Vehicle Power of Attorney Form

Some individuals choose to entrust deals concerning their ownership of motor vehicles to other people to get rid of loads of paperwork. However, it is next to impossible to perform such serious tasks on behalf of another person without having a confirmatory document — the Vehicle Power of Attorney Form.

A vehicle power of attorney (POA) form is a legally binding document that allows people to perform such actions without the presence and involvement of the person who has actual rights on the vehicle. Motor Vehicle Divisions (DMV) in all states of the country require people to provide a vehicle power of attorney form if they request a registration, a new certificate of title, or other papers and they are not owners of the vehicles in question.

That is why you have to know the purpose of the form and how you should fill it out if you are planning to act on behalf of another person in vehicle-related matters.

The Usage Vehicle Power of Attorney Forms

A buyer of a motor vehicle in the USA is obliged to register it in their local DMV within a limited time after the purchase. They need to provide a set of papers, including a certificate of title, which should be requested from the local DMV office as well. If a principal wants to entrust these tasks to another person, they need to confirm it with the vehicle power of attorney form.

The POA will ensure the workers of the DMV that the deal was completed meeting all conditions and it is absolutely legal. However, if you want to use the vehicle power of attorney form, you should complete it correctly to make it valid. So, you have to check the requirements related to the POA form in your local DMV office.

The most common reasons to use vehicle power of attorney form are the following:

How to Use a Vehicle Power of Attorney

You should follow the algorithm described below to create a vehicle POA form and make it legally binding.

1. Determine the purpose and learn requirements in your particular state

Depending on the usage of this form, you need to collect different sets of documents. That is why you should search for information about the documents you have to provide for registering a motor vehicle, requesting a certificate of title, or another document. The standard document for all the operations is your ID and driving license, as it allows you to identify the identity of the principal and their agent.

2. Assign an agent and describe transferrable powers

As a principal, you should find a trustworthy person who can be responsible for the vehicle. Remember that this person will be able to do almost all operations related to ownership of the vehicle. That is why you must select only credible people. The laws do not oblige you to have any relationships with the assigned person. The only limit is the age of the chosen agent — over the age of majority.

You can limit the power available to agents in the vehicle power of attorney form. There are two ways to set the amount of responsibility given to agents in a POA form: check (or initial) the boxes or fill them in manually. If you choose the second approach, make sure you use legally correct phrases. Wrong wording can cause misunderstanding between the principal and agent about the transferable powers.

3. Fill out the form and have it signed and notarized

You can usually find the necessary form on your DMV’s website. Fill in your details into the POA form and put your signature on it if you are principal. If you are an agent, you do not need to participate in this process and sign the form. The crucial thing is that the signature should be notarized with the notary public. Otherwise, the vehicle power of attorney form will not be valid. Notarization can be made offline or online with specialized companies.

4. Perform the necessary operations

When the document is ready to be used in the DMV, an agent can perform assigned tasks. This person is required to show a power of attorney form along with other obligatory to provide documents. Moreover, an agent must add “POA” next to their signature in all records.

How to Fill Out a Vehicle Power of Attorney Form

There are various custom templates for vehicle power of attorney forms you can find online that are easy to fill out in several steps. However, your state’s DMV website should provide its official forms online. You can also get the necessary paperwork in the DMV office.

In general, you should follow these guidelines to complete the form correctly:

1 — Details about principal and agent:

Here you should write the contacts and names of the principal and agent. Also, you have to fill in the state where the parties will involve a power of attorney form.

2 — Description of the motor vehicle:

You should fill in the table with various information about the vehicle. It should be the motor vehicle’s year, make, model, VIN, and mileage (odometer reading).

3 — Identity of the principal:

You should write in the principal’s birth date and SSN (Social Security Number) in this part. If the principal is a business entity, you have to enter the company’s EIN (Employer Identification Number) or Federal ID.

4 — Signature and date:

The form is valid only when a principal signs it. So, put your signature and date of the completion of the form here.

5 — Notarization:

There is a part of the POA form that the notary public should complete. You have the form acknowledged in-person or online.

Mind that no federal laws regulate the unified way of filling out and filing the form, so the applicants should refer to the laws active in their particular state.