Form BA-62 is the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission’s one-page notarized affidavit that transfers a jointly titled vehicle to a surviving spouse or domestic partner without probate.1New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. Transferring Vehicle Ownership – Section: Transfer of Title Upon Death of Owner You fill it out, get it notarized, and bring it to an MVC Vehicle Center with the current title and a death certificate. The state charges $60 and reissues the title in your name alone.2New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. Registration and Title Fees
Who Can Use Form BA-62
Two conditions have to be true. First, both names — yours and the decedent’s — must already appear on the certificate of title. Second, your relationship must have been a marriage, civil union, or domestic partnership from the time both names went on the title through the date of death. The affidavit itself asks you to certify both of these facts.3New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. BA-62 Affidavit of Surviving Spouse
If the title carried only the decedent’s name, the BA-62 does not apply, no matter how long you were married. Children, siblings, and other relatives can’t use it either, even when they’re listed as a co-owner on the title. Those situations go through the County Surrogate instead, and there’s a short note on that path further down.
What Goes on the Form
The BA-62 is shorter than most people expect. It doesn’t ask for the vehicle’s make, year, VIN, or plate number, because those details live on the title you’ll hand in with it. The affidavit asks for:
- The decedent’s full legal name, exactly as it appears on the title
- Your full legal name, again matching the title
- The certificate of title number, printed on the front of the New Jersey title
- How both names appear on the title (for example, “John Doe and Jane Doe” or “John Doe or Jane Doe”)
- The date of death, matching the death certificate
Once the fields are filled in, sign the affidavit in front of a notary public. The notary completes the jurat at the bottom with the date, county, and seal. New Jersey caps notary fees at $2.50 per act, so this step is nearly free.4New Jersey Department of the Treasury. New Jersey Notary Public Program Frequently Asked Questions Banks, shipping stores, and many municipal offices have a notary on hand; a quick call ahead confirms availability.
What to Bring to the MVC
Show up at the Vehicle Center with three things alongside the completed affidavit:1New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. Transferring Vehicle Ownership – Section: Transfer of Title Upon Death of Owner
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The MVC page doesn’t list a marriage certificate as required, but bringing a certified copy is sensible insurance if a clerk asks for proof of the relationship.
Where to Go and What You’ll Pay
Title transfers can’t be done by mail or online in New Jersey. You have to appear in person at an MVC Vehicle Center, and it’s worth confirming the location handles titles — some smaller Licensing Centers only process driver’s licenses and registrations.5New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. Transferring Vehicle Ownership Book an appointment through the MVC’s online portal before you go.
The title fee is $60 with no lien on the vehicle, or $85 if the current title shows a lienholder.2New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. Registration and Title Fees Transferring the existing registration into your name adds $4.50.6Justia. New Jersey Code 39-3-30 – Registration of Motor Vehicles Inherited vehicles are exempt from New Jersey’s 6.625% sales tax, so nothing is owed on the vehicle’s value.7New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. Vehicles Exempt From Sales Tax
Once the clerk processes the paperwork and payment, the ownership database is updated on the spot and the new title is mailed to your home. Delivery can take several weeks. Hold on to the receipt from the Vehicle Center — it’s your temporary proof of ownership until the new title arrives. After that, you can sell, trade in, insure, or keep driving the vehicle on your own authority.
If Only the Deceased’s Name Was on the Title
The BA-62 won’t help here, and this comes up often because many couples put only one name on the car title. The transfer path depends on whether there’s a will and the size of the estate.
When a surviving spouse or domestic partner is left with an estate of $50,000 or less and no will, New Jersey allows the assets to be claimed by affidavit through the County Surrogate where the decedent lived, without a full probate administration.8Justia. New Jersey Revised Statutes Title 3B – Section 3B:10-3 You’d take the Surrogate’s paperwork to the MVC with the title and death certificate. If the estate is larger, or if there’s a will, the executor or court-appointed administrator handles the vehicle transfer with letters testamentary or letters of administration.
For any vehicle still titled in one name, New Jersey also allows a Transfer on Death designation under N.J.S.A. 39:3-30.1b, which names a beneficiary directly on the title and lets the car pass outside the estate.9Justia. New Jersey Code 39-3-30.1b – Transfer of Motor Vehicle on Death It’s worth setting up on the remaining vehicles in the household.
Keeping the Car Insured and Registered in the Meantime
A vehicle registered to a deceased person can legally stay on the road until the current registration expires.1New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. Transferring Vehicle Ownership – Section: Transfer of Title Upon Death of Owner Insurance is the harder question. An auto policy is a contract with the named policyholder, and once that person dies the insurer may treat coverage as questionable, particularly if a claim comes in. Call the insurance company early to ask about continuing the policy or issuing a new one in your name. Some carriers will add you as the named insured once you show the transfer is in progress.
The practical answer is to move quickly. The BA-62 takes about ten minutes, the notary costs $2.50, and Vehicle Center appointments often open within a week or two. Every day the title sits in limbo is a day where an accident could leave the insurance question unresolved.