Do I Need a Vehicle Transfer on Death Designation in Connecticut?

Connecticut allows a designation of motor vehicle beneficiary on motor vehicle. Owner must be a single natural person (not a firm or corporation) with no specified co-owner.Conn. Gen. Stat. 14-16(b)Verified Aug 25, 2026View source

Add the designation through the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) using Beneficiary Designation for a Motor Vehicle. Notarization is not required.Conn. Gen. Stat. 14-16(b)Verified Aug 25, 2026View source

You file the completed designation with the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) in person.Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) filing processVerified Aug 25, 2026View source The designation is not filed with the DMV during the owner's life. Conn. Gen. Stat. 14-16(b) places it "in a space provided on the certificate of registration," and the DMV supplies that space on a beneficiary certificate the owner completes, signs before a witness, and attaches to the registration certificate kept with the vehicle. The DMV transaction happens after death, when the beneficiary applies within sixty days for a new certificate of title and registration; the DMV conducts deceased-owner vehicle transfers by appointment at a hub or branch office.

Yes. The designation can be changed or cancelled at any time during your lifetime. In Connecticut: Complete a new DMV beneficiary designation certificate naming a different beneficiary and attach it to the certificate of registration (the designation lives on the registration certificate, not in a DMV file)., Transfer ownership of the vehicle during the owner's lifetime, which expires the registration and the designation under Conn. Gen. Stat. 14-16(a)-(b)..Conn. Gen. Stat. 14-16(b)Verified Aug 25, 2026View source

The beneficiary retitles the vehicle with the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) by submitting: The certificate of registration, properly completed and naming the individual as beneficiary, A certificate of death of the owner, Proof of the beneficiary's identity as the commissioner may require, The current certificate of title for the vehicle, A properly completed application for registration and title, with the transfer fee and applicable registration, title and number-plate fees, Application must be made to the commissioner not later than sixty (60) days after the owner's death. A vehicle designation covers only that vehicle — to keep a home, accounts, and everything else out of probate in one document, SimplyTrust sets up a revocable trust online.