Sunday, February 6, 2011

Transferring Watercraft Title without Probate

After a family member dies you might wonder what you need to do to gain title to his or her boat or other watercraft. Well, it’s really quite similar to the process involved in transferring the title of vehicles. If there are no probate proceedings taking place there are a few simple steps that need to be taken to transfer the title of the watercraft.

Again, as long as there are no probate proceedings, and the combined value of all watercraft does not exceed $100,000, a surviving spouse, or next of kin needs only to submit to the Secretary of State a few things: 1.) an affidavit of kinship; 2.) the certificate of title for the watercraft; and, 3.) the death certificate of the decedent.