How to fill out Arkansas 108

The filing that makes the inheritance affidavit unnecessary - Arkansas's transfer-on-death arrangement for a vehicle. The form defines its own term: Beneficiary means one (1) individual who is designated to become the owner of a vehicle or watercraft upon the death of the current owner(s) as reflected on the vehicle certificate of title. The limits are printed with the definition: no more than three owners on a title taking a beneficiary, no business or other legally-created entity as beneficiary, no beneficiary while the vehicle is subject to a lien, and during the owner's lifetime the beneficiary's signature or consent is not required for any transaction - the owner can still sell, and the designation is revoked if the vehicle is sold.

Written against 108 (Jul - 11), issued under Ark. Code Ann. Title 27, Chapter 14. For a seller, this form matters in two directions: filed years ago by a parent, it is what lets the named child take the title without the inheritance affidavit and sell as an ordinary owner - and filed on your own vehicle, it quietly disappears the day you sell, so do not count a beneficiary designation as estate planning for a car you intend to trade away.

Two documents, and they are not the same thing. Take the blank 108 from the dfa.arkansas.gov copy so you get the revision that is current today, then print our 108 guide and keep it beside you while you fill theirs in.

Every line, in the order you meet it

1. 1
   You fill this in

   What the filing does, and to which certificate

   One box among add, change, remove - noting the add boxes carry the condition vehicle is not subject to a lien - and one box choosing vehicle title or watercraft registration.

   Watch out: A live lien blocks adding outright. Pay the loan off and release the lien first, or the request has nowhere to land.

2. 2
   You fill this in

   The beneficiary, precisely

   Full legal name, social security number, and address of the one individual designated.

   Watch out: One person, no entities. The SSN is how the state distinguishes your Odessa from every other - it is worth confirming rather than recalling.

3. 3
   You fill this in

   The vehicle

   VIN or hull number, year, make, model and body type.

   Watch out: Copy from the certificate the designation will be printed on. This filing produces a new title, so the description must match the record being reissued.

4. 4
   You fill this in

   Every owner's block

   Printed name, driver's license number and signature for each owner, up to the three the rules allow.

   Watch out: And-joined owners all sign; or-joined, either may - the form prints the rule above the signature blocks so nobody argues it at the counter.

5. 5
   You fill this in

   Date it and understand what you filed

   The date of request, and a designation that now rides the title - revocable by this same form, and revoked automatically by a sale.

   Watch out: Tell the beneficiary where the title is kept. The whole value of the designation is that, on the day it matters, the named person can walk in with the death certificate and the title and become the owner without an affidavit in sight.

What gets this one rejected

• •A business named as beneficiary. The definition excludes a business, firm, partnership, corporation, association, or any other legally-created entity - one human being only.
• •Two beneficiaries. One (1) individual is the printed count; a family wanting a split needs the estate routes instead.
• •A vehicle with a lien on it. A beneficiary cannot be added if a vehicle or watercraft is subject to a lien - and if a beneficiary title is surrendered to file a lien, the new title issues without the beneficiary.
• •Missing owner signatures. And-joined owners all sign, and the form prints three owner blocks precisely so nobody's signature is squeezed out.
• •Expecting it to survive a sale. The certificate with beneficiary will be revoked if the vehicle is sold - the designation follows the ownership it was made under, not the car.

Rules that decide whether it is accepted

• •The beneficiary has no say while you live. During the lifetime of the owner(s), the signature or consent of a beneficiary listed on a certificate is not required for any transaction relating to the vehicle - selling the car simply revokes the designation.
• •It is why some Arkansas titles sell with a stranger's name on them. A buyer puzzled by a beneficiary line on the certificate being assigned is looking at a designation the sale itself revokes; the seller's assignment needs no signature from that person.

Every line here was read off 108 (Jul - 11) itself — the PDF is here — and off the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, Office of Motor Vehicle pages. This is plain-language help with a form, not legal advice, and where our wording and the agency's differ, theirs governs.

Back to all Arkansas seller paperwork, or what selling a car in Arkansas involves.