Evidence that the vehicle moved between immediate family members - spouse, parent, child, step-child, sibling, grandparent or grandchild - whether it was gifted, sold or inherited. It is the document that unlocks the reduced Title Ad Valorem Tax rate, and without it a transfer between relatives is taxed like any other sale.
Written against MV-16 (Rev 01/2026), issued under the State Revenue Commissioner, who determines the penalty printed on this affidavit.
This is the newest form in the Georgia seller set - the Department revised it in January 2026 - so a copy saved a year ago is very likely out of date. Take the current one from dor.georgia.gov.
Two documents, and they are not the same thing. Take the blank MV-16 from the dor.georgia.gov copy so you get the revision that is current today.
This is the actual MV-16, rendered from the PDF the Georgia Department of Revenue, Motor Vehicle Division 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 MV-16 at revision 01/2026, completed for a car passing between two siblings. Note that the two notary blocks are separate: the transferor and the transferee are each sworn, and one acknowledgement covering both is not what the form asks for.
Field by field
Every line, in the order you meet it
1
You fill this in
Section A, the vehicle
The VIN, year, make and model of the car being given between family.
Watch out: That is the whole of section A. There is no price line and no odometer line - the assignment on the back of the certificate is still where the mileage is declared.
2
You fill this in
Section B, your name and relationship
Your printed name and the relationship, on one line, then your signature.
Watch out: Write the relationship from your side - brother, mother, grandson. The transferee writes it from theirs in section C, and the two have to describe the same pair of people.
3
You fill this in
Section B, the notary block
Sworn to and subscribed on a day, month and year, then the notary's full legal name, physical address, telephone number, e-mail address, signature, seal and commission expiration date.
Watch out: Sign in front of the notary, not before. A signature already on the page when it reaches the notary is the reason this kind of affidavit gets sent back.
4
The buyer fills this in
Section C, the transferee
The same printed name, relationship, signature and a second, separate notary acknowledgement.
Watch out: Both parties can be sworn by the same notary on the same day, but each block has to be completed in full. A blank section C makes the affidavit one-sided evidence of a two-sided relationship.
5
The buyer fills this in
Section D, the tax election
Tick the box that applies: remain in the annual ad valorem tax system, or pay Title Ad Valorem Tax with the reduced rate where the previous owner already paid it.
Watch out: Only the recipient can make this choice, and it is not reversible at the counter. If the car has been in the family since before the title tax existed, staying in the annual system is sometimes the cheaper answer - the tag office can price both.
At a glance
What goes where
On the form
What to put in it
A - vehicle information
The VIN, year, make and model of the car being given between family. Nothing about price, because price is not what the tax is calculated from.
B - transferor
Your printed name and your relationship to the transferee on one line, your signature beside it, and then a full notary block - sworn to and subscribed on a day, month and year, with the notary's full legal name, physical address, telephone number, e-mail address, signature, seal and commission expiration date.
C - transferee
The identical block again for the person receiving the vehicle, including a second and separate notary acknowledgement.
D - Georgia ad valorem tax
Two tick boxes. The first says the vehicle is currently under the annual ad valorem tax system and the family member chooses to remain in it. The second says they will pay Title Ad Valorem Tax, with a note that a reduced rate may apply if the previous owner paid it.
The penalty line
Printed under the purpose paragraph rather than beside the signatures: anyone who falsifies any information in this affidavit is subject to a penalty not to exceed $2,500.00 as a state penalty and not to exceed $2,500.00 as a local penalty, as determined by the State Revenue Commissioner.
What gets this one rejected
•One notary block completed and the other left empty. Sections B and C each carry their own acknowledgement and both have to be witnessed.
•A relationship that is not on the list. The form names spouse, parent, children, step-children, sibling, grandparent and grandchild, and nothing else qualifies.
•Neither box ticked in section D. The choice between staying under annual ad valorem tax and paying the title tax is the whole point of filing it.
•Using it to prove a sale price. There is no price field, because the family rate is a rate on value rather than a discount on what changed hands.
•Treating it as optional on a family transfer. Without it the tag office has no evidence of the relationship and prices the transfer at the ordinary rate.
Rules that decide whether it is accepted
•Which reduced rate applies depends on the vehicle's history. The Department's guidance is that where the vehicle already carries a Georgia title on which the title tax was paid, the family member pays a reduced rate; where it is still in the annual ad valorem system, they may stay in that system or move across and pay the one-off tax in full.
•Inheritance has its own form. This affidavit covers a vehicle that was gifted, purchased or inherited between family members, but where the previous owner has died and there is no probate, the Form T-20 affidavit of inheritance is the document that establishes the right to the vehicle in the first place.
