In Pennsylvania, how a car passes after the owner dies depends on how it was titled and whether there is a will or an executor. Most cases use form MV-39 with an original death certificate. A surviving spouse pays no title fee; anyone else pays the $72 title fee.
Find your case
| Situation | What you submit |
|---|---|
| Joint owners with right of survivorship (including husband and wife) | Title (no entries on the back), MV-39, original death certificate |
| Executor or administrator appointed | Title assigned by the executor, Short Form Certificate from the Register of Wills, MV-4ST |
| Will not probated, car left to spouse, child or parent | Title assigned by them, copy of the will, MV-39, death certificate, MV-4ST |
| No will, surviving spouse (with or without children) | Title assigned by the spouse and children 18 or older, MV-39, death certificate, MV-4ST |
| No will, no spouse, no minor heirs | Title assigned by all heirs in order of kinship, MV-39 signed by all, death certificate, MV-4ST |
MV-4ST is completed by an authorized PennDOT agent, so cases other than joint ownership go through an agent or tag service.
What you need
- The title
- MV-39, Notification of Assignment/Correction of Vehicle Title Upon Death of Owner
- An original death certificate (copies aren’t accepted), or the MV-39 proof-of-death section completed by the attending physician or funeral director
- Insurance details, if the car will be registered
- Fees: $72 title fee unless the title goes to a surviving spouse; $11 to transfer the plate; sales tax if it applies; a local use fee in some counties
Notary rules
When there’s no will, all heir signatures on MV-39 and on the title must be notarized. If the heirs can’t meet the same notary, attach extra notarized statements with the vehicle details, who gets the car and each heir’s signature.
Who are the heirs when there’s no will, no spouse and no minor heirs?
In order, stopping at the first group that exists: all adult children; then parents; then brothers and sisters; then blood aunts and uncles; then blood first cousins. If someone in a group has died, their children sign in their place (except for parents).
Plates
The deceased owner’s plate can only be transferred to a spouse, parent, child, parent- or child-in-law, stepchild or stepparent. Otherwise it can’t be transferred.
Special cases
- A car willed to a minor child can only use the “will not probated” route if a surviving spouse signs for the child.
- A car willed to someone who isn’t a spouse, child or parent needs the will probated and an executor.