Author: Vladislav MoisejevUpdated Short answer: A deceased owner’s car does not pass to the family by itself. A notary handles the succession and issues an inheritance certificate, and only on that basis is the car transferred at Transpordiamet. The heir pays no registration charge, just the 71-euro state fee. If nothing is done, Transpordiamet removes the car from the register temporarily a year after the owner’s death, and permanently after seven years.
The car sits in the yard, the keys are there, the documents are in a drawer at home. It feels like nothing is urgent: we will deal with it when there is time. In fact the clock is already running, and since 2026 it runs out sooner.
What happens to the car after the owner dies
In the register it is still in the deceased person’s name. Which means the car has not gone quiet: the obligations carry on.
The annual tax falls on whoever is listed as the owner. A deceased person’s tax debt does not pass to the heir on its own — it stays recorded against them until the heir moves it across on the basis of the inheritance certificate. If the tax notice was issued before the death, the obligation passes to the heir in full. And where a car is inherited during the year, the heir is charged from 1 January of the following year.
Insurance needs attention too: a policy is written for the owner, and the owner is changing.
What to do, in order
1. The notary
Succession proceedings are run by a notary, so that is the first call. At the end of it they issue an inheritance certificate — the document proving your right to the estate, the car included.
One point here that people often miss: an estate is accepted as a whole. The debts come with the car. If you do not want it, you have to renounce within three months of the day you learned of the death and of your right to inherit. Saying nothing counts as accepting.
2. The transfer at Transpordiamet
With the certificate in hand, the change of details is filed through the Transpordiamet e-service or at a service office. You have five working days from the moment the owner’s details changed.
The heir pays no registration charge. What remains is the 71-euro state fee. The car needs valid insurance in the new owner’s name.
What happens if you wait
Since January 2026 Transpordiamet has been tidying the register automatically. Cars belonging to deceased owners are removed from it temporarily once a year has passed since the death. After seven years the entry goes for good.
A temporarily removed car does not vanish and does not go to the state, but it may not be driven. To put it back on the road you still have to go to a notary and transfer the title, only now with the register entry to restore as well.
Worth noting separately: the longer a car stands, the less it is worth. The battery, the tyres, the brakes and the fluids all suffer from standing still, not from driving.
If nobody needs the car
The most common situation: several heirs, living in different places, none of them needs the car, and everyone would rather sell it once and without a drawn-out process.
The order is the same here and there is no way around it: first the inheritance certificate and the transfer into your name, then the sale. A car registered to a deceased person cannot be sold — the buyer will not be able to register it.
After that it gets easier. We buy cars in any condition, including ones that have stood in a yard for a year and will not start. We come to you, value the car on the spot and handle the ownership change on the day. More on how a deal works on the car buying page.
What to have ready
- the inheritance certificate from the notary;
- an identity document;
- the vehicle registration certificate, if it still exists;
- valid insurance in the new owner’s name;
- the keys, both sets if possible.
If the registration certificate went missing along with the rest of the paperwork, that is solvable too — the car can still be transferred and sold.
Frequently asked questions
Can the deceased person’s car be driven before the succession is settled?
No. The car is in their name, the insurance is in their name, and you have no right to dispose of it. A year after the owner’s death Transpordiamet will also remove it from the register temporarily.
What does transferring an inherited car cost?
No registration charge is taken; the state fee is 71 euros. The notary’s fees for the succession proceedings come on top.
Who pays the car tax on a deceased person’s car?
If the notice was issued before the death, the obligation passes to the heir in full. Where the car is inherited during the year, the heir is charged from 1 January of the following year. The deceased person’s debts stay recorded against them until the heir transfers them across on the basis of the certificate. There is more on the tax itself in our article on the car tax.
Can the car be sold without transferring it into my name first?
No. While it is registered to the deceased, a buyer cannot register it. The transfer on the basis of the inheritance certificate comes first, the sale second.
What if there are several heirs?
The notary settles the estate for all of them. Selling the car needs the agreement of every heir, or the car is first transferred into one name.
The car has already been removed from the register. Is that the end of it?
No. A temporarily removed car can be put back on the register and transferred to a new owner. The entry is only deleted for good seven years after the owner’s death.