Free Indiana Vehicle Transfer on Death

Free Indiana vehicle transfer on death form. Name a beneficiary to inherit your vehicle without probate. No notarization required. PDF download.

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Owner Information

Enter your information as the registered owner. If the vehicle is jointly owned, you can add the second owner below.

How is the vehicle titled?*

Choose "Jointly owned" if two people are on the title. Joint owners means persons who hold property as joint tenants with a right of survivorship (IC 32-17-14-3(5)); tenants by the entirety are excluded from the term. On the death of one joint owner the property belongs to the surviving joint owner(s), and survivorship continues among survivors (IC 32-17-14-15(b)).

I am the sole ownerJointly owned with one other person

First Name*

Middle Name

Last Name*

Driver License / ID Number

Most state titling forms ask for the owner’s driver license or ID number.

Street Address*

City*

State*

ZIP Code*

State Where the Vehicle Is Titled*

Email Address*

Phone Number*

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In Indiana the beneficiary is added with the standard title application, the beneficiary written on the title application. The title then shows it this way: The certificate of title is worded in substance as "A.B. transfers on death to C.D." or "A.B. and C.D. transfer on death to E.F." and signed by the owner(s) (IC 9-17-3-9(c)); the abbreviation "TOD" is also permitted under IC 32-17-14-14(b).

No. Notarization is not required; the owner signs the form. A TOD designation printed on an Indiana certificate of title is not valid unless the vehicle owner(s) signed the TOD statement (the TOD signature line on the face of the title) before death. No notary is required.

The designation is filed with the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV). The current title is surrendered and reissued in beneficiary form. The standard certificate-of-title fee applies to issue the title in beneficiary form; the BMV states no separate TOD designation fee.

Yes. Indiana lets joint owners name a beneficiary together. Joint owners means persons who hold property as joint tenants with a right of survivorship (IC 32-17-14-3(5)); tenants by the entirety are excluded from the term. Owners holding as tenants in common cannot.

Indiana puts the vehicle in the probate estate when no beneficiary survives the owner. If no designated beneficiary survives the owner, the vehicle belongs to the owner's estate (IC 32-17-14-15(f)) unless the designation names a lineal-descendant-per-stirpes (LDPS) substitute under IC 32-17-14-22. A beneficiary must survive the owner to take (IC 32-17-14-20). A successor beneficiary can be named on the designation. The designation covers the vehicle alone; a revocable trust set up with SimplyTrust carries the rest of the estate.

Indiana Vehicle Transfer on Death

Indiana allows a transfer-on-death beneficiary designation on a vehicle title. It names someone to receive the vehicle directly at the owner's death, without probate. The owner keeps full ownership and control during life and can sell the vehicle, or change or cancel the designation, at any time.

In Indiana, the designation is made through the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) using the standard title application. No notary is involved. A new certificate of title is issued showing the beneficiary.

The completed designation goes to the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) by mail to Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles, Central Office Title Processing, 100 North Senate Avenue, Room N411, Indianapolis, IN 46204 or in person. Adding a vehicle TOD beneficiary is a new-title transaction: apply in person at a BMV license branch (locator above) or mail the title application/packet to the BMV Central Office Title Processing unit in Indianapolis. There is no myBMV online path to add a TOD beneficiary to an existing title.

Indiana extends the designation beyond cars to these title classes: motor vehicle and watercraft.

A vehicle TOD designation covers only the vehicle on the title, not a home, accounts or other property. A revocable living trust covers every asset it holds in one document and avoids probate for all of it; the trust vs. will comparison sets the two side by side.

SimplyTrust Editorial·Updated August 25, 2026

Legal Sources

IC 9-17-3-9 (Transfer on death conveyance; requirements — vehicle-specific); IC 32-17-14 (Transfer on Death Property Act), applied to vehicles by IC 32-17-14-2(e) "Subject to IC 9-17-3-9(g)"

Data sourced from Indiana statutes and official state code. How we research.

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Indiana Vehicle Transfer on Death

Indiana extends the designation beyond cars to these title classes: motor vehicle and watercraft.

Free Indiana Vehicle Transfer on Death

Owner Information

Is this your situation?

Retirement

New Home

Moving to a New State

Forms for Planning Your Estate in Indiana

Healthcare Power of Attorney

Financial Power of Attorney

Transfer on Death Deed

Living Will

Last Will and Testament

Tools for Planning Your Estate in Indiana

Do I Need a TOD Deed?

Do I Need a Vehicle TOD?

What Does Estate Planning Actually Cost?

How Much Life Insurance Do I Need?

Are My Beneficiary Designations Protected?

How Do I Sign Estate Documents?

Will My Estate Documents Transfer?

How Much Does Probate Cost?

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Indiana Estate Planning Resources

Free Indiana Vehicle Transfer on Death

Owner Information