Half a page, sworn in front of a notary, for the case where two names are on the certificate and one of them has died. It says three things: that you are the surviving spouse or domestic partner, how the two names appear on the title, and that the relationship lasted from the moment those names went on until the death. With it, the surviving owner signs the certificate themselves.
Written against BA-62 (R7/21), issued under the Commission's procedure for transfer of title upon death of an owner.
All the documents for a death transfer go to an MVC Vehicle Center rather than to an ordinary agency, and the Commission asks you to schedule an appointment before you visit.
Two documents, and they are not the same thing. Take the blank BA-62 from the nj.gov copy so you get the revision that is current today.
This is the actual BA-62, rendered from the PDF the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission 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 BA-62 - eleven lines and a notary seal. The lower block is grey because it is not yours to complete: the notary fills in the day, the month, the year and their own line, and they do it while watching you sign.
Field by field
Every line, in the order you meet it
1
You fill this in
The decedent's name
In the first gap, after the words surviving spouse or domestic partner of.
Watch out: Use the name as it is printed on the certificate, not a familiar version of it. The whole affidavit is about matching a title.
2
You fill this in
Your own name
The second gap, completing the sentence about the decedent's name and mine.
Watch out: If your name has changed since the title was issued, bring the document that shows the change - the affidavit itself has no room to explain it.
3
You fill this in
Certificate of title number
The number off the certificate you are holding.
Watch out: Copy it character by character. There is one of these documents and no second chance to check the number against it later.
4
You fill this in
How the names appear on the title
The as-follows line. Write the two names exactly as the certificate prints them, in the order and with the joining word it uses.
Watch out: This is the line the clerk reads against the document in front of them. A paraphrase is the most common reason one of these comes back.
5
You fill this in
The date of death
The date the relationship ended, closing the certification that it ran from the time both names went on the title until then.
Watch out: Take it off the death certificate you are bringing with you, so the two documents agree.
6
You fill this in
Sign it in front of the notary
One signature line marked X, and nothing above it should be signed before you are standing in front of the person who will swear it.
Watch out: A notary who has not watched you sign cannot swear the affidavit, and a pre-signed one gets rejected at the window.
7
The lienholder fills this in
The notary's block
The day, the month, the year and the notary public of New Jersey's own line, beneath the words sworn and subscribed before me this.
Watch out: Nothing in this block is yours to write. Leave every line of it empty until they pick up their pen.
At a glance
What goes where
On the form
What to put in it
I certify that I am the surviving spouse or domestic partner of
The decedent's name, and the certification is qualified - as recognized by the State of New Jersey or a competent jurisdiction.
The decedent's name and my name
Your own name on the second line.
appear on certificate of title number
The title number itself.
as follows
How the two names are printed on the certificate. This is the line that does the work: it records the exact form of words on the title.
until the death of the decedent on
The date of death, closing the certification that the relationship was a marriage or domestic partnership for the whole period the two names were on the title.
Signature
One line, marked with an X.
Sworn and subscribed before me this
Day, month and year, then the notary public of New Jersey's own line.
What gets this one rejected
•Signing it at the kitchen table. The bottom third of the page is a notary block and the affidavit is sworn and subscribed before that notary.
•Using it where the deceased was the only owner. It is written for a certificate carrying both names; a sole owner's vehicle goes down the estate route instead - a short certificate, an affidavit of surviving spouse with the Surrogate's raised seal, or an affidavit of next of kin, depending on the size of the estate and whether there was a will.
•Going without the death certificate. The Commission asks for a copy of it alongside the properly signed title and this affidavit.
•Guessing the certificate of title number. It is a specific box and it is how the Commission finds the record.
•Paraphrasing how the names appear. The as-follows line wants the wording that is actually printed on the certificate.
Rules that decide whether it is accepted
•Two qualifications hide in one sentence. The certification is that you are the surviving spouse or domestic partner as recognized by the State of New Jersey or a competent jurisdiction - which is the Commission acknowledging that a partnership formed elsewhere still counts, and asking you to swear to it.
•A lien still has to be dealt with. Liens noted on the decedent's title are to be paid before a new title is issued, unless the lien on the title is being transferred to the sole owner. That is a conversation with the lending institution, not with the Commission.
•The registration keeps running for a while. A vehicle registered in the name of a decedent may be operated until the current registration expires - which buys time, but not indefinitely.
Every line here was read off BA-62 (R7/21) itself —
the PDF is here — and off the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission pages.
This is plain-language help with a form, not legal advice, and where our wording and the agency's differ,
theirs governs.
