How to Complete PennDOT Form MV-39: Sections, Fees, and Mailing

PennDOT Form MV-39, the Notification of Assignment/Correction of Vehicle Title Upon Death of Owner, is the form Pennsylvania uses to transfer a deceased person’s vehicle title when no executor or administrator has been appointed through probate.¹ It handles the common situations that come up after a death: a surviving spouse or joint tenant taking the vehicle, heirs inheriting without a will, an unprobated will passing the vehicle to close family, or the vehicle being retitled in the name of the estate. You download the form from PennDOT’s Driver and Vehicle Services site and mail the completed package to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles in Harrisburg with the original title, proof of death, and any fees that apply.

When MV-39 Applies and When It Doesn’t

Use MV-39 when the title needs to move outside of probate. If the Register of Wills has already appointed an executor or administrator, or issued an order under the family exemption or small estate procedure, you skip MV-39. In that case the executor assigns the title directly and attaches a Short Form Certificate from the Register of Wills along with Form MV-4ST.¹ One exception: even with an executor appointed, MV-39 is still the right form if the vehicle is being titled in the name of the estate rather than transferred to a person.

Choosing the Right Block in Section C

Section C is the decision point. The block you check determines which other sections you fill in, whether signatures need notarization, and which fees apply. Pick wrong and PennDOT sends the package back.

Block 1 or Block 2 — Surviving spouse who is a co-owner, or joint tenant with right of survivorship. The simplest path. The surviving owner does not assign the title. Complete Sections A, B, C, G, H (if registering), and I. No title fee if the title stays in the surviving co-owner’s name. If that person then transfers the vehicle to someone else, they assign the title on the back and include Form MV-4ST.¹
Block 3 — No will, surviving spouse who is not a co-owner. The surviving spouse and all adult children must assign the title. Complete Sections A, B, C, D, E, F, G, and I. All heirs list their name, address, relationship, and age in Section D. Signatures in Sections D and F must be notarized. Form MV-4ST is required. No title fee if the vehicle goes to the surviving spouse; a fee applies if it goes to anyone else.¹
Block 4 — Vehicle to be titled in the name of the estate. Complete Sections A, B, C, G, H (if registering), and I. No one assigns the title, and no registration transfer fee applies. The current registration automatically transfers to the estate’s name. A title fee is required.¹
Block 5 — No will, no surviving spouse. All heirs assign the title and list themselves in Section D. Complete Sections A, B, C, D, E, G, and I. All signatures must be notarized. Heirs sign in a specific order: adult children first, then parents, then siblings, then aunts and uncles, then first cousins. If a person in a category has died, that person’s children sign in their place.²
Block 6 — Will exists but has not been probated. This route works only if the will passes the vehicle to a surviving spouse, child or children, or parent. Complete Sections A, B, C, G, and I, and attach a copy of the will. The person named in the will assigns the title, and Form MV-4ST is required.¹

Filling Out Each Section

The person completing the form is the “informant.” An informant can be a joint tenant with right of survivorship, a surviving spouse, an adult child, a parent of the deceased, or the executor or administrator of the estate.¹ If the vehicle is titled to a company or corporation, an authorized representative signs instead.

Section A — Vehicle description. Enter the vehicle’s make, VIN, and registration plate number. Also provide the applicant’s name, PA driver’s license or photo ID number, date of birth, and street address.
Section B — Informant information. The informant lists their name, relationship to the deceased, age, and address, then signs.
Section C — Transfer type. Check the block (1 through 6) that matches your situation.
Section D — Heirs. Required for Blocks 3 and 5. Every heir lists their name, address, relationship, and age, then signs. Use Part II of Section D if more than two heirs need to sign.
Section E — Self-certification. Required for Blocks 3 and 5. The surviving family self-certifies entitlement to the vehicle.
Section F — Affidavit of payment of debts. Required for Block 3. The surviving spouse or adult heir signs an affidavit about the deceased’s debts. This signature must be notarized.
Section G — Proof of death. Attach an original death certificate. PennDOT does not accept photocopies. Alternatively, the attending physician or funeral director can complete the proof-of-death portion directly on the form.²
Section H — Vehicle insurance. Required when the vehicle will be registered. Enter the insurance company name, policy number, effective date, and expiration date.
Section I — Certification. The informant signs again under a penalty-of-perjury declaration and provides a phone number. The informant named in Section B must always sign Section I.

What to Include With the Form

Every submission needs proof of death, either an original death certificate or the physician or funeral director certification on the form itself. Beyond that, the supporting documents depend on the block you checked.

Original certificate of title. Required in every case. For Blocks 1 and 2, make no entries on the reverse of the title unless you are transferring the vehicle to a third party. For all other blocks, the appropriate parties must assign the title on the back.²
Form MV-4ST. Required whenever the title is being assigned to a new owner — Blocks 3, 5, and 6, plus Blocks 1 or 2 when the surviving owner transfers the vehicle to someone else. MV-4ST handles vehicle sales tax reporting.¹
Copy of the will. Required only for Block 6.
Decedent’s registration card. Attach it when transferring the registration plate, particularly for Blocks 3, 5, and 6.¹

When Signatures Must Be Notarized

Two scenarios require a notary. Under Block 3, all signatures in Sections D and F must be notarized. Under Block 5, all signatures must be notarized.¹ Missing notarization is a common reason for PennDOT to return a package, so confirm the requirement for your block before mailing.

Fees

PennDOT’s fee schedule sets the certificate of title fee at $72 and the registration plate transfer fee at $11.³ Whether you owe them depends on the situation.

Title fee ($72). Waived when the vehicle transfers to a surviving spouse under Blocks 1, 2, or 3. Required for all other transfers, including titling the vehicle in the estate’s name under Block 4.¹
Registration transfer fee ($11). Required when transferring the deceased’s plate. The plate can only be transferred to the deceased’s spouse, children, parents, parents-in-law, children-in-law, stepchildren, or stepparents. Anyone outside that group has to apply for a new plate.²
Sales tax. May apply depending on the transfer. PennDOT’s fact sheet notes that applicable sales tax should be included when required.
Local use fee. Some Pennsylvania counties charge a local use fee. Check the “Fee for Local Use – Participating Counties” fact sheet on the PennDOT site.²

Pay by check or money order made out to PennDOT. Do not send cash.

Where to Mail the Package

Send the whole package — completed MV-39, original title (assigned if required), proof of death, Form MV-4ST if applicable, the decedent’s registration card if transferring the plate, a copy of the will if using Block 6, and payment — to:

Bureau of Motor Vehicles
PO Box 67470
Harrisburg, PA 17106-7470

The address also appears in the upper left-hand corner of the form.⁴ Keep copies of everything. PennDOT does not publish a specific timeline for MV-39 submissions, and standard mailed title transactions generally take several weeks.

Driving the Vehicle While You Wait

Pennsylvania law lets an heir or personal representative keep driving the vehicle for the rest of the current registration period and through the next renewal, as long as the registration is renewed in the estate’s name. A surviving spouse, parent, or child who lived in the decedent’s household can keep renewing the estate registration until the court approves the final account.⁵ The vehicle does not have to sit idle while the title transfer is in the mail. Keep insurance current and make sure the registration is properly renewed.

Mistakes That Get Packages Returned

A handful of errors account for most of the rejected MV-39 submissions.

Sending a photocopy of the death certificate. PennDOT requires an original. If you cannot get one, have the attending physician or funeral director complete the proof-of-death section on the form.²
Missing heir signatures. Under Blocks 3 and 5, every qualifying heir must sign. For Block 5 with no surviving spouse, that means all adult children, and if a child has died, that child’s own children must sign in their place. One missing signature and everything comes back.
Forgetting notarization. Blocks 3 and 5 require notarized signatures. The form will be rejected without them.
Choosing the wrong block. If an executor has been appointed, MV-39 usually isn’t the right form. The executor assigns the title with a Short Form Certificate instead. Filing MV-39 when you should be going through the executor path just adds weeks.
Leaving out Form MV-4ST. Nearly every transfer scenario except a straight co-owner correction under Blocks 1 and 2 requires MV-4ST. Omitting it is one of the most common reasons packages come back.

Before you seal the envelope, read the instructions on the reverse side of the form for your specific block. Each block lists exactly which sections to complete and which documents to attach.

1
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Form MV-39
2
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Vehicle Transfer after Death of Owner
3
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Bureau of Motor Vehicles Schedule of Fees
4
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Contact Driver and Vehicle Services
5
Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code Title 75 – Vehicles