Indiana Vehicle Power of Attorney

Q: Does an Indiana vehicle power of attorney have to be notarized?

Yes. Instruction 3 on State Form 1940 states that the Limited Power of Attorney form must be notarized to be valid, so an unnotarized form is not simply inconvenient, it does not work. Section Five of the form is the Notary Certificate, with a state line, an SS and seal area, a county line, and the sworn to before me, a Notary Public, in and for said County line for the notary to date and complete.

Q: Where does the notary certificate go on an Indiana State Form 1940?

Either on the form or attached to it. Instruction 4 reads that the Notary Certificate may be notarized on the front of this form or by attaching a separate notary certificate. That matters in practice because some notaries prefer to use their own certificate wording and staple it, which Indiana expressly permits here. Either way the acknowledgment has to exist, because instruction 3 makes notarization a condition of validity.

Q: Who has to sign an Indiana State Form 1940 when a vehicle has two owners?

Each owner signs separately. Instruction 1 says that if more than one customer's signature is required, each customer must complete their own Limited Power of Attorney section. So instead of two names in one block, you complete a Limited Power of Attorney section per customer, each with its own Section Four authorizing signature, printed name and date, and each notarized. Check the certificate of title to see how many owners are shown before deciding how many sections you need.

Q: Can an Indiana State Form 1940 cover a boat as well as a car?

Yes, the one form is written for both. Its title is Limited Power of Attorney Vehicle and Watercraft Transactions, and Section One asks for a vehicle or hull identification number and for the make of vehicle or watercraft, with the year and the title number if known. The affirmation in Section Three then authorizes the attorney in fact to complete transactions involving the certificate of title or the registration for the vehicle or watercraft listed above, so the authority follows whichever item you described.

Q: Which Indiana code articles authorize State Form 1940?

The form prints them itself, directly under the Bureau of Motor Vehicles heading: the legal authority for this form is IC 9-17 and IC 30-5. IC 9-17 is the Indiana article on certificates of title for vehicles, and IC 30-5 is the Indiana article on powers of attorney. Seeing both cited on the form is a useful reminder that this is a power of attorney in the ordinary legal sense, issued on a Bureau form for title and registration work.

Q: How should an Indiana State Form 1940 be filled in?

In blue or black ink, per instruction 1, and section by section in order. Section One takes the customer's name, which may be a company name, a telephone number, a street address, city, state and ZIP code, then the vehicle or hull identification number, the make, the year and the title number if known. Section Two takes the attorney in fact's name, telephone number and full address. Instruction 2 adds that individuals must enter their residential address while companies must enter their principal place of business.

Q: Where do I take a completed Indiana State Form 1940?

To the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, with the transaction it authorizes. The form does not name a particular branch or partner office, and it is not filed on its own: the affirmation ties it to transactions involving the certificate of title or the registration for the vehicle or watercraft described, so your attorney in fact presents it alongside that title or registration paperwork. Keep a copy of the notarized form with your own records in case the Bureau asks to see the authority again.

Indiana uses State Form 1940, Limited Power of Attorney Vehicle and Watercraft Transactions, from the Bureau of Motor Vehicles. The form must be notarized to be valid, and its legal authority is IC 9-17 and IC 30-5. Attorney review available.

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Introduction

An Indiana limited power of attorney for a vehicle or watercraft is handed in at the Bureau of Motor Vehicles along with the certificate of title or registration transaction it authorizes, and the Bureau's own State Form 1940 is the paper it expects to see. The form carries the title Limited Power of Attorney Vehicle and Watercraft Transactions, the revision marking R7 / 11-24, and a line naming its legal authority: IC 9-17, the certificates of title article, and IC 30-5, the powers of attorney article. What the appointment does is set out in Section Three, the affirmation, in one sentence: the owner authorizes the attorney in fact to complete transactions involving the certificate of title or the registration for the vehicle or watercraft listed above. Indiana requires a notary. Instruction 3 on the form states that the Limited Power of Attorney form must be notarized to be valid, and Section Five of the form is the Notary Certificate, with a state and county line, a seal and the words sworn to before me, a Notary Public, in and for said County. Instruction 4 gives a little room on where that acknowledgment sits: the Notary Certificate may be notarized on the front of the form, or by attaching a separate notary certificate. The form runs in five numbered sections and the order matters when you fill it in. Section One is customer and vehicle information, Section Two is the attorney in fact's name, telephone number and full address, Section Three is the affirmation, Section Four is the authorizing signature with printed name and date, and Section Five is the notary certificate. Two filling instructions are easy to miss. Complete it in blue or black ink. And where more than one customer's signature is required, each customer must complete their own Limited Power of Attorney section, rather than two owners sharing one block. DocDraft builds your Indiana vehicle power of attorney from your facts, with attorney review available as an option before you sign.

Key Things to Know

1
State Form 1940, titled Limited Power of Attorney Vehicle and Watercraft Transactions, is the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles form that authorizes an attorney in fact to complete transactions involving the certificate of title or the registration for one vehicle or watercraft listed on it. The revision in use is marked R7 / 11-24.
2
It must be notarized to be valid. That is instruction 3 on the form itself, and Section Five is the Notary Certificate, carrying the state and county lines, a seal and the line sworn to before me, a Notary Public, in and for said County.
3
The notary certificate does not have to be taken on the face of the form. Instruction 4 allows it either way: notarized on the front of this form, or by attaching a separate notary certificate.
4
The form names its own legal authority on its face: IC 9-17, the Indiana certificates of title article, and IC 30-5, the Indiana powers of attorney article.
5
One form covers vehicles and watercraft alike. Section One asks for the vehicle or hull identification number, the make of the vehicle or watercraft, the year and the title number if known, alongside the customer's name, telephone number and address.
6
Where more than one customer's signature is required, each customer must complete their own Limited Power of Attorney section. Two owners do not share one signature block.
7
Two filling rules sit in the instructions: complete the form in blue or black ink, and give the right address, because individuals must enter their residential address while companies must enter their principal place of business.

Key decisions before you file

Before you file a Vehicle Power of Attorney in Indiana, a few decisions shape the document: which option to choose and what each one means. The Vehicle Power of Attorney guide walks through them.

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INDIANA LIMITED POWER OF ATTORNEY, VEHICLE AND WATERCRAFT TRANSACTIONS (STATE FORM 1940)

Use this worksheet to assemble every entry State Form 1940 asks for, section by section in the order the form runs, then copy the entries onto the form itself and have it notarized. The form notes its legal authority as IC 9-17 and IC 30-5.

INSTRUCTIONS PRINTED ON THE FORM

Complete in blue or black ink. If more than one customer's signature is required, each customer must complete their own Limited Power of Attorney section.
Individuals must enter their residential address; companies must enter their principal place of business.
The Limited Power of Attorney form must be notarized to be valid.
The Notary Certificate may be notarized on the front of the form or by attaching a separate notary certificate.

SECTION ONE, CUSTOMER AND VEHICLE INFORMATION Customer name, first, middle initial, last, or company name: [NAME] Telephone number: [PHONE] Address, number and street: [STREET] City: [CITY] State: [STATE] ZIP code: [ZIP] Vehicle or hull identification number: [VIN OR HIN] Make of vehicle or watercraft: [MAKE] Year: [YEAR] Title number, if known: [TITLE NUMBER]

SECTION TWO, ATTORNEY IN FACT INFORMATION Attorney in fact name, first, middle initial, last: [APPOINTEE NAME] Telephone number: [PHONE] Address, number and street: [STREET] City: [CITY] State: [STATE] ZIP code: [ZIP]

SECTION THREE, AFFIRMATION I hereby authorize the attorney in fact to complete transactions involving the certificate of title and or registration for the vehicle or watercraft listed above.

SECTION FOUR, AUTHORIZING SIGNATURE Signature of customer requiring representative: _______________________________ Printed name: [PRINTED NAME] Date, mm/dd/yyyy: [DATE]

SECTION FIVE, NOTARY CERTIFICATE State of: [STATE] County of: [COUNTY] Seal Sworn to before me, a Notary Public, in and for said County, this [DAY] day of [MONTH], 20[YY]. Notary signature: ____________________

IF THE VEHICLE HAS MORE THAN ONE OWNER Do not put two names in one block. Complete a separate Limited Power of Attorney section for each customer whose signature is required, each with its own Section Four authorizing signature, printed name and date, and each notarized.

BEFORE YOU HAND IT IN

Every section above is filled in, in blue or black ink.
The address matches the rule: a residential address for an individual, a principal place of business for a company.
The vehicle or hull identification number matches the certificate of title exactly.
The notary certificate is complete, either on the front of the form or attached separately. Without it the form is not valid.

WHERE IT GOES To the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles, with the certificate of title or registration transaction the form authorizes. The form names no particular branch, and it is not filed on its own: the attorney in fact presents it alongside that title or registration paperwork.

Note: this worksheet mirrors the five sections and field order of State Form 1940 (R7 / 11-24). Indiana sets the form number, requires notarization for validity, and names IC 9-17 and IC 30-5 as the authority on the face of the form. For the generic template and other states, see the Vehicle Power of Attorney hub.

Once your Vehicle Power of Attorney is ready, you can check whether it needs to be notarized in Indiana in about a minute, and notarize it online through DocDraft if it does.

Indiana Requirements for Vehicle Power of Attorney

State Form 1940, Limited Power of Attorney Vehicle and Watercraft Transactions
Indiana uses State Form 1940, published by the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles under that title. The revision currently posted is marked R7 / 11-24. It is a single page in five numbered sections and covers vehicles and watercraft on the same form.
Notarization Required for the Form to Be Valid
Instruction 3 on the form states that the Limited Power of Attorney form must be notarized to be valid. Section Five is the Notary Certificate, carrying the state and county lines, a seal area, and the line sworn to before me, a Notary Public, in and for said County, for the notary to date and complete.
The Notary Certificate May Be Attached Separately
Instruction 4 allows the acknowledgment either way: the Notary Certificate may be notarized on the front of this form, or by attaching a separate notary certificate. That lets a notary who prefers their own certificate wording attach it instead of completing Section Five.
Legal Authority IC 9-17 and IC 30-5, Printed on the Form
The form names its own authority directly under the Bureau of Motor Vehicles heading: the legal authority for this form is IC 9-17 and IC 30-5. IC 9-17 is the Indiana article on certificates of title for vehicles and IC 30-5 is the Indiana article on powers of attorney.
Section One, Customer and Vehicle or Watercraft Information
Section One takes the customer name, which may be a company name, a telephone number, a street address with city, state and ZIP code, then the vehicle or hull identification number, the make of the vehicle or watercraft, the year and the title number if known.
Section Two Identifies the Attorney in Fact in Full
Section Two takes the attorney in fact's name, given as first, middle initial and last, a telephone number, and a full address with city, state and ZIP code, so the Bureau can identify who signed on the owner's behalf.
A Separate Section for Each Owner Who Must Sign
Instruction 1 states that if more than one customer's signature is required, each customer must complete their own Limited Power of Attorney section. Two owners do not share one block: each gets a Section Four authorizing signature with printed name and date, and each is notarized.
Blue or Black Ink, and the Right Address for the Signer
Complete the form in blue or black ink. Individuals must enter their residential address and companies must enter their principal place of business. The completed form goes to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles with the certificate of title or registration transaction it authorizes, rather than being filed on its own.

Does your Vehicle Power of Attorney need to be notarized in Indiana?

Whether a Vehicle Power of Attorney needs to be notarized depends on your state. Upload yours, pick your state, and get the current rule with the official source behind it, free and with no account. If yours does need a notary, online notarization is part of your DocDraft plan.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which form is the Indiana vehicle power of attorney?

Does an Indiana vehicle power of attorney have to be notarized?

Where does the notary certificate go on an Indiana State Form 1940?

Who has to sign an Indiana State Form 1940 when a vehicle has two owners?

Can an Indiana State Form 1940 cover a boat as well as a car?

Which Indiana code articles authorize State Form 1940?

How should an Indiana State Form 1940 be filled in?

Where do I take a completed Indiana State Form 1940?

Find out where you stand in Indiana

Introduction

Key Things to Know

Key decisions before you file

Customize your Vehicle Power of Attorney Template with DocDraft

Indiana Requirements for Vehicle Power of Attorney

State Form 1940, Limited Power of Attorney Vehicle and Watercraft Transactions

Notarization Required for the Form to Be Valid

The Notary Certificate May Be Attached Separately

Legal Authority IC 9-17 and IC 30-5, Printed on the Form

Section One, Customer and Vehicle or Watercraft Information

Section Two Identifies the Attorney in Fact in Full

A Separate Section for Each Owner Who Must Sign

Blue or Black Ink, and the Right Address for the Signer

Does your Vehicle Power of Attorney need to be notarized in Indiana?

Frequently Asked Questions