Wisconsin title answers · Inherited and family
How do you add someone to a car title in Wisconsin?
Short answer
You sign your title over to yourself plus the new person, then apply for a new title on form MV1 and pay the $214.50 title fee. WisDOT treats adding a co-owner as a transfer of ownership, so the correction form (MV1020) will not do it. The step people rush is the AND or OR choice on MV1, which decides who must sign when the car is sold later. If a lender holds your title, call the lender before anything else.
Why there is no simple add-a-name form
Most people go looking for a one-page form that just adds a name. Wisconsin does not have one. The Title/Registration Correction Request (MV1020) says in its own instructions that adding or deleting a co-owner counts as a transfer of ownership under Wis. Stat. 342.01(2)(c), and it sends you to MV1 for a mailed transfer or to eMV Public for an online one.
So think of it as selling the car from you to you-and-them. Same paperwork as a sale, with you on both sides of the title.
How to do it, start to finish
On the back of your current title, sign and date in the selling owner area. In the buyer area, print both names: yours and the person you are adding. If the car is model year 2011 or newer, fill in the odometer reading too; federal law requires it on the title.
Then fill out MV1. Section A lists the owner and co-owner exactly as they should print on the new title, with the AND or OR box checked between them. Every owner listed in Section A signs the bottom of the application. Mail the original title, MV1 and a check payable to Registration Fee Trust to WI Dept. of Transportation, P.O. Box 7949, Madison WI 53707-7949.
AND or OR: decide it on purpose
MV1 defines it plainly. AND means every owner has to sign to transfer the car. OR means any one owner can sign alone.
This matters later, not today. With OR, either of you can sell the car without the other. With AND, you both sign, and if one owner dies, WisDOT's family guide says the survivor and the legal representative of the person who died both sign as seller. If you are adding a spouse or an adult child so the car passes smoothly, OR is usually what people mean to pick.
Where these applications get sent back
Most returns come from a handful of small things, all fixable before you mail:
- Sending MV1020 instead of MV1. WisDOT routes co-owner changes to the transfer process.
- Writing only the new person's name in the buyer area. That takes you off the title. Both names go there.
- Crossing out a mistake in the buyer area. Do not scribble over it; WisDOT's Statement of Intent (MV2489) exists for a wrong name printed there.
- A missing signature. Each owner in Section A of MV1 signs, not just you.
- A co-owner under 18 with no Section H. A parent, guardian or legal custodian completes the consent, and that section has a notary block.
- A photocopy of the title. MV1 asks for the original certificate.
Tax, plates and a loan
MV1 says to pay the $214.50 title fee whenever you change the owners on the title. Sales tax is usually not part of this. If no money or property changes hands, WisDOT's eMV Public FAQ says the purchase price is zero, and it lists gifts and family transfers (spouse, parent, child, in-laws, stepparent, stepchild) as exemption reasons. The Department of Revenue reviews every exemption claimed.
To keep your plates on the car, write the plate number in Section B. MV1 lets you move plates to a vehicle that belongs to you, your spouse or your domestic partner at no charge, plus the renewal fee if they expire within 30 days.
If there is a loan, you do not hold the paper title. Since July 30, 2012, Wisconsin sends titles with a recorded lien to the lender and gives the owner a Confirmation of Ownership. You cannot sign over a title you do not have, so the lender has to be part of this.
Step by step
- Confirm you hold the original title. If a lender has it, call the lender first.
- Sign as seller, then print both names in the buyer area. Add mileage if the car is 2011 or newer.
- Fill out MV1 with both names, check AND or OR, and have each owner sign.
- Mail the title, MV1 and the $214.50 title fee to P.O. Box 7949, or apply through eMV Public if it accepts your transfer.
Common questions
Does the person I add need to be there or sign anything?
Yes. MV1 says every owner shown in Section A signs the application, so get their signature before you mail it.
Can I add my child to my title so they get the car when I die?
Many families do exactly that with OR between the names, so the survivor can sign alone. Wisconsin titles have no beneficiary box, which is why joint ownership is the usual title-level option.
Can I do this online?
MV1020 points online co-owner transfers to wisconsindmv.gov/emvpublic. You still mail the original signed title afterward.
Is it cheaper to add someone than to transfer the car?
No. MV1 charges the same $214.50 title fee for any change of owners. Sales tax is the part that usually drops to zero when no money changes hands.
Want us to do the paperwork?
You tell us your situation. We fill out the WisDOT forms for it and give you a checklist of what to include. You review, sign and mail the package yourself.
If the state asks for a bond, you buy it from a licensed surety of your choosing. We take no commission.
- ✓ $299, one flat fee, bonded titles included
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State fees are paid to WisDOT. Any bond premium is paid to the surety you choose.
Prefer to fill out the forms yourself? The $97 do-it-yourself kit walks you through every form field, the real costs, and the 12 reasons packets get rejected.
Related answers
What does AND versus OR mean on a Wisconsin title?
AND means every owner on a Wisconsin title must sign to sell. OR means any one owner can. The word also decides what happens after a death.
Read this guide →How do you remove a name from a car title in Wisconsin?
A living co-owner comes off by signing the title over and filing MV1 ($214.50). A deceased owner comes off with MV2300; a spouse pays no title fee.
Read this guide →Can you name a transfer-on-death beneficiary on a Wisconsin vehicle title?
No. Wisconsin car titles have no transfer-on-death beneficiary box. What families use instead: OR titles, form MV2300, a trust or a will.
Read this guide →How do you gift a car to a family member in Wisconsin?
Sign the title over with a $0 price, your relative files MV1 and pays the $214.50 title fee. A no-money gift can be exempt from sales tax.
Read this guide →Can a minor own a car in Wisconsin?
Yes. A minor can own a car in Wisconsin, but a parent or legal custodian must sign the notarized Consent to Purchase (Section H) on form MV1.
Read this guide →What do you do if you make a mistake on a Wisconsin title?
A wrong name or mileage in the buyer, lien or odometer area: form MV2489 with the original title. Used White-Out: a $20 replacement title instead.
Read this guide →Sources, checked 2026-10-31: WisDOT form MV1020, Title/Registration Correction Request (PDF) · WisDOT form MV1, Title and License Plate Application (PDF) · WisDOT form MV2489, Statement of Intent (PDF) · WisDOT: eMV Public FAQs, purchase price and tax exemptions · WisDOT: Guide for family members of the recently deceased (BDS367) · WisDOT: Selling your vehicle (odometer statement) · Wis. Stat. 342.14 (title fees and waivers). Rules can change; confirm with WisDOT before you file.
TitleFiled is a document-preparation and title-recovery assistance service operated by Nuvent66 LLC, a Wisconsin limited liability company. It is not a law firm, does not provide legal advice, and is not affiliated with, authorized by, or endorsed by any DMV or government agency, including the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT). We do not guarantee that any agency will approve or issue a title. Information on this page is provided for general reference, was verified against official WisDOT sources on the date shown, and is not legal advice.