How to Fill Out and Submit Oregon DMV Form 516: Inheritance Affidavit

Oregon DMV Form 735-516, the inheritance affidavit, lets the heirs of someone who died without a will move a vehicle title into a new owner’s name without opening probate. Every heir signs the form in front of a notary, and the completed affidavit goes to the DMV with proof of death, an application for title and registration, the existing title if you have it, and the title fee. Once the DMV has everything, a new title typically arrives in two to three weeks.

Who Can Use Form 735-516

The affidavit is a narrow tool. Two conditions have to be true: the estate is not going through probate, and no one has filed a small estate affidavit under ORS 114.547.¹ If a court has appointed a personal representative, or if someone has already used the small estate process, that person handles the vehicle instead and Form 735-516 is off the table.

Oregon’s administrative rule adds another limit: the form is meant for owners who died intestate, meaning without a valid will.² If there is a will but nobody is probating the estate, contact the DMV or an attorney about which transfer path applies to your situation. When the owner died intestate, Oregon statute sets the order of heirs — spouse first, then children, then parents, siblings, and more distant relatives.³ Every one of those heirs has to sign.

What to Gather Before You Start

Pull everything together before you begin filling out paperwork. A missing item can send the whole package back.

The original Oregon certificate of title, if you can find it. If you can’t, the DMV won’t charge a separate replacement fee for this kind of operation-of-law transfer.⁴
Proof of death for each deceased owner. The DMV accepts an original or certified death certificate, a plain photocopy, or documents from a municipal or state court.⁵
Vehicle details: plate number, year, make, and full VIN. Take them from the title, the registration, or the VIN plate on the vehicle.⁶
An application for title and registration (Form 226), which goes in the same envelope as the affidavit.⁵
The title fee, which varies by fuel efficiency (amounts below).
A lien release, if the DMV’s records show a security interest holder. You either need proof the loan was paid off or the lien holder’s written consent.⁴

Filling Out the Form

You can download Form 735-516 from the Oregon DMV website or pick it up at any field office. It’s a single page.

Deceased Owner and Vehicle Section

Enter the deceased owner’s full legal name and date of death. Then fill in the plate number, year, make, and VIN.⁶ Check the VIN character by character. One wrong digit will attach the affidavit to the wrong vehicle record and force a restart.

Who Receives the Vehicle

The form asks for the name and full address of the person taking ownership. The heirs need to agree on who that is. If they’d rather sell the vehicle than keep it in the family, they can name a third-party buyer in this section instead.⁴

Signatures and Notarization

Every known heir signs, not only the person getting the vehicle.¹ Heirs in different places can sign separate copies of the form, and the notary doesn’t have to be an Oregon notary.⁶ Each signature must be notarized. Oregon caps notary fees at $10 for an in-person notarization and $25 for a remote online notarization.⁷

If an heir is under 18, a parent or legal guardian signs for them. Write the relationship into the signature line, for example: “John Doe, age 10, by Jane Doe, parent.” A guardian who isn’t a parent should attach a copy of the guardianship papers.⁴

The affidavit is sworn. A false statement on it is perjury under Oregon law.⁸

Odometer Disclosure

If you weren’t already an owner on the previous title, and the vehicle is subject to federal odometer rules, disclose the current mileage. Record it on the existing title if you have it; if not, the DMV will show you where.⁴ Not every vehicle needs a disclosure. Federal rules exempt vehicles rated above 16,000 pounds, non-self-propelled vehicles such as trailers, and older vehicles based on model year.⁹

If the Title Is Missing or There’s a Lien

Can’t find the title, and the DMV shows no lien? Submit the inheritance affidavit, the application for title and registration, and the fee. No separate replacement title charge applies to this kind of transfer.⁴

If the DMV record shows a lien and you don’t have the title, you’ll need to get either a lien release from the lender or the title itself from the security interest holder before the transfer can move forward.⁴ A car loan doesn’t end with the borrower’s death, so contact the lender early. Many will let heirs keep making payments on a loan in good standing rather than call the balance due or repossess.

Where to Submit and What It Costs

You can take the package to any local DMV field office, or mail it. Every mailed transaction goes to headquarters. The address is:

Oregon DMV
1905 Lana Avenue NE
Salem, OR 97314¹⁰

Headquarters in Salem is mail-only; it doesn’t take walk-ins.¹¹ If you want a clerk to review your paperwork in person, go to a field office.

The title fee depends on the vehicle’s fuel efficiency. For passenger vehicles and trucks rated at 26,000 pounds or less:¹²

0–19 MPG: $101
20–39 MPG: $106
40+ MPG: $116
All-electric: $192

Make checks or money orders payable to “Oregon DMV.” Field offices also take debit and credit cards for in-person visits.¹²

How Long It Takes and What Comes Next

The DMV’s current posted wait for a title is two to three weeks, and busy periods run longer.⁵ Once the department confirms the estate status and that every heir signed, it prints a new title and mails it to the address on the application.

Registration and insurance are separate. If the vehicle’s registration is current, you may be able to transfer it; if it lapsed, you’ll pay registration fees on top. Call the deceased owner’s auto insurer early. Most policies allow a transitional period of 30 to 60 days after the policyholder’s death, but coverage can lapse if the insurer isn’t informed, and putting your own policy in place before the old one ends keeps you from driving uninsured.

1
Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Code 803.094 – Release or Assignment of Title Interest
2
Oregon Secretary of State. Oregon Administrative Rule 735-020-0075 – Release or Assignment of Interest
3
Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Revised Statutes Chapter 112 – Intestate Succession and Wills
4
Oregon Department of Transportation. DMV Title and Registration Handbook – Chapter G: Operation of Law/Trusts
5
Oregon Driver & Motor Vehicle Services. Titling and Registering Your Vehicle
6
Oregon Department of Transportation. Oregon DMV Form 735-516 Inheritance Affidavit
7
Cornell Law Institute. Oregon Administrative Code 160-100-0400 – Maximum Amount of Notary Fees
8
Oregon State Legislature. Oregon Code 162 – Offenses Against the State and Public Justice
9
eCFR. 49 CFR 580.17 – Odometer Disclosure Exemptions
10
Oregon Driver & Motor Vehicle Services. DMV Offices
11
Oregon Department of Transportation. DMV Offices – Headquarters
12
Oregon Driver & Motor Vehicle Services. Vehicle Title, Registration and Permit Fees