Moves a vehicle out of a dead person's name without probate. It is a sworn statement that the deceased left no will, that no application for administration of the estate is to be had, that the estate is not indebted, and that the surviving spouse and the heirs have amicably agreed among themselves that the certificate should be issued to one named person.
Written against T-20 (Rev 06-2005), issued under the Motor Vehicle Division, on a sworn statement that no estate administration is to be had.
This is a short form making four large assertions, and every one of them is sworn. If any of the four is not true - a will being probated, a debt outstanding, an heir who has not agreed - the route is probate, not this affidavit.
Two documents, and they are not the same thing. Take the blank T-20 from the dor.georgia.gov copy so you get the revision that is current today.
This is the actual T-20, 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 T-20 at revision 06-2005. The Department's oldest still-current seller form, and the shortest - four sworn assertions, one vehicle, one heir. The signature rules and the notary signature line carry no fillable fields in its PDF and are completed in ink.
Field by field
Every line, in the order you meet it
1
You fill this in
The county
The Georgia county the affidavit is being sworn in.
Watch out: The county of the notary, which need not be the county the deceased lived in or the county the application is filed in.
2
You fill this in
The deceased
The full legal name of the person who owned the vehicle at the time of their death.
Watch out: As the certificate of title spells it. A married name on the certificate and a maiden name on the death certificate is a one-and-the-same problem to be solved before this is filed.
3
You fill this in
Applicant or inheritor
The full legal name, street address and city, state and zip of the person the certificate is to be issued to.
Watch out: One name. The affidavit's basis is that the heirs have agreed on a division under which the title goes to this person, so a second name here contradicts the sentence above it.
4
You fill this in
Vehicle identification number
The VIN, beside the year model and make.
Watch out: Take it from the certificate if you have it. If the certificate has gone missing along with everything else, the plate and title number blocks below still let the Department find the record.
5
You fill this in
Current title number and state of issue
The number printed on the deceased's certificate and the state that issued it, with the licence plate number beside them.
Watch out: A title issued in another state is fine here, but it has to be the original valid title issued in the deceased's name or properly assigned to them.
6
You fill this in
Applicant's printed name and signature
Printed in one block, signed in the other.
Watch out: The applicant signs, not the executor and not the next of kin generally - this affidavit exists precisely because there is no executor.
7
You fill this in
The notarization
Sworn to and subscribed with day, month and year, then the notary's signature, seal and commission expiry.
Watch out: Everything above has to be complete before the notary sees it. The form voids on correction and there is no second attempt on the same sheet.
At a glance
What goes where
On the form
What to put in it
The county
State of Georgia, and the county the affidavit is sworn in, at the head of the form.
The deceased
The full legal name of the person who, at the time of their death, was the owner of the vehicle described below.
Applicant information
The applicant's or inheritor's full legal name, street address, and city, state and zip - the person the certificate of title is to be issued to.
Vehicle information
The vehicle's year model and make, the vehicle identification number, the vehicle's current title number, the state of issue and the licence plate number.
Applicant's printed name and signature
Two blocks side by side.
Notarization
Sworn to and subscribed with day, month and year, the notary public's signature and seal or stamp, and the date the notary commission expires.
The four things the affidavit asserts
That the deceased left no will; that no application for the administration of the estate is to be had; that the estate is not indebted; and that the surviving spouse, if any, and the heirs, if any, have amicably agreed on a division of the estate under which the certificate is issued to the person named.
What gets this one rejected
•An estate with debts. The affidavit states that the estate is not indebted, and it is sworn.
•An estate going through administration. It also states that no application for the administration of the estate is to be had.
•Filing it without a death certificate. A certified copy of the deceased's death certificate has to accompany the completed form.
•Filing it without the title. The vehicle's original valid title, issued in the deceased's name or properly assigned to the deceased, has to accompany it - and where the vehicle is currently titled in Georgia in the deceased's name, the title should be submitted if it is available.
•A will that has not been mentioned. If the deceased left a will that is not to be probated, a legible copy of the will must accompany the completed form.
•An outstanding lien. All liens and security interests shown on the Motor Vehicle Division's records have to be released.
•Any correction or alteration. The note at the foot says either voids the form, and all applicable fields have to be completed without alterations.
Rules that decide whether it is accepted
•Heirs agreeing is the whole basis of it. The affidavit does not divide an estate; it records that the heirs have already agreed among themselves. Where they have not, this form is the wrong instrument and the estate needs administering.
•The tax side has its own reduction. The Department treats an inheritance as one of the transfers that can qualify for the reduced Title Ad Valorem Tax rate, and names this affidavit as the document that supports it.
•Blue or black ink, except the signature. Except for the signature, the form must be typed, completed electronically and printed, or printed legibly by hand in blue or black ink.
