The short road through an estate, and it only opens under one condition. Where a Virginia-titled vehicle belonged to somebody who has died and there has not been - nor is there expected to be - a qualification on the estate, an adult heir signs this instead of producing letters from a court. The whole difficulty of the form is on its second page, which explains which relatives have to be named and which of them have to consent.
Written against VSA 24 (01/25/2013), issued under Va. Code 46.2-634.
The name on the PDF and the name in DMV's forms index are not the same. The department lists this as a Statement of Authority to Assign Title; the form itself is headed Certification of Authority to Transfer Virginia Title. It is the same document - searching for the index wording and finding a differently titled sheet in your hands is not a sign that you have the wrong one.
Two documents, and they are not the same thing. Take the blank VSA 24 from the dmv.virginia.gov copy so you get the revision that is current today.
This is all 2 pages of the actual VSA 24, rendered from the PDF the Virginia 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
Page 1 of 2. The vehicle, the decedent, the five things the heir certifies, the other interested relatives named, and their consent underneath.Page 2 of 2. The instructions that decide who has to be named at all - one rule for a will, two for an intestate estate, and one for no surviving spouse.
Field by field
Every line, in the order you meet it
1
You fill this in
Section 1, the vehicle
VIN, make, model and year, from the Virginia certificate.
Watch out: Read the note above the boxes first. An out-of-state title takes this nowhere, whoever has died.
2
You fill this in
Section 2, the decedent
Name, date of death and residence address at time of death.
Watch out: Address at time of death, not the family's current address. It is what ties the estate to a jurisdiction.
3
You fill this in
Section 3, the other interested persons
Everyone else with an interest in the vehicle, named in the six boxes.
Watch out: Read page two before filling these in. Who belongs on the list depends entirely on whether there was a will and whether there is a surviving spouse.
4
You fill this in
The heir's certification
Print, sign and date at the foot of section 3, having read the five numbered statements above it.
Watch out: Statement three is the one that matters - no qualification on the estate, and none expected. If that changes later, this document was wrong when it was signed.
5
You fill this in
Section 4, consent
A signature from each person named above who is of legal age.
Watch out: Get them before you go to the counter. A form that arrives with two names and one consent is not a certification of authority.
At a glance
What goes where
On the form
What to put in it
Section 1, vehicle information
Vehicle identification number, make, model and year, under a printed note: do not use this form if the vehicle is titled outside Virginia.
Section 2, vehicle owner (decedent) information
The deceased owner's name, the date of death, and their residence address at time of death.
Section 3, heir certification
Five numbered statements the heir signs to. That the owner is deceased; that the signer is an heir of the estate; that there has not been and is not expected to be a qualification on the estate; that either the decedent's debts have been paid or the proceeds of the sale will be applied against them, or the vehicle is included in a claim for family allowance, exempt property or homestead allowance with an attested copy of the claim attached; and then a list of the names of all other persons having an interest in the vehicle.
The six name boxes
Section 3 prints six boxes for those other interested persons, three down each side of the page.
Heir name, signature and date
The person completing the form prints, signs and dates at the foot of section 3.
Section 4, consent to transfer title signatures
Six signature boxes matching the six name boxes above, under a sentence in which everyone listed as having a legal interest and of legal age consents to the transfer by the named heir.
Page two, the instructions
Three scenarios spelled out. Where there is a will, every legatee with an interest in the vehicle must be named and, if of age, must sign. Where there is no will and a surviving spouse, only the spouse completes it unless there are children or descendants of somebody other than that spouse. Where there is no surviving spouse, everyone with an interest must be named and must consent.
What gets this one rejected
•Using it where an executor or administrator has been appointed. The purpose block rules it out twice - once at the top and once in a do-not-use list on the back.
•Using it on an out-of-state title. The note under section 1 says the vehicle must be transferred according to the laws of the state where it was titled.
•Naming yourself among the other interested persons. The note at the foot of page two says the person completing the form should not be included in that list and should only sign the certification in section 3.
•Claiming the family allowance branch without the paperwork. That option requires an attested copy of the claim filed with the court to be attached.
•Leaving a legal-age heir out of section 4. Everyone identified in section 3 who is of legal age has to consent in writing.
Rules that decide whether it is accepted
•Qualification is the pivot. The whole form rests on there having been no qualification on the estate and none expected. If somebody has been appointed by a court, that appointment - not this certification - is what transfers the car.
•A surviving spouse can often do it alone. Where the decedent left no will and there are no children or descendants from outside the marriage, page two says only the surviving spouse must complete and submit this form.
•Minors are named but do not sign. Section 3 lists everyone with an interest; section 4 collects consent only from those of legal age. The two lists are deliberately different lengths.
Every line here was read off VSA 24 (01/25/2013) itself — the PDF is here — and off the Virginia 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.
