How to Remove a Name From a Car Title: Co-Owners, Divorce and More

Can two names be on a car title?

Yes. Every state lets two or more people own a vehicle together, and a joint title is common for married couples, parents and children, and partners who split the cost of a car. Can you have two names on a car title and still sell it easily? That depends on the word that joins them.

Look at the owner section of your title. Between the names you'll usually see AND, OR, or a slash or symbol the state treats as one of them. Some titles also carry a remark such as "with rights of survivorship" or "transfer on death." Those few words decide who must sign when anything changes.

Rules vary, and a few states read a slash or a missing word differently, so check your state's title instructions before relying on the table.

How to remove a name from a car title, step by step

The agency doesn't "erase" a name. It cancels the old title and issues a new one, so removing a co-owner works almost exactly like selling a car to someone, except the buyer is already on the title. Here's the usual process:

1. Find the original title. If it's lost, the owners on record request a duplicate first; our guide on replacing a lost car title covers that.
2. Pay off or talk to the lender. If a lien is shown, the lender holds the title or must approve the change. Many lenders require the remaining owner to qualify for the loan alone, or to refinance.
3. The owner being removed signs. They sign in the seller section, and, on an AND title, every owner listed signs. Write the remaining owner as the buyer. Our guide on where to sign a title shows which lines to use.
4. Fill in the odometer reading if the vehicle is new enough to require one.
5. Complete the state's title application in the remaining owner's name.
6. Claim any family exemption. Many states waive sales tax for transfers between spouses or close family; some need a separate form for that.
7. Submit and pay. File by mail or in person with the title fee. The new title arrives with one name on it.

Our title transfer finder links to each state's title application and fee page, and many states have their own short guide for adding or removing owners.

How to remove someone from a car title when you're keeping it

If you're the owner who stays, you do most of the work. The other owner signs the title over to you, and you complete the application, pay the fee and sign for the new title. How to take someone off a car title smoothly comes down to timing: meet in person, have them sign at the office if your state allows it, and leave with the paperwork filed. If they live far away, mail the title to them with clear notes on which line to sign, and ask them to send it straight back with a tracking number.

How do you remove someone from a car title who won't sign? On an OR title, you may not need their signature at all; ask your state whether a single owner can transfer the car to themselves alone. On an AND title, you'll need their signature, a divorce decree, or a court order.

How to remove my name from a car title

If you're the one leaving, your role is simpler, but you still need the other owner. How to get my name off a car title is really a question of getting the other owner to file. How can I remove my name from a car title if I'm not keeping the car? You sign the title over to the co-owner, and they file the paperwork that puts it in their name alone. You can't usually file the new title yourself, because the application is in the remaining owner's name and needs their signature and ID.

Until the new title is issued, you're still an owner on the state's record. That can matter for tickets, tolls and liability after a crash, so don't hand over a signed title and walk away. Agree on a date, keep a copy of the signed title, and check the state's records afterward if you can. If the remaining owner won't follow through, a few states let a seller file a notice of transfer or release of liability, which protects you from what happens after that date.

How do I take my name off a car title when the other owner won't cooperate? If the title uses OR, you may be able to sign the car over without them in many states, though that transfers it to someone else rather than removing you while the other owner keeps it. With AND, you generally need either their signature or a court order. A lawyer can tell you whether a small claims or family court is the right place.

Taking a parent or partner off the title

Many joint titles date from a first car, when a parent went on the title to help with the loan or insurance. Years later, the child owns the car outright and wants the parent's name gone. That's the friendliest version of this job: both people are willing, there's usually no loan, and many states treat a parent-to-child transfer as exempt from sales tax. Learning how to take a name off a car title in this case is mostly about getting both signatures in the right places and filing the application in the child's name.

The same goes for unmarried partners who bought a car together and split up on good terms. Agree who keeps the car, settle any money between you in writing, and then follow the steps above. If you're working out how to remove a name from a vehicle title for a truck, motorcycle or trailer rather than a car, the process is the same, since every titled vehicle uses the same title and application. Our motorcycle title guide covers what's different for bikes.

Removing a name after divorce

Divorce is one of the most common reasons to take a name off a car title. If both former spouses can sign, use the regular steps above. If one won't, the final divorce decree can often stand in for that signature, as long as it awards the vehicle to one spouse by name or by description.

Florida is a good example. Its title application (form HSMV 82040) includes an option for a transfer by divorce decree, and the county tax collector will retitle the car to the spouse the decree names. Bring a certified copy of the decree, not a photocopy. If the car still has a loan, the decree doesn't bind the lender; the spouse keeping the car usually has to refinance before the other's name comes off the loan.

• Check the decree describes the car well enough, ideally with the VIN.
• Ask whether your state charges sales tax on transfers ordered by a divorce; many don't.
• Update the insurance at the same time, since the leaving spouse may want off the policy.

When a co-owner dies

The steps depend on how the title was written. With rights of survivorship, the car passes to the surviving owner without probate. Texas uses a separate Rights of Survivorship Ownership Agreement (form VTR-122), and the survivor applies with a death certificate and a new title application. With OR, the survivor can usually transfer with a death certificate. With AND and no survivorship, many states want estate paperwork, such as letters of administration or a small-estate affidavit, before they'll take the deceased owner's name off.

If the deceased was the only owner, that's an inheritance, not a removal, and the estate's representative handles the transfer.

Two names on a car title: how to remove one online

People often hope to do this online. In most states you can't, because the change needs the original paper title with real signatures. What you can often do online is download the title application, book an appointment, pay the fee, or check the status afterward. The exception is when the title is electronic, usually because a lender holds it; then the change runs through the lender and the state's electronic system, and paper appears only once the loan is paid off.

Be wary of websites that promise to take a name off a car title entirely online. Only the state can issue a new title. Third-party services may fill in forms for you, but they can't replace the signatures.

If there's still a loan on the car

A lien changes everything, because the lender has a stake in who owns the car. Before a name comes off, the lender usually wants the remaining owner to qualify for the loan alone. In practice that means refinancing in one name, or paying off the loan so the lien is released. Call the lender first; many have a standard process and can tell you exactly what they'll accept. If the lender holds an electronic title, it may need to send it to the state for the change.

If the leaving owner co-signed the loan, removing their name from the title doesn't take them off the loan. Those are separate contracts. Refinancing is usually the only way to free a co-signer.

Can you put a car title in two names when you buy?

Yes, and it's worth thinking about the wording when you do. If you want either owner to be able to sell or transfer the car alone, ask for OR. If you want both to agree, ask for AND. If you want the car to pass to the other owner automatically on death, ask whether your state offers rights of survivorship or a transfer-on-death beneficiary. A minute at the counter can save months of paperwork later.

How to add a spouse to a car title

Adding a name is the same process in reverse. Can 2 people be on a car title if one of them wasn't there when it was bought? Yes: the current owner signs the title over to both of you, writing both names in the buyer section joined by AND or OR, and you apply for a new title together. Many states don't charge sales tax when you add a spouse, but you may need to say so on the application or file an exemption form. If there's a loan, ask the lender first, since it may need to approve a new owner even if the loan stays in one name.

Costs and timing

Expect the normal title fee for your state, plus any lien recording fee if there's still a loan. Sales tax is often waived for transfers between family members or ordered by a divorce, but check; a few states tax any change in ownership unless you file an exemption. Processing times are the same as any title transfer, from same day at some counters to several weeks by mail.

Common mistakes

• Crossing out a name. Never cross out or white out anything on a title. It can void the document and force a duplicate.
• Signing in the wrong place. The leaving owner signs as seller, not in the buyer's section or the lienholder release.
• Forgetting the lender. A state won't issue a new title over an unreleased lien without the lender's agreement.
• Leaving the plates and insurance unchanged. Update both when the title changes.

Removing a name from a title FAQ