How to fill out Nevada VP 241, the Transfer on Death — Beneficiary's Affidavit for Title

For a named beneficiary claiming a vehicle after the owner has died, when the certificate of title cannot be found. The Transfer on Death designation did its job; the paper it was printed on has gone missing. This is the affidavit that stands in for it.

Written against VP 241 (Rev 07/2022), issued under NRS 482.247 and NAC 490.435. July 2022 revision. It only works if the Transfer on Death designation is already on the title record the DMV holds. If nobody named you as beneficiary before the owner died, this is not your form — the estate route is.

Two documents, and they are not the same thing. Take the blank VP 241 from the dmv.nv.gov copy so you get the revision that is current today, then print our VP 241 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

   Vehicle Identification Number

   One character per box.

   Watch out: From the registration or the DMV's record, since the title is the document you do not have. This is what the department matches against the Transfer on Death designation on file.

2. 2
   You fill this in

   Year, make, model and body type

   The vehicle description.

   Watch out: Copy it from the registration rather than from memory. The record you are claiming against was built from the title, not from what the car looks like.

3. 3
   You fill this in

   Current odometer reading

   The mileage now, no tenths.

   Watch out: Read it off the car on the day you fill this in. Do not use the last figure you saw on a service invoice.

4. 4
   You fill this in

   Owner as listed on the title

   The deceased owner, first, middle and last, exactly as the latest certificate of title has them.

   Watch out: As the title spells it, not as the family says it. If the title carries a middle initial, so does this line.

5. 5
   You fill this in

   Second owner

   A second line, if the title named two owners.

   Watch out: Leave it empty for a single-owner title. And note what a second owner means: you cannot claim the vehicle until every owner on that title has died, with a certified death certificate for each.

6. 6
   You fill this in

   The owner's addresses

   Physical and mailing address for the owner named above.

   Watch out: Their address as the DMV has it, which is often not where the car ended up living.

7. 7
   You fill this in

   Your name and addresses as beneficiary

   Printed full legal name, then physical and mailing address.

   Watch out: The new title comes to the mailing address you give here, so this is the block to get right.

8. 8
   You fill this in

   County, date, signature and notary

   The certification block at the foot.

   Watch out: Notarized, or witnessed by an authorized Nevada DMV representative — which means you can do it at the counter when you hand in the death certificates and the fee.

What gets this one rejected

• •Filing it when you are not the recorded beneficiary. The form requires the Transfer on Death designation to be on the title record on file with the department — being named in a will is a different thing entirely.
• •One death certificate for a two-owner title. A certified copy is required for each owner listed on the title, and if any owner is still alive the vehicle is not yours yet.
• •Sending it without the $20 title fee, which the form states has to accompany the application.
• •Leaving the odometer reading blank. It is on the form and the DMV wants the reading at the time of the claim, no tenths.
• •Using it because the title is in a drawer somewhere. This form is specifically for a title that cannot be located; if you have it, hand it in instead.

Rules that decide whether it is accepted

• •You are also holding the DMV harmless: the affidavit says you release and discharge the department from liability arising out of any contest of the validity of the beneficiary designation.
• •It is sworn under penalty of perjury, and the signature has to be original.
• •If the title turns up, the ordinary route with the paper title is simpler and cheaper than this one.

What it costs

Every line here was read off VP 241 (Rev 07/2022) 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.

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