How to Fill Out and Submit Form DO-21A: NJ Vehicle Release Authorization

NJ Form DO-21A is the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission’s notarized authorization that lets a person or company you name obtain your personal motor vehicle information from the MVC. Its full title is “Notarized Authorization to Release Personal Motor Vehicle Information,” and it exists because the New Jersey Driver’s Privacy Protection Act (N.J.S.A. 39:2-3.3 et seq.) bars the MVC from handing your records to most private parties without your written, notarized consent.¹ Employers running background checks, insurers, and attorneys are the usual recipients.

When You Actually Need This Form

“Personal information” under the state’s Driver’s Privacy Protection Act covers your name, photograph, address (beyond the five-digit ZIP code), Social Security number, driver identification number, telephone number, and medical or disability information. It does not cover traffic violations, accidents, or license status.²

The act already lets the MVC release records without your consent to government agencies, law enforcement, courts, insurers investigating claims, and employers verifying a commercial driver’s license.³ If your requester falls in one of those buckets, they don’t need a DO-21A from you at all. Everyone else does.

One boundary worth flagging: despite the “vehicle release” shorthand some people use, this form has nothing to do with transferring physical possession of a car. It asks for no VIN, no year, no make, no model. It is a records-access permission slip.

How to Fill Out Form DO-21A

The form is a single page. You are the grantor, meaning the person giving permission. Fill in:

Your full legal name as it appears on your New Jersey driver’s license or ID card, in the Name of Grantor field.
The full legal name of the person or organization receiving your records, in the Name of Recipient field.
Your New Jersey driver’s license number, which links the authorization to your MVC record.
Your current residential street address, city, state, and ZIP code.
The date you sign.
Your signature, which you will provide in front of the notary, not before.

Get the recipient name right. The MVC will release records only to the exact person or entity written on the form. If your employer’s HR department needs your driving abstract, put the company’s legal name unless a specific individual there will physically receive the records.

The Notarization Step

The MVC will not accept DO-21A without notarization. The form itself says so in bold: “THIS FORM WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED UNLESS IT IS ACKNOWLEDGED BY A NOTARY PUBLIC OR LICENSED ATTORNEY AT LAW.”¹ Skipping this is the most common reason the form gets bounced back.

The notary block at the bottom has spaces for the notary’s signature, the county and state of acknowledgment, the date, and the notary’s commission expiration date. Sign the form in the notary’s presence and bring a valid photo ID, usually your driver’s license. Banks, UPS stores, law offices, and municipal buildings commonly offer notary services. The MVC’s OPRA guidance confirms that a notarized DO-21A is what allows a second-party record request to proceed.⁴

The form does not state an expiration date. Submitting it promptly after notarization avoids questions about whether the authorization is still current.

What to Submit With the Form

Once notarized, the recipient sends the DO-21A to the MVC along with the actual records request, Form DO-21 (Driver History Abstract Application Request).⁵ For mail requests, the packet is:

The notarized DO-21A
The completed DO-21 application
A photocopy of the record holder’s New Jersey driver’s license or ID
Payment by check or money order payable to NJMVC

Mail it to:

New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission
Abstract Unit
225 East State Street
PO Box 142
Trenton, NJ 08666-0142⁶

In-person requests at an MVC agency can also be paid by credit card, debit card, or cash.

Record Fees

Most records the DO-21A unlocks cost $15 each, including the Certified Complete Driver History Abstract, the Certified 5-Year Driver History Abstract, Order of Suspension, Schedule of Suspension, Restoration Notice, and Summons. Accident Reports are $5.⁵ If more than one record type is requested, each requires its own separate check or money order.⁶

The Certified Complete Driver History Abstract is what employers, insurers, and attorneys usually ask for.

Penalties for a False or Forged Form

Providing a written false statement on a form that warns about penalties for dishonesty is a fourth-degree crime in New Jersey.⁷ A fourth-degree crime carries up to 18 months in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.⁸ Submitting a DO-21A you know to be forged, such as one with a faked signature or fabricated notary seal, is a separate disorderly persons offense on top of any forgery charges.

Where to Get the Form

DO-21A is available as a free PDF at nj.gov/mvc/pdf/vehicles/DO-21A.pdf, and printed copies are available at any MVC agency.¹ Print it on standard letter-size paper, fill it out in black ink, and take it to a notary before handing it to whoever needs your records.

1
New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. Notarized Authorization to Release Personal Motor Vehicle Information DO-21A
2
Justia. New Jersey Revised Statutes Section 39-2-3.3 – Definitions
3
New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. Driver’s Privacy Protection Act – Permitted Disclosures
4
New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. Open Public Records Act (OPRA) – Section: Driver and Vehicle Records
5
New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. Driver History Abstract Application Request DO-21
6
New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. Driver History Abstract
7
Justia. New Jersey Revised Statutes Section 2C-28-3 – Unsworn Falsification to Authorities
8
Justia. New Jersey Revised Statutes Section 2C-43-3 – Fines and Restitutions