Transferring a car title after someone dies in Wisconsin

Start with the title itself

Find the title and look at how the owners are listed. That one detail decides most of what comes next.

If you are the surviving spouse or domestic partner

Wisconsin gives a surviving spouse or domestic partner the simplest route. You can title the vehicle in your name, or sign the title as seller and sell it, using form MV2300 (Statement of Transfer of Vehicles to or by a Surviving Family Member, Domestic Partner, or Heir).

• Send MV2300, form MV1 (the title and license plate application) and the title to WisDOT.
• There is no title fee.
• On MV2300 you state that you are personally liable for the debts of the person who died, up to the value of the vehicle.
• The route covers up to five vehicles less than 20 years old. Under Wis. Stat. § 342.17(4)(b), there is no limit for vehicles 20 or more years old, and the five-vehicle limit does not apply when you use the small-estate procedure and the estate's property in Wisconsin, vehicles included, is $50,000 or less. Otherwise, vehicles beyond five go through the estate's administrator or executor, or a court order.

If you are another family member or an heir

An heir who is not the surviving spouse can use the same MV2300 form when the person who died left solely-owned property worth $50,000 or less. By signing, you state that the estate is under that limit, as Wis. Stat. § 867.03 requires. MV2300 also says it is your responsibility to determine whether you qualify to use it.

Since July 1, 2024, the title fee is waived for more relatives, not only spouses. Under Wis. Stat. § 342.14 and MV2300, WisDOT waives it when everyone on the new title is a Wisconsin resident and is the decedent's:

• Spouse or domestic partner
• Parent, or a parent's spouse
• Child, or a child's spouse
• Sibling, or a sibling's spouse
• Grandparent, or their spouse
• Grandchild, or their spouse
• Stepparent, or their spouse
• Stepchild, or their spouse

Any other heir pays the $214.50 title fee, and if even one person on the new title is outside that list, the fee applies.

When the estate needs court papers

If you are an heir other than the surviving spouse or domestic partner, and the solely-owned property of the person who died is worth more than $50,000, WisDOT does not accept MV2300 in place of court papers. (A spouse or domestic partner is not held to the $50,000 test and can use MV2300 for up to five vehicles less than 20 years old.) Instead, the transfer uses a copy of the personal representative papers, sometimes called domiciliary letters, issued by the court. The personal representative signs the title as seller and writes “personal representative” after their name. Qualifying family members still send MV2300 if they want the title fee waived.

We do not give probate or legal advice, and this page is not a substitute for it. Talk to the estate's attorney before you file if a probate case is open, if family members disagree about who gets the vehicle, if you are not sure the estate is under $50,000, if there was a will or trust that mentions the vehicle, or if there are more vehicles than the simple route covers.

If the title is missing too

A lost title does not change the route, it adds one form. Include form MV2119 (Replacement Title Application), signed by the person authorized to apply for the person who died. The $20 replacement fee is waived for the qualifying family members listed above; other heirs pay it. If a lender holds the title because of a loan, contact the lender for the title and lien release.

These routes assume the vehicle has a current Wisconsin title in the decedent's name. If it was titled in another state, WisDOT says a copy of the death certificate may be required. If it was never titled to the person who died, see our guide to cars with no title.

What to send and what it costs

Forms

MV2300 and MV1, plus the current title. Add MV2119 if the title is lost, and form MV2488 (odometer statement) if the transfer needs a mileage reading.

Title fee

$0 for a surviving spouse, domestic partner or qualifying family member. $214.50 for other heirs.

Replacement title

$20 if the title is lost, waived for qualifying family members.

Where to mail

Wisconsin Department of Transportation, P.O. Box 7949, Madison, WI 53707-7949, the address printed on the MV1. Checks go to Registration Fee Trust.

Our fee (optional)

$299 to prepare the forms from your answers. You review, sign and mail them yourself.

Can the owner name a beneficiary on the title?

People often ask whether a Wisconsin title can name someone to receive the car when the owner dies. WisDOT's pages for survivors do not describe that option; they describe the MV2300 and personal representative routes on this page. If the person who died left a will, a trust or another arrangement they expected to cover the car, ask the estate's attorney how it applies before you file.

Do you need us?

Many families can do this on their own. MV2300 is a two-page form, and for close family there is no state title fee. WisDOT also offers an online MV1 guide that fills in the application and estimates fees.

If you would rather not sort through it right now, we prepare the MV2300, MV1 and, if needed, MV2119 from your answers, with a checklist of what to include. You review, sign and mail them. We are a document-preparation service, not a law firm, and we are not WisDOT.

Common questions

Related Wisconsin guides

Sources

Checked against these official pages on 2026-09-25. Rules and fees change, so confirm on wisconsindot.gov before you mail anything.

• WisDOT: Guide for family members of the recently deceased (BDS367)
• WisDOT: Transfer a vehicle to a surviving spouse or domestic partner
• WisDOT: Transfer a vehicle to an heir
• Form MV2300 (PDF)
• Form MV2119 (PDF)
• Form MV1 (PDF)
• Wis. Stat. § 342.14 (fees and waivers)
• Wis. Stat. § 342.17(4) (transfers from a decedent)
• Wis. Stat. § 867.03 (small estates)