Connecticut Vehicle Power of Attorney

Introduction

Key Things to Know

1. 1

   Form A-83 is the Connecticut Special Power of Attorney, published by the Department of Motor Vehicles at 60 State Street, Wethersfield. It lets a person you designate make, complete and sign documents required to be filed with the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles about a registration or a certificate of title.

2. 2

   Two witnesses are required as well as a notary. Instruction 1 calls for the principal's signature, the signature of two witnesses, and the signature of an officer authorized to take acknowledgments.

3. 3

   The acknowledging officer does not have to be a notary public. It may equally be a justice of the peace or a commissioner of the Superior Court, which in Connecticut includes attorneys admitted in the state.

4. 4

   The witnesses sign in the presence of the principal and after the principal has signed. The attestation clause on the form states the sequence, so signing out of order is a defect on the face of the document.

5. 5

   There is no vehicle description block and no identification number field on A-83. The authority is defined by the transaction type, registration and title business before the Commissioner, rather than by one described vehicle.

6. 6

   The form bearing original signatures is shown at the counter and returned to you rather than surrendered, so the same document can support the authority again.

7. 7

   A-83 does not authorize anything to do with an operator license or an identification card, or any other business with the Commissioner unrelated to a motor vehicle registration or title.

Connecticut Requirements for Vehicle Power of Attorney

• DMV Form A-83, Special Power of Attorney

  Connecticut uses form A-83, titled Special Power of Attorney, published by the Department of Motor Vehicles. The form line reads A-83 REV. 6-2008 and the address 60 State Street, Wethersfield, CT 06161 prints beneath the state name. The H-13 family is the registration and title application, not this.

• Four Signatures: Principal, Two Witnesses, Officer

  The first instruction requires the form to be completed in its entirety, with the principal's signature, the signature of two witnesses, and the signature of an officer authorized to take acknowledgments. The acknowledgment block records a seal and a commission expiry.

• Notary, Justice of the Peace or Commissioner of the Superior Court

  The acknowledging officer may be a notary public, a justice of the peace, or a commissioner of the Superior Court, the last of which in Connecticut includes attorneys admitted in the state. Any one of the three satisfies the instruction.

• Witnesses Sign After the Principal, in the Principal's Presence

  The attestation clause reads attested and subscribed in the presence of the Principal and subsequent to the Principal subscribing same, so the sequence is fixed on the face of the form. Signing out of order is a visible defect.

• No Vehicle Description or Identification Number Field

  A-83 prints no vehicle description and no identification number field. The authority is framed by the type of business instead: documents required to be filed with the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles about a registration or a certificate of title.

• Shown at the Counter and Returned, Not Surrendered

  The third instruction states that the Special Power of Attorney bearing original signatures must be shown and will be returned to you. Keep the signed and acknowledged document afterwards, since the Department does not hold it for you.

• No Operator License or Identification Card Transactions

  The second instruction removes licence work expressly: the form does not authorize transactions related to the operator license or identification card, or other business with the Commissioner unrelated to a motor vehicle registration or title. It is also valid only between the people named on it.

• Right to a Probate Accounting

  The fourth instruction records that the grantor or the attorney in fact may apply to any Court of Probate for an accounting, as provided in subsection (b) of section 45a-175 of the Connecticut General Statutes. The right runs both ways and is printed on the form.