What's a title and why is it important for a car donation?
A title, simply put, is the legal form that makes you the owner of a vehicle.
A title usually includes information about the car, such as:
- Make
- Model
- Year
- License plate number
- Technical information
- The owner’s name and address
Filling out a title is different in every state.
Titles can look complicated and difficult to understand, but the general procedure is mostly the same.
And as always, we’ll gladly answer any questions you may have during the process.
Either fill out our online form or give us a call at 1.877.527.7454
Things you need to transfer
your title
Fill out a report of sale
If there are two owners, you’ll both need to sign (in New York, just one signature is required).
What if the owner of the title can't sign
If the title owner isn’t able to sign, you can still donate the car as long as you or someone else has provable power of attorney for the title owner.
In some states, you’ll have to get the car titled in your name.
Missing your title
With a missing title, Kars4Kids can usually apply for a new title, or simply have you sign some paperwork, depending on the resale value.
Neither option will incur you any fee whatsoever.
Steps to sign and transfer your title
On our title transfer page, we have a drop-down menu so you can select your state, and you’ll then be able to view a sample of a title with indicators showing where to sign your name.
We also tell you which additional forms your state requires if any.
Some examples include
Many PDFs of these documents are available on the page, as well as any necessary notarizations and other state-specific instructions.
These documents are for you, to prove that you are no longer in possession of and therefore no longer responsible for the car.
Filling Out Your Title: Some
Useful Tips
- Always use either blue or black ink. Avoid any other color inks, pencils, cross-outs, or white-out.
- Make sure the name you’re signing matches the name printed on the title. If you’ve changed your name for any reason since the title was issued, use your old signature. If you’d prefer not to, we’ll need proof of the name change.
- All you need to do is sign in the correct place(s). There’s no need to fill anything out in regards to charity- we take care of that.
Kars4Kids may not be able to accept
vehicles with:
- Active liens that are not paid off.
- Vehicles that lost their lien release and the bank went out of business.
- Vehicles that are involved in a bankruptcy.
If there is a lien holder listed on the title, we’ll need a lien release letter from the holder before we can take the car.
We can get a lien release for many donors if we know the vehicle is paid up and the bank is willing to work with a third party.
