How to fill out Pennsylvania MV-POA

The form a Pennsylvania seller keeps being pointed at and is not allowed to have. It exists so a dealer or an approved insurance company can disclose the odometer reading on a seller's behalf when a lienholder is holding the title or the seller has lost it - and it is a controlled document, distributed only through two trade associations to registered dealers. A private seller who needs somebody else to sign for them needs a different kind of power of attorney entirely.

Written against MV-POA (not published online), issued under 75 Pa.C.S. 1119 and 49 U.S.C. 32705. If a dealer offers to handle a title you cannot lay hands on, ask which power of attorney they are using and whether they are also applying for the duplicate. The route PennDOT describes has the owner completing Section A of the secure form and the duplicate-title application together, with the owner paying the title fee.

There is no download link for the MV-POA here because there is not one anywhere - PennDOT does not publish it. The card below explains where it does come from.

Step 1 · how to get one The MV-POA is not downloadable Why, and how to order it · pa.gov · new tab

Not shown filled in

Why there is no completed MV-POA here

There is no completed MV-POA on this page because there is no MV-POA to complete. It is a controlled two-part snap-out form on secure stock, and PennDOT does not publish it: the Pennsylvania Automotive Association and the Pennsylvania Independent Automobile Dealers Association are the sole distributors, selling it only to registered dealers and approved insurance companies in poly-wrapped packs of 100. Nothing that can be printed from a website is one.

At a glance

What goes where

On the form	What to put in it
Section A	Completed by the vehicle seller, where the seller's proof of ownership is being held by a lienholder and a lien payoff is required, or where the seller has lost the proof of ownership document. It appoints a named person at the dealership or insurance company as attorney-in-fact to execute the assignment.
Section B	The purchaser's mirror of Section A, used only where the acquiring dealer sells the vehicle on before the seller's title has been released by the lien payoff. Dealerships only - approved insurance companies do not use it.
Section C	The dealership's own certification, completed by an authorised employee, that the information was received and reviewed and there are no indications of mileage discrepancies. Required only where Sections A and B have both been used.
The physical form	Two parts, snap-out, 8 1/2 by 11 inches: a light green original that always goes to PennDOT and an orange secure carbon that stays with the proof of ownership. An inventory control number sits in the upper right corner for departmental use.

What gets this one rejected

•A private individual trying to obtain one. The associations distribute them only to Pennsylvania registered motor vehicle dealers and PennDOT-approved insurance companies.
•Handing a limited power of attorney to a dealer to sign the assignment for you. Federal odometer regulations prohibit an individual from giving that type of limited power of attorney to a dealer to complete Section A on the back of an 11-89 or newer certificate.
•A dealer using an electronic version. An electronic secure power of attorney may not be used by a motor vehicle dealership at this time - it is an insurance-company route.
•Using it as proof of ownership for a safety inspection. The fact sheet rules that out by name.
•Skipping the notary. The form still requires notarisation when used by a motor vehicle dealership; only an insurance company transferring a salvage vehicle is relieved of it.

Rules that decide whether it is accepted

•What a private seller uses instead. A general power of attorney, which PennDOT describes as often used when the seller is out of the state or ill. It must be notarised and carry the signatures of two witnesses, and a photocopy of it is acceptable.
•Or a limited one, for 90 days. A third-party power of attorney can appoint someone to complete motor vehicle forms and to sign Section A on the back of an 11-89 or newer certificate where the title is actually available. Limited powers of attorney are valid for no more than 90 days, and must be notarised or verified by a dealer-licensed issuing agent.
•Where the 90 days comes from. Section 1119(a)(1): no person may apply for a certificate of title on another's behalf unless the authorisation is verified by oath or affirmation made not more than 90 days before the application reaches the department.
•If you cannot physically sign. All powers of attorney must be signed by the purchaser or seller in their own handwriting, but where a physical reason prevents it they may make their mark in front of two witnesses, who sign their own names in the notary's presence.
•What the dealer does with it. The light green original, the properly assigned proof of ownership and the fees must reach PennDOT within 20 days of the date of purchase.

Every line here was read off MV-POA (not published online) itself — the PDF is here — and off the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation 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 Pennsylvania seller paperwork, or what selling a car in Pennsylvania involves.

How to fill out Pennsylvania MV-POA

Why there is no completed MV-POA here

What goes where

What gets this one rejected

Rules that decide whether it is accepted

Want the paperwork handled instead?

Or send the details — we'll come to you