How to fill out New Jersey LOA-1

The form for sending somebody to the counter with your paperwork when you have already signed it. It is deliberately narrow, and the capitals across the top of the page say so: this form does not grant power of attorney and does not give the named individual the authority to sign documents for the owner of the vehicle. Everything must be filled out and signed by the owner before it is handed over.

Written against LOA-1 (no revision printed), issued under the Commission's rules on who may present documents for a change of ownership. The Commission prints no revision date anywhere on this form - its footer is the four characters LOA1 - so take it from the link above each time rather than reusing a copy from a drawer.

Two documents, and they are not the same thing. Take the blank LOA-1 from the nj.gov copy so you get the revision that is current today.

Step 1 · the form itself Blank LOA-1 — General Letter of Authorization for Vehicle Transactions PDF at nj.gov · new tab

Filled in

What a completed one looks like

This is the actual LOA-1, 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 New Jersey LOA-1 filled in: owner Rosalind K. Vandermeer authorising Gideon T. Marsala, with his driver licence number, to process transactions on a 2016 Subaru Forester with VIN JF2SJADC7GH998371, the Vehicle selector marked, Duplicate ticked on the title row, and both original signatures at the foot. — The actual LOA-1. Three of the four vehicle rows are grey because one letter covering one car only needs the first, and the clerk's verification boxes at the bottom are grey because they are ticked at the counter, not by you.

Field by field

Every line, in the order you meet it

1
You fill this in
Read the capitals first
Four lines that define the whole document: your helper can process the transactions, must show ID, must hand in a copy of yours, and cannot sign anything for you.
Watch out: If the thing that has to happen at the counter is a signature, stop here. This is not the form - a notarised power of attorney is.
2
You fill this in
Your printed name
In the gap in the sentence: I, ________, hereby authorize the following individual to process the listed vehicle transactions.
Watch out: Printed, and matching the name on the title and on the ID you are photocopying. All three get compared.
3
You fill this in
Who you are sending
Their full name and their driver licence number.
Watch out: Ask to see their licence and copy the number off it. They will be showing that same licence at the counter.
4
You fill this in
The vehicle row
Mark the Vehicle selector, then year, make, model and VIN. There are four identical rows if there is more than one car.
Watch out: Vessel is the other option on the same row and it is there because the Commission titles boats on the same forms. On a car, mark Vehicle.
5
You fill this in
Which transactions you are authorising
Two rows of boxes, title and registration, each with Initial, Replacement, Duplicate, Correction and Transfer. Check all that apply, and use the Other line for anything that does not fit.
Watch out: Tick generously within reason. A helper turned away because you ticked Duplicate but not Correction has wasted the trip and the letter.
6
You fill this in
Your signature
Original signature only, in your own hand, before the letter leaves you.
Watch out: This is the signature the clerk compares against the copy of your ID. Sign it the way your licence is signed.
7
The buyer fills this in
The authorized individual's signature
They sign the second line, also original.
Watch out: Get it done while you are both in the room. A letter that arrives at the counter with one of the two lines empty is a letter that does not work.
8
You fill this in
What goes in the envelope with it
A copy of your driver licence or identification, and the completed, signed forms the transaction actually needs.
Watch out: The Universal Title Application says a copy of photo identification is acceptable where an original of everything else is not. That is the one place a photocopy is welcome.

At a glance

What goes where

On the form	What to put in it
The block of capitals at the head	Four statements that between them define what the page is worth: the named individual may process the listed transactions; forms and documents must be filled out and signed by the owner beforehand; the authorized individual must show identification and submit a copy of the owner's ID or driver licence; and the form grants no authority to sign.
The photocopy warning	In capitals of its own: photocopies of this form are not acceptable, and it must carry an original signature.
The company footnote	Company authorization is expected to be on official company letterhead with a notarised signature of the owner or authorised individual of the company, and all related documents should be signed by that same person.
I, ________, hereby authorize	The owner's printed name in the gap.
Authorized individual	Their name and their driver licence number.
Vehicle or vessel information	Four identical rows, each with a vehicle or vessel selector and boxes for year, make, model and VIN or HIN. Four vehicles can travel on one letter.
Transaction types	Two rows of tick boxes - title and registration - each offering Initial, Replacement, Duplicate, Correction and Transfer, plus a free Other line. Check all that apply.
Signatures	The owner's signature and the authorized individual's signature, both marked original signature only.
Motor Vehicle Commission use only	Three verification boxes the clerk ticks: the owner's name and ID, the authorized individual's name and ID, and the owner's transaction and vehicle information.

What gets this one rejected

•Sending a photocopy. The form says in capitals that photocopies are not acceptable and that an original signature is required.
•Expecting the holder to sign something. It grants no power to sign, and the Universal Title Application says the same from the other side - a representative may not sign any documentation, and where a signature is needed a notarised power of attorney is what is required.
•Sending them without a copy of your ID. The authorized individual has to show their own identification and submit a copy of the owner's driver licence or ID as well.
•Handing over blank forms for them to complete at the counter. Documents must be filled out and signed by the owner prior to processing.
•Ticking no transaction type. The letter authorises the transactions listed on it, and a page with nothing ticked authorises nothing.
•Using it for a company without letterhead. Company authorization is expected on official letterhead with a notarised signature.

Rules that decide whether it is accepted

•Know which of the two you need. A letter of authorization carries paperwork. A power of attorney signs. The Commission sets out both routes on its transfer page and the difference between them is the entire reason this form exists.
•A power of attorney has its own requirements. General, Durable or Limited, notarised, naming the attorney-in-fact's name and address, the principal's name, address and signature, and a specification of what powers are granted. A Limited one has to reference the year, make, VIN and the type of transaction being authorised.
•Four vehicles, one letter. The four identical rows are not padding. If you are clearing out a driveway, one signed letter covers all of them.

Every line here was read off LOA-1 (no revision printed) 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.

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

How to fill out New Jersey LOA-1

What a completed one looks like

Every line, in the order you meet it

Read the capitals first

Your printed name

Who you are sending

The vehicle row

Which transactions you are authorising

Your signature

The authorized individual's signature

What goes in the envelope with it

What goes where

What gets this one rejected

Rules that decide whether it is accepted

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