Maryland Vehicle Power of Attorney

Q: Which form does the Maryland MVA use for a vehicle power of attorney?

Form VR-470, which the Motor Vehicle Administration titles the Restricted Power of Attorney. The revision currently posted is VR-470 (12-25) and the sheet is one page. It is used to authorize a representative, other than the vehicle owners, to complete, execute, and obtain MVA documents and forms on their behalf. The address printed at the head of the form is 6601 Ritchie Highway, N.E., Glen Burnie, MD 21062.

Q: Does a Maryland VR-470 have to be notarized?

No. There is no notary acknowledgment block anywhere on VR-470. What the owners sign instead is a certification: I or we further certify and affirm that all information presented in this form is true and correct, that any documents I or we have presented are genuine, and that the information included in all supporting documentation is true and accurate. The form then states that this certification and affirmation is made under penalty of perjury, and that knowingly making a false statement or representation on the form is a criminal violation.

Q: Which documents must be attached to a Maryland VR-470?

Copies of driver licenses. The instruction is printed at the top of the sheet: a copy of all vehicle owners driver licenses must be attached to this form. Note the plural, all vehicle owners, so on a jointly titled Maryland vehicle both licenses belong in the envelope. That attachment is how the MVA ties the signatures on the form to the names on the title, which is the job a notary does in states that require one.

Q: Why does the Maryland form ask which type of document it covers?

Because it is a Restricted Power of Attorney, and the restriction is the errand. The Type of Document line at the top of VR-470 offers Titling, Registration, Correction, Disability Products, and an Other you fill in. Marking the box that matches your transaction is what keeps the authority narrow, so a form signed for a registration errand is not a general authority over the vehicle.

Q: Which powers does a Maryland VR-470 hand to the representative?

The grant is wide within the vehicle. The owners appoint the person named as true and lawful attorney in fact to sign in their name, place and stead any Certificate of Title, or other supporting papers, covering the motor vehicle, in whatever manner necessary to register or transfer ownership of it. The owners then grant full authority and power to do and perform any and all other acts necessary to the powers expressly granted, as the grantor might or could do if personally present, with full power of substitution.

Q: Can a business be the representative on a Maryland VR-470?

Yes. The block headed Power of Attorney Granted to takes a Full Legal Name or a Business Name, and it adds two fields that an individual appointment would not need: Representative and Capacity. At the foot of the form the Representative Signature line is followed by its own Capacity and Date fields. So where a dealership or a title service is finishing the paperwork, the form records both the company and the person who actually signed, and in what role.

Q: How is the odometer handled on a Maryland VR-470?

On the form itself, in a section headed Odometer Disclosure Statement. There is a Vehicle Mileage line that asks for miles with no tenths, then two boxes to mark only where they apply: the mileage is in excess of its mechanical limits, and the odometer reading is not the actual mileage, the second printed with a warning for odometer discrepancy. Because the disclosure is on the same sheet as the appointment, the mileage figure should be read off the car before the owners sign.

Q: What goes in the vehicle block of a Maryland VR-470?

Four entries: Vehicle Make, Model Year, Vehicle Identification Number and Title Number. The title number is worth noticing, because many states ask only for a VIN. Copy both the VIN and the title number from the Maryland certificate of title rather than from an insurance card or a registration card, so the figures on the form match the record the MVA is working from.

Maryland uses MVA form VR-470, the Restricted Power of Attorney. No notary is needed, the owners affirm under penalty of perjury, and a copy of every owner driver license must be attached. Attorney review available.

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Introduction

When a Maryland owner cannot get to the Motor Vehicle Administration to sign for a title, a registration or a correction, form VR-470 is what sends someone else in their place. The MVA titles it the Restricted Power of Attorney, prints its revision as VR-470 (12-25), and heads the sheet with the Glen Burnie address, 6601 Ritchie Highway, N.E., Glen Burnie, MD 21062. The purpose line is specific about what it does: this form is to be used to authorize a representative, other than the vehicle owner or owners, to complete, execute, and obtain MVA documents and forms on their behalf. The word Restricted in the title is not decoration. The first thing VR-470 asks is which errand you are handing over, with a Type of Document line offering Titling, Registration, Correction, Disability Products, or an Other you write in yourself. Maryland asks for no notary. VR-470 carries no acknowledgment block. In its place the owners certify and affirm that all information presented in this form is true and correct, and make that certification and affirmation under penalty of perjury, with the form warning that knowingly making a false statement or representation on it is a criminal violation. What Maryland does insist on is identification on paper. A copy of all vehicle owners driver licenses must be attached to this form, so the errand runner arrives at the MVA with the form plus the licenses, not the form alone. The form also carries its own Odometer Disclosure Statement, so the mileage is declared on the same sheet as the appointment. DocDraft builds your Maryland vehicle power of attorney from your facts, with attorney review available as an option before you sign.

Key Things to Know

1
The Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration calls its form the Restricted Power of Attorney, numbers it VR-470 at revision 12-25, and uses it to authorize a representative other than the vehicle owners to complete, execute and obtain MVA documents and forms on their behalf.
2
A copy of all vehicle owners driver licenses must be attached to the form. That is printed at the head of VR-470, directly under the purpose line, so the attachment is part of the paperwork rather than an extra the counter might ask for.
3
No notary is involved. VR-470 prints no acknowledgment block. The owners instead certify and affirm, under penalty of perjury, that all information presented is true and correct and that any documents presented are genuine, and the form calls a knowing false statement a criminal violation.
4
The authority is restricted to a stated errand. A Type of Document line at the top asks you to mark Titling, Registration, Correction, Disability Products, or an Other you write in, so the representative is pointed at one kind of MVA transaction.
5
VR-470 carries its own Odometer Disclosure Statement, with a mileage line in whole miles and no tenths, plus the two standard exceptions for a reading in excess of its mechanical limits and a reading that is not the actual mileage.
6
A co-owner signs the same sheet. The form prints paired Owner and Co-Owner blocks for full legal name, street address, city, state and ZIP, and paired dated signature lines at the foot.
7
A business can hold the authority. The grant block takes either a full legal name or a business name, with Representative and Capacity fields, and the representative signs with their capacity and the date beside their signature.

Key decisions before you file

Before you file a Vehicle Power of Attorney in Maryland, 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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MARYLAND RESTRICTED POWER OF ATTORNEY - MVA FORM VR-470 WORKSHEET

Use this worksheet to gather every entry Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration form VR-470 (12-25) asks for, in the order the form asks for it, then copy the entries onto VR-470 itself, sign it, and attach a copy of every owner driver license. The address printed at the head of the form is 6601 Ritchie Highway, N.E., Glen Burnie, MD 21062.

TYPE OF DOCUMENT (mark the errand you are handing over) [ ] Titling [ ] Registration [ ] Correction [ ] Disability Products [ ] Other: [WRITE IN THE TRANSACTION]

VEHICLE OWNER OR OWNERS Owner full legal name: [PRINT NAME AS SHOWN ON THE MARYLAND TITLE] Owner street address: [STREET] City: [CITY] State: [STATE] ZIP: [ZIP] Co-owner full legal name: [PRINT NAME, if the title shows a second owner] Co-owner street address: [STREET] City: [CITY] State: [STATE] ZIP: [ZIP]

POWER OF ATTORNEY GRANTED TO Full legal name: [PRINT NAME OF THE PERSON YOU APPOINT] Business name: [COMPANY NAME, if a business is appointed] Representative: [PERSON SIGNING FOR THE BUSINESS] Capacity: [ROLE] Street address: [STREET] City: [CITY] State: [STATE] ZIP: [ZIP]

VEHICLE INFORMATION (copy from the Maryland title) Vehicle make: [MAKE] Model year: [YEAR] Vehicle identification number: [VIN] Title number: [MARYLAND TITLE NUMBER]

ODOMETER DISCLOSURE STATEMENT Vehicle mileage: [MILES] miles, no tenths [ ] The mileage is in excess of its mechanical limits. [ ] The odometer reading is not the actual mileage. Odometer discrepancy warning.

APPOINTMENT LANGUAGE PRINTED ON THE FORM The owners appoint the person named above true and lawful attorney in fact to sign in their name, place and stead any Certificate of Title, or other supporting papers, covering the motor vehicle, in whatever manner necessary to register or transfer ownership, with full authority to perform any other acts necessary to the powers expressly granted, as the grantor might or could do if personally present, with full power of substitution.

CERTIFICATION, IN PLACE OF A NOTARY The owners certify and affirm that all information presented is true and correct, that any documents presented are genuine, and that all supporting documentation is true and accurate. The certification and affirmation is made under penalty of perjury, and knowingly making a false statement or representation on the form is a criminal violation.

Owner signature: ____________________ Date: [DATE] Co-owner signature: ____________________ Date: [DATE] Representative signature: ____________________ Capacity: [ROLE] Date: [DATE]

CHECKLIST BEFORE YOU HAND IT IN

The Type of Document box is marked.
A copy of all vehicle owners driver licenses is attached.
The VIN and the title number match the Maryland title.
The mileage is entered in whole miles.
Every owner shown on the title has signed and dated.

Note: this worksheet mirrors Maryland MVA form VR-470. Maryland sets the form number and its Restricted title, dispenses with a notary in favor of a certification under penalty of perjury, requires the owner license copies to be attached, and carries the odometer disclosure on the same page. 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 Maryland in about a minute, and notarize it online through DocDraft if it does.

Maryland Requirements for Vehicle Power of Attorney

MVA Form VR-470, Restricted Power of Attorney
Maryland uses form VR-470, titled Restricted Power of Attorney, published by the Motor Vehicle Administration at revision 12-25. Its purpose line is to authorize a representative, other than the vehicle owners, to complete, execute and obtain MVA documents and forms on their behalf.
No Notarization, Certification Under Penalty of Perjury
VR-470 prints no notary acknowledgment block. The owners instead certify and affirm that all information is true and correct and that any documents presented are genuine, under penalty of perjury, and the form states that knowingly making a false statement on it is a criminal violation.
Driver License Copies for Every Owner
A copy of all vehicle owners driver licenses must be attached to the form. The instruction is printed at the head of VR-470, so on a jointly titled Maryland vehicle both owner licenses belong in the package rather than only the license of the owner who signs first.
Type of Document Restricts the Authority
The Type of Document line at the top of VR-470 asks the owner to mark Titling, Registration, Correction, Disability Products, or a written in Other. Marking the box that matches the transaction is what makes the authority restricted rather than general.
Vehicle Identified by VIN and Maryland Title Number
The vehicle block takes four entries: Vehicle Make, Model Year, Vehicle Identification Number and Title Number. Copy the VIN and the title number from the Maryland certificate of title, since the title number is an entry many other states do not ask for.
Odometer Disclosure on the Same Sheet
VR-470 carries its own Odometer Disclosure Statement. The mileage line asks for miles with no tenths, and two boxes follow for a reading in excess of its mechanical limits and a reading that is not the actual mileage, the second printed with an odometer discrepancy warning.
Paired Owner and Co-Owner Blocks and Signatures
The form prints Owner and Co-Owner blocks side by side for full legal name, street address, city, state and ZIP, and paired dated signature lines at the foot, so a second owner shown on the Maryland title signs the same sheet rather than a separate one.
Business Representative Signs in a Stated Capacity
The grant block takes a Full Legal Name or a Business Name, with Representative and Capacity fields. At the foot, the Representative Signature line carries its own Capacity and Date, so the form records both the company appointed and the person who signed for it.

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

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 does the Maryland MVA use for a vehicle power of attorney?

Does a Maryland VR-470 have to be notarized?

Which documents must be attached to a Maryland VR-470?

Why does the Maryland form ask which type of document it covers?

Which powers does a Maryland VR-470 hand to the representative?

Can a business be the representative on a Maryland VR-470?

How is the odometer handled on a Maryland VR-470?

What goes in the vehicle block of a Maryland VR-470?

Find out where you stand in Maryland

Introduction

Key Things to Know

Key decisions before you file

Customize your Vehicle Power of Attorney Template with DocDraft

Maryland Requirements for Vehicle Power of Attorney

MVA Form VR-470, Restricted Power of Attorney

No Notarization, Certification Under Penalty of Perjury

Driver License Copies for Every Owner

Type of Document Restricts the Authority

Vehicle Identified by VIN and Maryland Title Number

Odometer Disclosure on the Same Sheet

Paired Owner and Co-Owner Blocks and Signatures

Business Representative Signs in a Stated Capacity

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

Frequently Asked Questions