How to Transfer a Deceased Owner’s Car Title in Texas

To transfer a deceased owner’s car title in Texas, you take an Application for Texas Title (Form 130-U) to the county tax assessor-collector along with a certified death certificate and one of four proofs of authority: Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration from probate, a court-certified Small Estate Affidavit, or a notarized Affidavit of Heirship for a Motor Vehicle (Form VTR-262). A fifth route applies only if the deceased filed a beneficiary designation before death. Since September 1, 2025, a vehicle passing from an estate to an heir owes no motor vehicle sales tax.¹

Pick the Path That Fits the Estate

Your first job is figuring out which transfer method Texas expects you to use. It depends on whether there is a will, whether probate has been opened, and how large the estate is.

If probate is happening and there is a will, the court issues Letters Testamentary to the executor. That document is your authority to transfer the title.
If probate is happening and there is no will, the court issues Letters of Administration to the appointed administrator. Same function.
If there is no will and the estate’s total value (excluding the homestead and exempt property) is $75,000 or less, you can skip formal probate with a Small Estate Affidavit.²
If there is no will, no probate has been opened, and the heirs are straightforward, use the Affidavit of Heirship for a Motor Vehicle (Form VTR-262).
If the deceased filed Form VTR-121 before death naming a beneficiary, that beneficiary transfers the vehicle directly and none of the above applies.

A beneficiary designation, if it exists, overrides a will. If the deceased later wrote a will leaving the car to someone else, the person named on the VTR-121 still takes the vehicle. The beneficiary must survive the owner by at least 120 hours and must file the title application within 180 days of death, or the vehicle drops back into the regular heirship or probate process.³

Documents Every Transfer Needs

Regardless of which path fits your situation, gather these before visiting the county tax office:

A certified copy of the death certificate. Order several; other institutions will ask for one too.
The original Texas Certificate of Title if you can find it. You do not need the physical title to complete the transfer, but having it speeds things up.⁴
A valid photo ID for the person applying for the new title.
Proof of Texas liability insurance in the applicant’s name: $30,000 per person for bodily injury, $60,000 per accident for bodily injury, and $25,000 for property damage.⁴
A lien release if the vehicle has an outstanding lien. The county can see liens in the state database even without the paper title, so this step cannot be skipped.⁴

The deceased’s auto policy typically ends at death or shortly after, so contact that insurance company to confirm when coverage lapses and get your own policy in place before you register the vehicle. Texas will not register a vehicle without proof of insurance in the applicant’s name.

If the Title Is Missing

A lost title does not block the transfer. If a certified copy is necessary, an executor or heir applies as an authorized agent using Form VTR-34, submitted to a TxDMV Regional Service Center rather than the county tax office. The fee is $5.45 in person or $2.00 by mail, and court documents proving your authority must accompany the application.⁵ For an Affidavit of Heirship transfer, the county tax office can often pull the motor vehicle record from the state database and process the transfer without a certified copy. Ask before you make the trip to a Regional Service Center.

If the Vehicle Was Titled Out of State

If the deceased’s vehicle was last titled in another state, you’ll also need title and registration verification from that state alongside the standard Texas paperwork.⁶ Contact that state’s motor vehicle agency; requirements and processing times vary.

Path-Specific Paperwork

Probate Transfers

Bring the original or a certified copy of the Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration. The executor or administrator signs Form 130-U as the seller on behalf of the estate and notes the legal role next to the signature, such as “Jane Smith, Executor.”⁷

Small Estate Affidavit

The Small Estate Affidavit still requires court approval. Once the court certifies it, that certified affidavit is your proof of authority at the county tax office. This route works only when the deceased died without a will and the non-exempt estate stays at or under $75,000.²

Affidavit of Heirship for a Motor Vehicle

Form VTR-262 identifies the vehicle, lists all heirs and their relationships to the deceased, and must be notarized. It has space for up to three heirs; more than three means additional copies of the form. Every heir listed must sign, and every signature must be notarized. If a court has already determined that no administration of the estate is necessary, include the original or a certified copy of that court document along with the relevant portions of the will showing the heir designations.⁶

Beneficiary Designation Transfer

The person named on Form VTR-121 needs only a death certificate, the title showing the beneficiary designation (or a motor vehicle record printout from the county), and a completed Form 130-U, all filed within 180 days of the owner’s death.³

Filling Out Form 130-U

Every transfer uses the Application for Texas Title and/or Registration. A few points specific to an inherited vehicle:

Seller: the deceased owner’s name. The person signing on behalf of the estate writes their legal role next to the signature, such as “John Doe, Administrator.”⁷
Buyer/applicant: the heir or beneficiary receiving the vehicle.
Transfer reason: inheritance.
Sale price: $0 for a direct inheritance.
VIN and odometer: record both accurately. Use blue or black ink. Correct errors with a single line through the mistake, the correction written nearby, and the applicant’s initials.

For an Affidavit of Heirship transfer, all heirs listed on Form VTR-262 must agree to the transfer. The buyer’s signature must always be an original.

Fees and the Inheritance Tax Exemption

The out-of-pocket cost of an inherited vehicle transfer is small:

Title fee: $28 or $33, depending on whether your county is in an emissions-compliance area. Most urban counties charge $33.⁸
Registration transfer fee: $2.50 if the vehicle already has current registration. If it’s unregistered, you’ll pay the full registration fee instead.⁸
Notary fees for the Affidavit of Heirship route, a few dollars per signature.

Since September 1, 2025, a vehicle transferred from a deceased person’s estate to an heir owes no motor vehicle sales tax, whether the transfer runs through probate, a Small Estate Affidavit, an Affidavit of Heirship, or a rights of survivorship agreement.¹

One trap to know about: the exemption only holds if the vehicle is titled in the heir’s name. If the heir instead has it titled directly in a third party’s name, motor vehicle tax applies on that transfer.¹ To keep the exemption, title the vehicle in the heir’s name first. If the heir then gifts it to an eligible family member, the $10 gift tax applies instead of the 6.25% sales tax, filed with the Affidavit of Motor Vehicle Gift Transfer (Form 14-317).⁸

The 30-Day Deadline

Texas expects the title application within 30 calendar days of the date the vehicle was transferred to you. The clock starts from the date of transfer, not the date of death. In probate, that’s usually when the court grants authority. For an Affidavit of Heirship transfer, it starts when the heirs sign. Late penalties escalate quickly:

Day 31: $25 penalty.
Each additional 30-day period: another $25.
Maximum: $250.

These penalties apply whether or not the vehicle is currently registered. If sales tax were due on the transfer (for example, a subsequent sale to a third party), a separate 5% late penalty accrues after 30 days and rises to 10% after 60 days.⁹

Selling the Vehicle Instead of Keeping It

If the heirs plan to sell rather than keep the vehicle, the executor or administrator signs the sale documents on behalf of the estate and attaches evidence of legal authority (Letters Testamentary, Letters of Administration, or the probate proceedings) to Form 130-U. The buyer completes the purchaser section with an original signature and photo ID.⁷ If an heir has the vehicle titled directly in the buyer’s name, the buyer owes 6.25% motor vehicle tax on the greater of the purchase price or the vehicle’s Standard Presumptive Value.¹ The estate’s exemption does not pass through to the buyer.

Where to Submit and What Happens Next

Take everything to your county tax assessor-collector’s office in person. Mail is allowed by certified mail, but going in person lets the clerk catch a missing signature or notarization on the spot instead of shipping the packet back for corrections. Pay all fees at submission.

Allow at least 20 business days for the new title. If a lien exists on the vehicle, the title goes to the lienholder rather than to you. If it hasn’t arrived within 30 business days, contact TxDMV.¹⁰ Keep copies of everything you submit, and update the registration and plates once the new title arrives if the registration has lapsed or you’re moving the vehicle to a different county.

1
Texas.gov. Inherited Motor Vehicles (Motor Vehicle Tax Guide)
2
State of Texas. Texas Estates Code EST 205.001
3
TxDMV.gov. Beneficiary Designation for a Motor Vehicle (Form VTR-121)
4
Travis County Tax Office. Vehicle Title Transfer, Inherited Vehicles
5
TxDMV.gov. Application for a Certified Copy of Title (Form VTR-34)
6
Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. Affidavit of Heirship for a Motor Vehicle (VTR-262)
7
TxDMV.gov. Application for Texas Title and/or Registration (Form 130-U)
8
Tarrant County. Title Fees and Taxes
9
Travis County Tax Office. Vehicle Title Transfer Fees and Penalties
10
Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. Buying or Selling a Vehicle – Title Application Processing Time