by the entirety or a joint tenant at the time of death.5

Above fifteen thousand dollars the affidavit becomes public. Where the value of the property listed is more than that, the clerk causes a notice to creditors to be published in a newspaper of general circulation once a week for two consecutive weeks, and claims not filed are forever barred.5

Two ways to avoid sales tax are published on the same page. If the administrator, executor or personal representative applies for title in their own name, no sales tax is due. And they may give the vehicle as a gift where the deceased paid taxes on it and a gift affidavit is presented — with one exception, a creditor holding letters of refusal.1

Thirty days, then $25 a month up to $200

The penalty is printed in capitals on the application itself: a title penalty fee of $25.00 for each 30 days of delinquency, not to exceed a total of $200.00, is imposed for failure to apply for a certificate of title within 30 days after purchase. It is metered rather than a single charge, and it is capped — so a family who are late know exactly what the exposure is.6

One practical trap on the same form: you must provide an actual physical street address in order to determine the correct tax rate. A post office box or a rural route cannot be used as the street address, though either can be used as a mailing address.6

Sahvelo has not established what Missouri requires to clear a lien on a death transfer and states nothing about it. What the sources show is that a beneficiary takes the vehicle subject to any security interest the owner was under, and that Missouri publishes a form for lien release and for adding or removing a name — the Notice of Lien, Lien Release, or Authorization to Add/Remove Name From Title, Form 4809. That form has not been read.14

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 was issued in beneficiary form. The vehicle never enters the estate.

  1. First

    Read the certificate

    It should carry the words "transfer on death to" or "TOD" after the owner's name, followed by the beneficiary's. A will does not change what it says.

  2. First

    Decide whether you want the car or the money

    If you intend to sell it, ask the director of revenue whether you may make one assignment of title straight to the buyer instead of taking the certificate into your own name.

  3. First

    Gather proof of death

    The director may rely on a death certificate or on a record or report that is prima facie proof of death. The Department's own example of acceptable proof elsewhere is a photocopy of an obituary.

  4. First

    Surrender the outstanding certificate with an application and the fee

    On that, the director shall issue a new certificate to the surviving owners or, if none, to the beneficiaries — subject to any outstanding security interest.

  5. Do it within thirty days

    The title penalty is $25.00 for each 30 days of delinquency, capped at $200.00.

Exempt property affidavit

A surviving spouse or unmarried minor child takes one vehicle, whatever it is worth, with no probate order.

  1. First

    Test the two conditions that close the route

    The spouse must have been married and not divorced or separated for more than one year before the death; and this must be the only vehicle of the deceased being transferred as exempt property.

  2. First

    Find out whether there is a nuptial agreement

    The affidavit asks whether any pre-nuptial, antenuptial or post-nuptial agreement concerns the deceased's personal property, and a copy must be attached if there is one.

  3. First

    Complete the title application and the affidavit

    The application goes in the name of the surviving spouse or unmarried minor child. The affidavit must be signed and notarized — a license office notary costs $2.00.

  4. First

    Take a photocopy of the proof of death

    A death certificate or an obituary. A photocopy is what the Department asks for.

  5. First

    Submit with the certificate of title and the fees

    The $8.50 duplicate title fee and a $9 processing fee, at any Missouri license office or by post to the Motor Vehicle Bureau in Jefferson City.

  6. First

    Take title in your own name before selling

    The Department requires the spouse or minor child to obtain title in their name before assigning ownership to a purchaser.

Estate with letters or a small estate certificate

No beneficiary and no qualifying spouse or minor child. The probate division issues one of three documents and the Department accepts any of them.

  1. First

    Work out which of the three documents fits

    Letters of administration, letters testamentary, or a small estate certificate or affidavit. The Department takes the original or a certified copy of any of them.

  2. For a small estate, wait thirty days from the death

    And check that no application for letters or for refusal of letters is pending or has been granted.

  3. First

    Value the estate, leaving out jointly held property

    The ceiling is $40,000 less liens, debt and encumbrances, and the count excludes anything held as a tenant by the entirety or a joint tenant at the date of death.

  4. First

    Deal with the bond

    A bond of not less than the value of the personal property is required unless the court finds it is not necessary. Ask the clerk of the probate division early, because it changes the cost of the route.

  5. First

    Assign the certificate and apply

    The certificate is assigned by the administrator, executor or personal representative to the new owner. Where it is lost, stolen or mutilated, apply for a duplicate in the name of the estate or of the deceased first.

  6. First

    Pay $17.50 for a motor vehicle or trailer title

    No sales tax is due if the personal representative applies for title in their own name, or if the vehicle is transferred as a gift with a gift affidavit and the deceased had paid taxes on it.

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

  • Photocopy of the proof of death

    Applies to The certificate itself does the work, and a will cannot undo itOne car, whatever it is worth, and no probate order

    The Department's own examples are a death certificate or an obituary, and it asks for a photocopy rather than a certified copy.

    Link checked 2026-08-18

  • Affidavit to Establish Title to Exempt Property (Form 2305)

    Applies to One car, whatever it is worth, and no probate order

    Signed and notarized. It carries the spouse's separation condition, the sworn one-vehicle acknowledgment and the question about nuptial agreements.

    Link checked 2026-08-18

  • Any pre-nuptial, antenuptial or post-nuptial agreement

    Applies to One car, whatever it is worth, and no probate order

    A copy must be attached to the affidavit where an agreement concerns the deceased's personal property.

    Link checked 2026-08-18

  • Letters of administration, letters testamentary, or a small estate certificate

    Applies to Letters, letters testamentary, or a small estate certificate — the Department takes any of the three

    The Department accepts the original or a certified copy of any of the three. A small estate certificate is the clerk's certificate annexed to or endorsed on the affidavit.

    Link checked 2026-08-18

  • Gift affidavit

    Applies to Letters, letters testamentary, or a small estate certificate — the Department takes any of the three

    Where an estate gives the vehicle rather than selling it, no sales tax is due if the deceased paid taxes on the vehicle and a gift affidavit is presented.

    Link checked 2026-08-18

  • Duplicate title, or an affidavit for lost title

    Applies to Letters, letters testamentary, or a small estate certificate — the Department takes any of the three

    Where the certificate is lost, stolen or mutilated, the personal representative named in the court order applies for a duplicate in the name of the estate or of the deceased, or submits an affidavit for lost title with the court order.

    Link checked 2026-08-18

Where and how to file

  • In person

    Any Missouri license office

    Application for title may be made in person at any Missouri license office.A license office can notarize the affidavit for $2.00, which is convenient because Form 2305 must be notarized before it is accepted.Provide an actual physical street address on the application. A post office box or a rural route cannot be used as the street address, because the address determines the tax rate.

    Find an office

    Applies to every path

  • By mail

    Missouri Department of Revenue, Motor Vehicle Bureau, 301 West High Street – Room 370, Jefferson City MO 65105-0100

    The paperwork and fees can be mailed to the central office for processing.Everything has to travel together: the application, the certificate of title, the proof of death or the letters, and the fee.

    See the mailing instructions

    Applies to every path

  • In person

    The probate division of the circuit court in the county where the person lived

    A copy of the small estate affidavit and the clerk's certificate is filed in the office of the clerk of the probate division, and copies are furnished by the clerk.The clerk's certificate is annexed to or endorsed on the affidavit, and it is what shows the names and addresses of the people entitled to the property.Where real estate is involved, the distributees establish their right by filing a copy of the affidavit and certificate with the recorder of deeds in each county where the property is.

    Find an office

    Applies to Letters, letters testamentary, or a small estate certificate — the Department takes any of the three

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 and processing on the exempt property route Published by the agency The Department lists it as an $8.50 duplicate title fee and a $9 processing fee. Current fee schedule
Title on the estate route Published by the agency $17.50 for a motor vehicle or trailer title. The Department also lists $16.50 for a boat title and $14 for an outboard motor title. Current fee schedule
Notary at a license office Published by the agency The affidavit must be notarized, and Form 2305 prints the license office notary service fee on its own face. Current fee schedule
Title penalty Published by the agency Charged for each 30 days of delinquency where a certificate of title is not applied for within 30 days, and capped at a total of $200. Current fee schedule
New certificate for a beneficiary Published by the agency The statute requires application and payment of the fee for an original certificate of ownership. Sahvelo states no figure, because neither the statute nor the pages read here publishes one. Current fee schedule
Small estate bond Published by the agency A bond in an amount not less than the value of the personal property, approved by the judge or clerk of the probate division — unless the court finds it is not necessary. What it costs to obtain one is not established. Current fee schedule
Sales tax Published by the agency No sales tax is due where the administrator, executor or personal representative applies for title in their own name, or where the vehicle is transferred as a gift with a gift affidavit and the deceased had paid taxes on it — except for a creditor holding letters of refusal. Sahvelo has not established how the tax is treated on any other death transfer. Current fee schedule

After you file

  • A new certificate of ownership issues in the claimant's name. On the beneficiary route it issues subject to any outstanding security interest, so a loan does not disappear with the owner.Sahvelo states no Missouri processing time, because none is published on the pages read here.

    Applies to every path

  • If you are going to sell, the order matters. The Department requires a surviving spouse or unmarried minor child to obtain title in their own name before assigning ownership to a purchaser — unlike a transfer on death beneficiary, who may be allowed one assignment straight to a buyer.

    Applies to One car, whatever it is worth, and no probate order

  • On a small estate above fifteen thousand dollars the clerk publishes a notice to creditors in a newspaper of general circulation, once a week for two consecutive weeks, and claims not filed in the court are forever barred.Where a bond was filed, the liability of the sureties terminates unless proceedings against them are instituted within two years of the filing.

    Applies to Letters, letters testamentary, or a small estate certificate — the Department takes any of the three

If your situation doesn't fit one of these paths

Common complications, and what each one changes.

  • You were married but had been living apart

    This is the Missouri condition that catches people, and it is printed on the affidavit rather than buried in a statute: the spouse must have been married to the decedent and not divorced or separated for more than one year prior to the death. Separated, not divorced — so a couple who had lived apart for more than a year without ever going to court are outside the exempt property route, even though they were still married. Where that is the position the vehicle goes through the probate division instead, and the small estate affidavit or refusal of letters is the lighter way through.257

  • There are two vehicles

    Only one of them comes out this way. Section 474.250 gives one automobile or other passenger motor vehicle, including a pickup truck, and the Department limits the route to one vehicle. The affiant then swears to it: the acknowledgment on Form 2305 is that this is the only motor vehicle owned by the decedent being transferred to a surviving spouse or minor children as exempt property. The second vehicle needs letters, a small estate certificate, or a beneficiary designation of its own.123

  • The will leaves the car to somebody other than the person named on the title

    The title wins, and the statute is explicit about it. A Missouri transfer on death designation may not be changed or revoked by a will, any other instrument, or a change in circumstances — only by a sale of the vehicle with proper assignment and delivery of the certificate, or by applying to reissue the certificate with a different beneficiary or none. The transfer is also not to be considered testamentary, so it is not reached by the rules that govern how a will disposes of property.4

  • There is still a loan on the car

    Sahvelo has not established what Missouri requires to clear a lien on a death transfer and asserts nothing either way. What the statute does say is that a beneficiary's interest at the owner's death is subject to any contract of sale, assignment of ownership or security interest the owner was subject to in their lifetime, and that the new certificate issues subject to any outstanding security interest — so a designation moves the car and not the debt. Missouri publishes a form for lien release and for adding or removing a name from a title, the Notice of Lien, Lien Release, or Authorization to Add/Remove Name From Title, Form 4809. That form has not been read here, and a license office is the place to ask what it needs.14

  • The car was in two names

    How it was held changes two separate things. Where two or more owners hold as joint tenants with right of survivorship or as tenants by the entirety, they can ask for a certificate in beneficiary form; people holding as tenants in common cannot. And Missouri's default on the application is joint tenancy — Form 108's instruction is that where the application shows two or more owners the unit will be held in joint tenancy, and if that is not desired the tenants in common block must be marked. Separately, on a small estate affidavit, property held as a tenant by the entirety or a joint tenant at the date of death is left out of the valuation altogether.456

  • The clerk mentions a bond

    That is the third condition of Missouri's small estate affidavit, and it is worth asking about before the paperwork is started because it changes what the route costs. A bond in an amount not less than the value of the personal property, approved by the judge or clerk of the probate division, is conditioned on paying the debts of the deceased including any debts to the state, the funeral and burial expenses, and complying with future orders of the court. The saving clause is short and it is the one to raise: the court may dispense with the filing of a bond if it finds that the same is not necessary. Where a bond is filed, the sureties' liability terminates unless proceedings against them are instituted within two years.5

  • There is nothing in the estate but the car and the household things

    Missouri has a route built for exactly that and it is easy to miss. The probate division may refuse to grant letters where the estate is not greater in amount than the exempt property and the family allowance — and because exempt property includes one vehicle without regard to its value, along with the family bible, wearing apparel, household appliances and furniture, an estate can be entirely exempt property. The court makes the order on proof of the value and nature of the estate. After it, the surviving spouse or unmarried minor children may collect and sue for all the personal property of the estate in the same manner and with the same effect as if they had been appointed executor — without ever having been.37

  • Nobody can find the certificate

    On the estate route the Department sets out what to do. Where the title is lost, stolen or mutilated, the administrator, executor or personal representative named in the court order must apply for a duplicate title in the name of the estate, if one is open, or in the deceased person's name — or for an original title in their own name, or by submitting an affidavit for lost title together with the court order. A duplicate application must be notarized and costs an $8.50 duplicate title fee and a $9.00 processing fee, and where a lien is shown on the original a notarized lien release must go with it or the duplicate will carry the lienholder's details forward.16

Questions people ask about this

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

    Not if there is a surviving spouse or an unmarried child under 18. A spouse or minor child may transfer one vehicle titled in the deceased owner's name without obtaining a probate order, on a notarized affidavit. Not if a beneficiary was named on the certificate either, because that transfer is not testamentary. In every other case the Department of Revenue says the vehicle must go through probate before ownership can be transferred — though that includes the small estate affidavit, which is much lighter than a full administration.14

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

    Not on the exempt property route. Section 474.250 entitles the surviving spouse, or unmarried minor children, absolutely to one automobile or other passenger motor vehicle without regard to its value. The limit is on the number of vehicles rather than on their price: one. The small estate affidavit does have a ceiling — $40,000 for the entire estate, less liens, debt and encumbrances.35

  • We were married but living apart. Does that matter?

    Yes, and it is the condition families are most often caught by. The affidavit states that the spouse must have been married to the decedent and not divorced or separated for more than one year prior to the death. A separation of more than a year closes the exempt property route even where there was never a divorce.2

  • What counts as proof of death?

    Less than most states ask for. The Department requires a photocopy of the proof of death and gives its own examples: a death certificate or an obituary. On the beneficiary route the statute allows the director of revenue to rely on a death certificate or on a record or report that constitutes prima facie proof of death.14

  • Is there a deadline?

    Thirty days, and the penalty is metered and capped. Form 108 prints it: a title penalty fee of $25.00 for each 30 days of delinquency, not to exceed a total of $200.00, for failure to apply for a certificate of title within 30 days after purchase.6

  • Does anything have to be notarized?

    The Affidavit to Establish Title to Exempt Property does — the Department asks for it completed, signed and notarized, and the form carries a notary block requiring an embosser or black ink rubber stamp seal. A license office can do it for $2.00, so it need not be a separate errand. A duplicate title application must also be notarized.126

  • The will says the car goes to someone else. Does that override the title?

    No. A Missouri transfer on death designation may not be changed or revoked by a will, any other instrument, or a change in circumstances. It can only be undone by selling the vehicle with proper assignment and delivery of the certificate, or by applying to reissue the certificate with a different beneficiary or none.4

  • Is there sales tax to pay?

    Two exemptions are published for the estate route. No sales tax is due if the administrator, executor or personal representative applies for title in their own name; and none is due if the vehicle is transferred as a gift where the deceased paid taxes on it and a gift affidavit is presented — except where a creditor holds letters of refusal. Sahvelo has not established how sales tax is treated on the other routes and states nothing about it.1

  • Why is a bond being mentioned?

    Because Missouri's small estate affidavit requires one: a bond of not less than the value of the personal property, approved by the judge or clerk of the probate division, conditioned on paying the debts of the deceased and complying with future orders of the court. The saving clause is worth raising with the clerk — the court may dispense with the bond if it finds it is not necessary.5

What the terms mean

6 terms used on this page, defined from the statute
Exempt property
The property a Missouri surviving spouse or unmarried minor children take absolutely, ahead of everything else, and without regard to its value. Section 474.250 lists it: the family bible and other books, one automobile or other passenger motor vehicle including a pickup truck with its means of propulsion, all wearing apparel of the family, all household electrical appliances, all household musical and other amusement instruments, and all household and kitchen furniture, appliances, utensils and implements. It belongs to the surviving spouse if there is one, otherwise to the unmarried minor children in equal shares. Mo. Rev. Stat. § 474.250
Certificate of ownership in beneficiary form
A Missouri title that carries the words "transfer on death to" or the abbreviation "TOD" after the owner's name. It can be requested by a sole owner, or by multiple owners holding as joint tenants with right of survivorship or as tenants by the entirety, but not by tenants in common. The beneficiary has no ownership benefit until the owner dies, their consent is never needed for anything in the meantime, and the designation cannot be revoked by a will. Mo. Rev. Stat. § 301.681
Refusal of letters
An order of the Missouri probate division that no letters of administration will be issued, available where the estate is not greater than the exempt property and the family allowance. Because exempt property includes one vehicle without regard to its value, an estate consisting of a car and household goods can qualify. After the order the surviving spouse or unmarried minor children may collect and sue for the personal property of the estate in the same manner and with the same effect as if appointed executor. Mo. Rev. Stat. § 473.090
Small estate certificate
The clerk's certificate annexed to or endorsed on a Missouri small estate affidavit. It shows the names and addresses of the people entitled to the described property and recites that the will has been probated or that none has been presented, and that any estate taxes due have been paid. The Department of Revenue accepts it in place of letters, in the original or as a certified copy. Mo. Rev. Stat. § 473.097
Distributee
In Missouri, a person entitled to receive property of the deceased. Distributees have a defeasible right to the personal property of a small estate without awaiting letters, and any distributee may make the small estate affidavit thirty days after the death where no personal representative was designated under a probated will. Mo. Rev. Stat. § 473.097
Title penalty
Missouri's charge for a late title application, printed on Form 108: $25.00 for each 30 days of delinquency, not to exceed a total of $200.00, imposed for failure to apply for a certificate of title within 30 days after purchase. It is metered rather than a single charge, and it is capped — so being late is expensive and knowable rather than open-ended. Missouri DOR Form 108

See the full glossary across every state

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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 are Missouri state publications: the Department of Revenue's own guidance and forms, and the Revised Statutes of Missouri published by the Revisor.

  1. Missouri Department of Revenue — titling and registration questions

    The spouse and minor child route and its five documents, the fees, the rule that everything else must go through probate, the three documents the Department accepts from an estate, and the two ways sales tax is avoided.

    dor.mo.gov Checked 2026-08-18

  2. Missouri Department of Revenue — Form 2305, affidavit to establish title to exempt property (revised 08-2019)

    The condition that a spouse must not have been divorced or separated for more than a year before the death, the sworn one-vehicle acknowledgment, the minor children fall-back, and the question about nuptial agreements.

    dor.mo.gov Checked 2026-08-18

  3. Mo. Rev. Stat. § 474.250 — exempt property of a surviving spouse or minor children

    One automobile or other passenger motor vehicle, to which the surviving spouse or unmarried minor children are entitled absolutely, without regard to its value.

    revisor.mo.gov Checked 2026-08-18

  4. Mo. Rev. Stat. § 301.681 — certificate of ownership in beneficiary form

    How the designation is made and what it says on the certificate, that it cannot be issued to tenants in common, the two ways to revoke it, that a will cannot, and that the beneficiary takes subject to any security interest.

    revisor.mo.gov Checked 2026-08-18

  5. Mo. Rev. Stat. § 473.097 — small estate, distribution of assets without letters

    The $40,000 ceiling, the thirty days, the bond, what the affidavit must state, the exclusion of jointly held property from the count, and the fifteen-thousand-dollar publication threshold.

    revisor.mo.gov Checked 2026-08-18

  6. Missouri Department of Revenue — Form 108, application for Missouri title and license

    The thirty-day deadline and the metered title penalty, the transfer on death and tenants in common instructions, the duplicate title fees, and the physical street address rule.

    dor.mo.gov Checked 2026-08-18

  7. Mo. Rev. Stat. § 473.090 — refusal of letters

    When a court may refuse to open an estate because exempt property and the family allowance exhaust it, and what a surviving spouse may then do without being appointed.

    revisor.mo.gov Checked 2026-08-18

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?

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