A two-page route for one narrow, common situation: a car titled in two names, one of whom has died, and the survivor is the spouse. It takes the deceased co-owner off the title, and the form's second page carries the reason it exists - Florida charges no title fee at all for doing it.
Written against HSMV 82152 (Rev 07/25), issued under section 319.32(7)(a)-(b), Florida Statutes, cited on the form itself.
Do this before you list the car rather than during the sale. A buyer meeting a title with a dead person's name still on it will walk away, and the fix is a form and a death certificate rather than a lawyer.
Two documents, and they are not the same thing. Take the blank HSMV 82152 from the flhsmv.gov copy so you get the revision that is current today.
This is the actual HSMV 82152, rendered from the PDF the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles publishes and completed end to end: letterhead, every field, and the blocks at the foot.
Amber — you write it
Grey — not yours to fill
Numbered — explained below
The actual HSMV 82152, completed by a surviving spouse taking a deceased co-owner's name off a certificate. The block at the very bottom is grey because it is issued by the office rather than filled in by you, and the two certification boxes above the signature are ticked only when they are true - one for a vehicle that will not be driven until it is registered, the other where the certificate itself has been lost.
Field by field
Every line, in the order you meet it
1
You fill this in
Your name as the driver licence prints it
First, full middle or maiden, and last, with your date of birth and Florida licence or identification card number beside it.
Watch out: The surviving spouse is the applicant here, and the name on this line is the name the new certificate will carry. If it changed after the marriage certificate was issued, bring the document that shows the change.
2
You fill this in
Mailing address, email, and the physical address in Florida
Two separate address blocks, and the second is mandatory unless you are a member of the military.
Watch out: The form says so in the label rather than in a footnote, which is how easily it is missed. A post office box in the first block and nothing in the second is an incomplete application.
3
You fill this in
Florida title number and the vehicle
Title number, VIN, make, year, body and colour, along one row.
Watch out: Take the title number from the certificate if you have it. If you cannot find the certificate, there is a box further down to certify it is lost or destroyed - which saves you filing a duplicate application as well.
4
You fill this in
What you want the department to do with the title
Expedited title, title to be mailed, or title to be held electronic. One box.
Watch out: The statute waives the title fee for this transfer, but it does not waive the expedited fee - the form spells out that an expedited title is available for a $10 fee. Held electronic costs nothing and is the sensible choice if the next thing you do is sell the car.
5
You fill this in
Your signature and typed name
Signature on the left, name typed or printed on the right, under the perjury declaration, with the date beneath.
Watch out: What has to go in the envelope with it is not on the front of the form: an original or certified copy of the death certificate is mandatory, and a copy of the marriage certificate is required unless the surviving spouse is named on the death certificate.
6
Dealers only
The block at the foot
Title number, audit control number and fast title issued by - filled in when the title is printed over the counter.
Watch out: There is one more thing the form warns about and it is a bill rather than a box: the registration fee was not included in the no-fee title transfer, and it will vary with the order of the names on the title and with your birthdate.
At a glance
What goes where
On the form
What to put in it
Section 1, the owner
The surviving spouse's name as it appears on their driver licence, first, full middle or maiden and last; date of birth; Florida licence or identification card number; mailing address; e-mail; and a Florida physical street address, which the form marks mandatory unless the applicant is a member of the military.
Section 1, where the title goes
An optional one-time mail-to address or a different mail-to customer name and address.
Section 2, the vehicle
Florida title number, vehicle identification number, make or manufacturer, year, body and colour.
Section 2, what you are asking for
Three boxes - expedited title, title to be mailed, or title to be held electronic.
Section 2, two certifications
That the vehicle will not be operated on the streets and highways of Florida until properly registered, and, where it applies, that the certificate of title is lost or destroyed.
The signature
Under penalties of perjury, with the owner's typed name and the date. There is no notary block.
What has to come with it
An original or certified copy of the death certificate is mandatory. A copy of the marriage certificate is required as well, unless the surviving spouse's name is shown on the death certificate.
The fee that is not waived
The registration fee. The form says the no-fee transfer does not include it, and that registration fees will be due at the time of the title transfer, varying with the order of the names on the title and the survivor's birthdate.
What gets this one rejected
•A photocopied death certificate. It must be an original or a certified copy.
•No marriage certificate where the death certificate does not name the spouse.
•Using it where the deceased was the sole owner. This form removes a deceased co-owner from a title registered in two names - a sole owner's vehicle goes down a different route.
•Expecting the registration to be free as well. Only the title fee is waived.
•Driving it in the meantime without registering. The certification on the face of the form is the alternative, and it is a statement made under penalties of perjury.
Rules that decide whether it is accepted
•What the statute actually says. Quoted on the form: the department and tax collector may not charge any fee or service charge, except for the expedited title fee, for a certificate of title issued solely to remove a deceased co-owner from a title registered in the names of two persons where the other co-owner is the surviving spouse.
•Same day, for $10. An expedited title is available for a $10 fee, and the surviving spouse must provide proof of identity - a valid driver licence or identification card from any state, or a valid passport.
•Or take no paper at all. Title to be held electronic is one of the three boxes. If the plan is to sell the car soon afterwards, there is a good argument for leaving it electronic and reassigning it at the counter.
