How to Fill Out and Submit a Florida DMV Affidavit Form

A Florida DMV affidavit form is a sworn statement you file with the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) to document a vehicle sale, request a duplicate title, correct a record, verify a VIN, or authorize someone to act for you. There is no single affidavit — FLHSMV publishes a handful of them, and the first job is matching the form to your situation. You download the PDF from flhsmv.gov (or pick one up at the counter), fill it in, sign it in front of a notary, and submit it to any county tax collector’s office or licensed tag agency along with any fee the transaction carries.

Which Affidavit Form You Need

Grabbing the wrong form wastes a trip. The affidavit-style forms most Floridians actually encounter:

HSMV 82050 — Notice of Sale / Bill of Sale. For sellers in a private vehicle sale. Florida law requires sellers to file it.¹
HSMV 82101 — Application for Duplicate Title. For replacing a lost, stolen, or damaged title. The affidavit section is where you swear the original is gone.²
HSMV 82042 — VIN and Odometer Verification. Required when the state needs a physical inspection, such as for an out-of-state transfer or a title correction.³
General Motor Vehicle/Vessel Affidavit. A multipurpose sworn statement for name corrections, declaring a vehicle off public roads, explaining an odometer discrepancy, and other record issues without their own form.
HSMV 82053 — Power of Attorney. Authorizes someone else to handle a title transaction for you, including signing odometer disclosure as buyer or seller.⁴

All of these are free PDFs on the FLHSMV website, and printed copies sit at every county tax collector’s office and licensed tag agency.⁵

Filling Out the Notice of Sale (HSMV 82050)

This is the form sellers deal with most often. Filing it creates a paper trail that protects you from liability for parking tickets, toll violations, and accidents involving the vehicle after the sale. Ownership on state records doesn’t change until the buyer applies for a new title, and the Notice of Sale is what shields you in that gap.¹

You need four pieces of information:

Buyer’s full legal name and address, copied exactly from the buyer’s government-issued ID. A misspelled name can delay the buyer’s title application.
The 17-character vehicle identification number (VIN), stamped on the dashboard near the windshield and inside the driver-side door jamb.³
Odometer reading at the time of sale. State and federal law both require accurate disclosure, and a false reading can bring fines or jail time.⁶
Selling price in exact dollars. The state uses this figure to calculate the 6% sales tax the buyer owes at titling.⁷

The 6% is just the state rate. Many Florida counties add a discretionary surtax on top, charged based on the buyer’s county of residence.⁸ Understating the price to lower the buyer’s bill is the kind of shortcut that invites a Department of Revenue audit and potential criminal exposure for a false sworn statement.

Requesting a Duplicate Title (HSMV 82101)

If your Florida title has been lost, stolen, or damaged, HSMV 82101 gets you a replacement. Only the titled owner, or in some cases a lienholder, can apply. Check the box for the reason, then sign the affidavit section under penalty of perjury.²

Submit the form and a $6 fee to your county tax collector or a licensed tag agency. If you need it sooner, FLHSMV offers expedited processing for $11, and expedited titles are issued within five working days.⁹ The old title is automatically canceled when the duplicate is issued, so if the original turns up later it’s no longer valid.

The General Motor Vehicle Affidavit

The general affidavit is the catch-all for situations that don’t fit a dedicated form. County offices stock a version with checkboxes for the most common declarations:

Your name was entered on a title by mistake and you never owned the vehicle.
Names on two documents actually refer to the same person.
The vehicle is no longer driven on Florida public roads.
A vessel hasn’t been used on public waterways for 12 or more months.
The VIN on the title doesn’t match the actual number on the vehicle.
An odometer discrepancy needs explaining.
The vehicle body has been replaced and the title needs to reflect a new vehicle type.
A license plate is lost, stolen, or destroyed.

There’s also an open “Other” field. If your situation is unusual, describe it in plain terms on that line. The clerk at the tax collector’s office can usually tell you on the spot whether this form fits or whether you need something more specific.

VIN Verification (HSMV 82042)

Florida requires a physical VIN inspection whenever the state needs to confirm a vehicle’s identity: most commonly when titling an out-of-state vehicle, correcting a VIN error, or dealing with a vehicle that has no title history in Florida’s system. The form has two parts.³

Part A lets the buyer and seller verify the VIN themselves at the time of sale by inspecting the number under the windshield and in the door jamb. Part B must be completed by an authorized official. That list includes tax collector employees, Florida notaries, law enforcement officers from any state, FLHSMV compliance examiners, and military police officers.

Signing on Someone Else’s Behalf (HSMV 82053)

If you can’t handle the title transaction yourself, HSMV 82053 appoints someone as your attorney-in-fact. Signatures must be original and in black or blue ink, and both the owner and the person being given authority must be identified.⁴

One important boundary: 82053 lets an agent sign the odometer disclosure as either buyer or seller, but not both sides of the same transaction. When one person needs to sign both sides (common when a lienholder holds the physical title or the title is lost), you need the secure power of attorney, Form HSMV 82995, instead.⁴

Odometer Disclosure Rules

Every Florida title transfer for a used vehicle must include an odometer disclosure unless the vehicle qualifies for an exemption. Model year 2011 or newer requires disclosure for the first 20 years after manufacture. Model year 2010 or older is exempt after 10 years.⁶ In 2026 that means a 2006 or older vehicle no longer needs disclosure, while a 2011 stays subject through 2031.¹⁰

Vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating over 16,000 pounds and non-self-propelled vehicles like trailers are also exempt. Failing to complete the disclosure when it’s required is a second-degree misdemeanor.⁶

Getting the Form Notarized

Most FLHSMV affidavit forms require your signature to be witnessed by a notary public or another authorized official. Florida Statute 92.50 lists who can administer oaths and affidavits: any notary public, any judge, or any clerk or deputy clerk of a court of record.¹¹ Most people use a notary at a bank, shipping store, or law office, or sign at the tax collector’s counter where a notary is typically on staff.

A Florida notary can charge up to $10 per notarial act.¹² Bring a valid photo ID — the notary has to verify your identity before witnessing your signature. Do not sign the form in advance. A pre-signed affidavit will be rejected.

Where to Submit and What You’ll Pay

Submit your completed, notarized form to any county tax collector’s office or licensed tag agency in Florida, in person or by mail. In-person has the advantage of catching mistakes on the spot; a clerk can flag a missing signature or incorrect VIN before you leave rather than mailing back a rejection weeks later.⁵

Fees depend on the transaction. A duplicate title runs $6 standard or $11 for expedited five-day service.¹³ A full title transfer bundled with registration and plate fees costs considerably more; in Seminole County, for example, a standard transfer totals $75.75 and the “fast title” option runs $85.75.¹⁴ Your county’s totals may differ slightly due to local service fees. Filing HSMV 82050 as a seller doesn’t carry a separate state fee.

If the transaction is a sale, the buyer also owes 6% state sales tax on the purchase price plus any county discretionary surtax, applied based on the buyer’s county of residence rather than where the sale took place.⁷⁸

Transferring a Title After the Owner Dies

When a vehicle owner dies, heirs or a surviving spouse don’t just sign the back of the title. Florida Statute 319.28 sets out what’s required, and the path depends on whether there was a will.

If the owner died without a will, an heir can apply for a new title without a probate court order by filing an affidavit stating the estate has no debts and that the surviving spouse (if any) and all heirs have agreed on how to divide the estate’s property.¹⁵

If a will has been probated, the application must include a certified copy of the will and an affidavit that the estate is solvent. If the will hasn’t been probated, a sworn copy of the will and an affidavit that the estate has no debts will work. A Florida-licensed attorney can also file an affidavit identifying the rightful heir, which creates a presumption of ownership without requiring a copy of the will.¹⁵

A surviving spouse who inherits the vehicle but wants to sell it immediately, rather than retitling it, can assign the decedent’s existing title directly to the buyer. The same documentation requirements apply; they just travel with the buyer’s title application.¹⁵

Penalties for False Statements

Every FLHSMV affidavit is signed under penalty of perjury. Knowingly making a false written statement intended to mislead a public official is a second-degree misdemeanor under Florida law.¹⁶¹⁷¹⁸

The most common trip-up is understating the sale price to shrink the buyer’s tax bill. It looks like a small favor until the Department of Revenue audits the transaction. Lying about mileage on an odometer disclosure is another route to criminal charges, and that one also carries federal liability under the Motor Vehicle Information and Cost Savings Act. Put the actual numbers on the form, even when they’re inconvenient.

1
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Notice of Sale and/or Bill of Sale for a Motor Vehicle, Mobile Home, Off-Highway Vehicle or Vessel
2
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Application for Duplicate or Lost in Transit/Reassignment for a Motor Vehicle, Mobile Home or Vessel Title Certificate
3
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Vehicle Identification Number and Odometer Verification
4
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Power of Attorney
5
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Application for Certificate of Motor Vehicle Title
6
The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 319.225 – Odometer Disclosure Statement
7
Florida Department of Revenue. Sales and Use Tax on Motor Vehicles
8
The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 212.054 – Discretionary Sales Surtax; Legislative Intent; Authorization and Use of Proceeds
9
The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 319.323 – Expedited Service; Applications; Fees
10
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Consumer Alert: Changes to Odometer Disclosure Requirements
11
The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 92.50 – Oaths, Affidavits, and Acknowledgments; Who May Take or Administer; Requirements
12
Florida Senate. Florida Code 117.05 – Use of Notary Commission
13
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Renewals, Title Transfers and Duplicate Certificates
14
Seminole County Tax Collector. Motor Vehicle Fees
15
The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 319.28 – Transfer of Title by Operation of Law
16
Florida Senate. Florida Code 837.06 – False Official Statements
17
The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 775.082 – Penalties; Applicability of Sentencing Structures; Mandatory Minimum Sentences
18
The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 775.083 – Fines