Kansas vehicle affidavit forms are sworn statements the Division of Vehicles uses to process title transfers, correct paperwork problems, and verify vehicle details when the standard documents are not enough. The form you need depends on your situation: a family sale uses Form TR-215, a name correction or gift from a non-relative uses Form TR-12, an inherited vehicle uses a small estates affidavit, and an out-of-state VIN check uses Form TR-65. You can download any of them from the Kansas Department of Revenue website or pick them up at your county treasurer’s motor vehicle office, and the completed form almost always goes back to that same county office.1Kansas Department of Revenue. Vehicle Tags, Titles and Registration
Form TR-215: Family Transfers Without Sales Tax
Form TR-215 is the affidavit that lets you skip sales tax when a vehicle is sold or gifted between qualifying immediate family members. K.S.A. 79-3603(o) exempts these transfers from the tax that normally applies to private-party sales of cars, light trucks, trailers, and motorcycles.2Kansas Department of Revenue. Pub. KS-1526 Business Taxes for Motor Vehicle Transactions Without the form, the county treasurer will charge tax on the purchase price or fair market value.
The “immediate family” definition is narrower than most people assume. It covers lineal ascendants and descendants: grandparents, parents, children, adopted children, stepchildren, and grandchildren, plus the spouses of any of those people. It also extends to your spouse’s lineal relatives. Brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews do not qualify.3Kansas Department of Revenue. Affidavit of Relationship A transfer to a sibling is taxable.
Both parties sign the form. You fill in the vehicle year, make, and VIN along with the names and relationship of the seller and buyer. Bring the completed TR-215, the signed-over title, and proof of insurance to the county treasurer’s motor vehicle office when you apply for the new title.
Form TR-12: The Catch-All Affidavit
Form TR-12 covers at least seven different situations on a single document. Check the box that matches yours and fill in only the fields that section asks for.4Kansas Department of Revenue. Kansas Department of Revenue Affidavit to a Fact and Bill of Sale The uses are:
- Gift to a non-relative, certifying the transfer is a genuine gift and not a disguised sale.
- One and the same person, for name discrepancies between the title and your license (Robert versus Bob, a missing middle initial, and so on).
- Disclaiming ownership when your name appears on a title assignment but you are not actually taking the vehicle.
- Correcting a title or MSO assignment by adding a name after the assignment was already completed.
- Vehicle non-use, documenting that a vehicle was not operated during a full registration year.
- Military family registration, letting a spouse, parent, or eldest sibling renew for a service member stationed away from Kansas.
- Antique model-year license plate certification.
The form asks for basic vehicle information (year, make, ID number) plus the details each category requires. You sign at the bottom under penalty of perjury. The back of the form doubles as a bill of sale for a private-party purchase.
Small Estates Affidavit for an Inherited Vehicle
When someone dies and the probate estate is worth $75,000 or less, Kansas law lets heirs transfer personal property, including vehicles, without opening a formal probate case. K.S.A. 59-1507b authorizes this, and the Kansas Judicial Council publishes the standard small estates affidavit used statewide.5Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes. Kansas Code 59-1507b – Transfer of Certain Personal Property to Successor; Discharge and Release; Affidavit
The person claiming the vehicle signs the affidavit as a successor, either under the will or under Kansas intestacy rules if there is no will. The affidavit must list every known successor by full legal name and address. Leaving out anyone with a legitimate claim will stall the transfer, because the Division of Vehicles wants assurance no other heir is being cut out.
Bring the affidavit, the decedent’s title if you have it, and a certified copy of the death certificate to the county treasurer’s motor vehicle office. The county processes the title into the heir’s name without the time and cost of probating the estate for a single vehicle.
Form TR-65: Out-of-State VIN Verification
Form TR-65 is an alternative to the in-person Motor Vehicle Examination (MVE-1) that the Kansas Highway Patrol normally performs before an out-of-state title can be converted to a Kansas title under K.S.A. 8-116a.6Kansas Department of Revenue. Kansas Resident/Business Out of State VIN Verification You can use it if you are a Kansas resident whose vehicle is physically out of state and you fall into one of these categories:
- Active-duty military stationed in another state.
- Full-time student attending a college or university in another state.
- Owner of a vehicle requiring Kansas apportioned registration that is out of state.
- Owner whose vehicle is temporarily out of state for a reasonable cause.
A law enforcement officer in the state where the vehicle sits must physically examine the VIN, compare it to the ownership document, and complete Part II of the form. Submit the completed TR-65 with the out-of-state title and your title application to the county treasurer. The Titles and Registration Bureau in Topeka will not issue the Kansas title until the VIN verification is in hand.
Do Kansas Vehicle Affidavits Need a Notary?
Mostly no. Kansas eliminated notarization for most vehicle documents in 2003, so title assignments, title applications, bills of sale, and the common affidavits like TR-12 and TR-215 are signed under penalty of perjury rather than before a notary.7Kansas Department of Revenue. Frequently Asked Questions – Titling a Vehicle The main exceptions are lien releases, lienholder consents, and the lienholder’s portion of the Request and Consent for Kansas Title to be Issued with Lien (Form TR-42). The Division can also require notarization in unusual circumstances.
Signing under penalty of perjury means you certify the information is true and accept the legal consequences if it is not. You do not need to book a notary appointment before visiting the county office for the standard affidavits.
Where to Submit, What It Costs, and the Deadline
Take the completed affidavit and supporting documents to the county treasurer’s motor vehicle office in the county where the vehicle is garaged. Bring the affidavit, the existing title (signed over to the new owner if applicable), proof of insurance, and anything else the specific form calls for. You have 60 days from the purchase date or the date the title was assigned to you to apply, or late penalties kick in.
The title fee is $10.8Kansas County Treasurers Association. Titling, Fees and Refunds Most county offices take cash, personal checks, and credit cards, though card payments sometimes carry a convenience fee. On a tax-exempt family transfer, the TR-215 is what removes the sales tax; without it, the county calculates tax on the purchase price or fair market value.
If a county directs you to mail documents for a complex case, the address is Titles and Registrations, P.O. Box 2505, Topeka, KS 66601-2505.9Kansas Department of Revenue. Contact Titles and Registration
How Long Processing Takes
A new title with no lienholder typically arrives in 10 to 40 days, depending on how much time passed between the purchase date and your application.7Kansas Department of Revenue. Frequently Asked Questions – Titling a Vehicle Applications that need additional research or documentation take longer. If something is missing, the Division will mail a letter telling you what is needed, and you have 60 days to respond before registration renewal is blocked.
Keep copies of everything you submit, including the signed affidavit, the old title, insurance proof, and receipts, until the new title arrives. If a problem comes up during processing, your own copies make it far easier to sort out without starting over.