Donate a car or vehicle in Alaska - AK
State Title Information

Help a child with a car, motorcycle, automobile, truck, boat or any vehicle donation. What vehicles need titles in your state. How to transfer ownership...

Donate Car Information Donate Car Procedure Tax Info Donation Instructions Pleased Donors Testimonials Charity Program Recycling Program Pickup Information Fill out a form. Send instructions. Phone contact with towing. You coordinate pickup with them. Your car with title is picked up. You notify us of pick up. We send a tax receipt.

When donating a car it is necessary to transfer ownership. Various states have different regulations on how this is done. This page is a collection of actual references from various state web sites.

Just click on any of the links below for more information on that subject.

1. How to obtain a Duplicate Title

2. Recording or Releasing a Lien

3. Changes to Registration or Title

4. Name Change on Vehicle Title due to Marriage or Divorce

 

 

1. How to obtain a Duplicate Title

The lienholder or the vehicle owner of record, when there is no lienholder, may apply for a duplicate title if the original has been lost, stolen, destroyed, mutilated or becomes unreadable.

If the title to a person's vehicle is lost, stolen or destroyed, they may not sell the vehicle to someone without first obtaining a duplicate title in their name and then releasing the duplicate title to the buyer.

To apply for a duplicate title, the following items are required:

• A notarized Affidavit of Lost, Stolen or Destroyed Title (See the information following the mailing address if you are unable to pull up this form and print it.)
• A lien release from any lienholder of record
• $15.00
  

A person may obtain an Affidavit of Lost, Stolen or Destroyed Title from any Alaska Division of Motor Office or request one in writing at the address below. This procedure applies only to titles which have been issued by Alaska. If a person has lost an out-of-state title, they will have to apply to the issuing state to obtain a duplicate title. Additionally, this procedure does not apply to a title that is not readily accessible, i.e. locked in a safe deposit box or stored or shipped in household goods. If a person has the title or knows the whereabouts of the title, they should not execute an Affidavit of Lost, Stolen or Destroyed Title. To do so may subject them to criminal prosecution.

State of Alaska
Division of Motor Vehicles
Attn: CORRESPONDENCE
1300 W Benson Boulevard STE 200
Anchorage AK 99503-3600

If you are unable to display and print the Affidavit of Lost, Stolen or Destroyed Title form and you are unable to obtain this form at a DMV office, you may simply write a letter requesting a duplicate title. The following information must be included in the letter:

• Your name (printed)
• Complete/Correct Serial Number (VIN)
• Description of the item that you need the title for
• Signature (Must be notarized)

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2. Recording or Releasing a Lien:

RECORDING A LIEN

Alaska law permits the recording of the primary lienholder's name on the title. Secondary lienholders may record their liens in a district recorder's office in their area of residence. This type of filing is called a Uniform Commercial Code or UCC filing.

The State of Alaska does not accept applications received through the mail from outside the borders of Alaska. The only exception to this is when the customer has an Alaska title in their name and there is no change of any type to the ownership. The documents must be sent from the customer, not a Dealership, Financial Institution or other lienholder.

The following items are required to record a lien:

• An Application for Title & Registration (Completed in full. Must include the lienholder's name and address.)
• Original title or Manufacturer's Certificate of Origin.
• $15.00 lien recording fee.
• $15.00 title fee ($100.00 for mobile homes).
• Additional fees and registration requirements if the vehicle is not currently registered.
• The registered owner of the vehicle must sign the application before it will be accepted. A Power of Attorney is acceptable for someone other than the registered owner signing the application and title.

A title with a recorded lien will automatically be mailed to the lienholder.

RELEASING A LIEN

When you make the final payment on your vehicle, the lienholder will release their interest in the vehicle and give the original title to you. Once you receive the title, you may apply for a "clear" title with the Division of Motor Vehicles. In order to obtain a new title, you will need the following items:

• Original title with the lien released or a separate letter from the lienholder releasing their interest. The lien release must have a date, signature and title of the person releasing the lien. A "PAID" stamp is not an acceptable lien release.
• Vehicle Transaction Application
• Fees in the amount of $15.00

It is not mandatory that you obtain a clear title, however, it is strongly recommended if your lienholder is a private individual. If your lienholder is a financial institution and the title becomes lost, you must obtain a lien release from the financial institution prior to obtaining a clear title.

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3. Changes to Registration or Title

The following items on a registration may be changed at the time of renewal or by completing a Vehicle Transaction Application with a request for a duplicate registration. There is a $2.00 fee for changes that are made other than in conjunction with a renewal.

• Address Change (A new registration is not required with a change of address. The new address can be written on your current registration.)
• Change of use type from commercial to non-commerical or from non-commercial to commercial. (All vehicles in a business name and trucks over 10,000 pounds are automatically classed as commercial vehicles.)
• Color
• License Plate
• Weight (May require additional documents. Please contact DMV for further information.)
  

The original title and an Application for Title and Registration must be submitted in order to make the following changes to a vehicle title:

• Name (Add, delete or change due to marriage or divorce)
• Lienholder
• Conjunction (Changing from "AND" to "OR" or from "OR" to "AND")

In addition to the Application for Title and Registration and the original title, proof of the change is required for all of the following changes on a title. Please contact DMV for additional information.

Serial Number/VIN

• Year
• Make
• Model
• Body Style
• Odometer (Once an odometer reads "UNKNOWN", it cannot be changed.)
  

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4. Name Change on Vehicle Title due to Marriage or Divorce

In order to change the name of a vehicle owner or to add or remove an owner from your vehicle title, the original title must be submitted to DMV. This is treated the same as a vehicle sale even though one or more of the original owner's will still be listed on the title. The entire portion of the title used for a sale must be completed in full and signed by both the buyer and seller.

If your original title is being held by a lienholder, please contact the lienholder for information on obtaining a new title.

To properly complete the reassignment section of the title, please keep the following guidelines in mind:

CHANGING FROM MAIDEN NAME TO MARRIED NAME. No other change to name field.

Example: Vehicle is currently titled in the name of Mary Ann Single. Mary wants to change her name on her title to Mary Ann Married, after her recent marriage to John N. Married.

• Mary would sign as the seller. She would sign her name Mary Ann Single.
• Buyer or Transferee would be listed as Mary A. Married.
• Mary must complete an Application for Title and Registration with all of the information that will appear on the new title.
• The odometer reading is not required as there is not any change to the ownership of the vehicle.
• In the Affidavit section of the application, Mary would write: "Name change only due to marriage." If there is a lienholder on the title, she would also write: "Lien to remain the same."
• Title fee of $15.00 and any additional fees if the vehicle is not currently registered.

CHANGING FROM MAIDEN NAME TO MARRIED NAME AND ADDING A SPOUSE

Example: Vehicle titled in the name of Mary Ann Single. Mary wants to change her name on her title to Mary Ann Married and add her new husband, John N. Married, to the title.

• Mary would sign as the seller. She would sign her name Mary Ann Single.
• Buyer or Transferee would be listed as Mary A. or John N. Married.
• Either John or Mary must complete an Application for Title and Registration with all of the information that will appear on the new title.
• Title fee of $15.00 and any additional fees if the vehicle is not currently registered. Add another $15.00* if there will be a lienholder on the new title.

REMOVING AN OWNER

Example: Vehicle titled in the name of John Q. Public or Mary T. Public. They would like to remove Mary T. Public from the title.

• Either John or Mary would sign as the seller. (If there is an "AND" conjunction, both John & Mary would need to sign off the title. In place of Mary's signature, a certified copy of a court order awarding the vehicle to John is acceptable, provided it has the complete and correct serial number of the vehicle.)
• Buyer would be listed as John Q. Public.
• John must complete an Application for Title and Registration with all of the information that will appear on the new title.
• Title fee of $15.00 and any additional fees if the vehicle is not currently registered. Add another $15.00 if there will be a lienholder on the new title.

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