How to fill out Nevada VP 185, the One and the Same Affidavit
Swears that two versions of a name belong to one person. Used when the name on the title does not match the name on your licence — a maiden name, a dropped middle initial, a nickname the dealer typed, a suffix that came and went.
Written against VP 185 (2/2023), issued under NRS 482.545, "Certain unlawful acts" — the statute the affidavit is sworn under.
February 2023 revision. Short, and it defeats a problem that otherwise stops a sale on the spot: the buyer's DMV clerk comparing your title to your ID and finding two different people.
Two documents, and they are not the same thing. Take the blank VP 185 from the dmv.nv.gov copy so you get the revision that is current today, then print our VP 185 guide and keep it beside you while you fill theirs in.
This is the actual VP 185, rendered from the PDF the Nevada Department of 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
VP-185 completed by an owner whose title still carries her married name while her licence carries her current one. Line 3 is where the two names are put side by side.
Field by field
Every line, in the order you meet it
1
You fill this in
Your full legal name
The opening line: "I, ___ hereby swear under penalty of NRS 482.545".
Watch out: Your name as it is now, matching the identification you will show. The other version goes further down.
2
You fill this in
I reside at
Physical address, then city, state and ZIP on the line beneath.
Watch out: Where you live. The DMV compares it against its record for you.
3
You fill this in
My mailing address is
Where post reaches you, then city, state and ZIP.
Watch out: "Same as physical" is a complete answer when they match.
4
You fill this in
I, ___ am the same person as
Your name again, on the numbered line 3.
Watch out: This repeats deliberately. The sentence only works if both halves are filled — your current name here, the other name on the line below.
5
You fill this in
The other name
The name this one has to be matched to.
Watch out: Copy it letter for letter off the document that carries it, and say where it appears — "the name printed on the face of the title" removes any doubt about which mismatch you are clearing.
6
You fill this in
Licence number, date of birth or FEIN
Nevada driver's licence or ID card number.
Watch out: A business swearing this uses its FEIN, and the authorized representative signs.
7
You fill this in
County, date, signature and notary stamp
The bottom block.
Watch out: An authorized Nevada DMV representative can witness it at the counter, which saves finding a notary if you are going in anyway.
At a glance
What goes where
On the form
What to put in it
Affiant
Your full legal name, as it is now.
Addresses
Physical address, then mailing address.
The two names
The name you go by, and the other name it has to be matched to.
Identity
Nevada licence or ID number, date of birth, or FEIN for a business.
Notarization
Witnessed by a notary public, or by a Nevada DMV representative if you are going in anyway.
What gets this one rejected
•Using it to change a name. It does not change anything — it states that two existing names are one person. An actual name change is a different process with different evidence.
•Naming two genuinely different people. Both names have to be yours; joint owners are not "one and the same".
•Leaving the second name vague. Write the other name exactly as it appears on the document that carries it.
•Signing before the notary. Same rule as every affidavit in this family.
Rules that decide whether it is accepted
•It is sworn under NRS 482.545, the unlawful acts section — which is the DMV's way of saying a false statement here is not a clerical matter.
•It solves a mismatch. It does not solve an owner who is not you: if the title names someone else entirely, you need a signed assignment from them, not this.
•Bring the documents that show both names if you have them. The affidavit is your sworn word; supporting paper makes the counter visit shorter.
Every line here was read off VP 185 (2/2023) itself —
the PDF is here — and off the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles pages.
This is plain-language help with a form, not legal advice, and where our wording and the agency's differ,
theirs governs.
