Massachusetts Vehicle Power of Attorney

Q: Where does a completed Massachusetts vehicle power of attorney go?

To the Registry of Motor Vehicles, whose address is printed on the form as P.O. Box 55889, Boston, MA 02205-5889, or to an authorized RMV business partner such as a dealership processing the registration. The Registry names both destinations in the form expiry clause, which ends the authority when the vehicle registration or title is processed at the RMV or by an authorized business partner, so whichever of the two handles your transaction is where the form stops.

Q: Which form is the Massachusetts vehicle power of attorney?

The Vehicle Owner's Limited Power of Attorney, published by the Registry of Motor Vehicles and identified on the sheet as TTLREG109_0823. It is one page. The fields run from the owner blocks, through the named agent or attorney in fact, an optional company block with a company FID, the vehicle, and then the certification and signature area. The Registry put the policy behind it in force on August 21, 2023.

Q: Does a Massachusetts TTLREG109 have to be notarized?

No. There is no notary acknowledgment block on the form. The owners sign a certification instead, reading that they further certify under penalty of perjury that to the best of their knowledge all information presented in the form, including any supporting documents, is true and correct, and that any documents presented are genuine. Below the owner signatures the Registry prints Witness 1 and Witness 2 signature lines with printed name fields, so the form is built to be signed in front of people rather than a notary.

Q: How long is a Massachusetts vehicle power of attorney good for?

Thirty days at the outside. The form states that this Limited Power of Attorney shall expire on the earlier of thirty days from the owner signature, or when the vehicle registration or title is processed at the RMV or by an authorized business partner. Both ends matter. If the paperwork clears in a week, the authority is spent in a week. If nothing happens for five weeks, the sheet is dead and a fresh one has to be signed.

Q: Whose identification has to be attached in Massachusetts?

The agent, not the owner. The Registry answer is that a clear, legible, quality photocopy of the third party agent driver license or identification is required as an attachment to the power of attorney, and that a valid identification from any state or country is acceptable. Where the agent is a business or corporation rather than a person, the agent provides a copy of the identification of the representative who signed, and that representative writes on behalf of, or as an agent of, the business after their signature.

Q: Can the Massachusetts RMV take a photocopy rather than the original?

Yes. Asked directly whether the limited power of attorney has to be the original submitted for processing, the Registry answer is that a clear, legible, quality photocopy of it is acceptable. That is useful when an owner is out of state and can only send a scan. Note the tension with the form instruction that all signatures must be handwritten: the signatures must be made by hand, but the sheet the Registry receives can be a copy of the one that was signed.

Q: Must a Massachusetts owner use the RMV form, or will another one do?

Another one will do if it qualifies. Asked whether its form is now required instead of any other, the Registry answer is no, the RMV form is not required, but it is preferred, and that any power of attorney form may be used if it meets the requirements set out in the RMV power of attorney policy. The practical point is that preferred means fewer questions at the counter, so the Registry sheet is the safer choice unless a leasing company or fleet has supplied its own.

Q: When does a Massachusetts transaction not need one at all?

When the owner has already signed. The Registry states that if the applicant has signed their own application, a third party may submit the application to the RMV on behalf of the applicant without a power of attorney. The form is needed when someone other than the owner is signing a document to process a registration or title transaction. Simply carrying a signed application to the counter is not signing, so it needs no authority.

Massachusetts uses RMV form TTLREG109, the Vehicle Owner's Limited Power of Attorney. No notary, but it expires in thirty days and the agent identification must be attached. Attorney review available.

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Introduction

A Massachusetts vehicle power of attorney ends its life at the Registry of Motor Vehicles, P.O. Box 55889, Boston, MA 02205-5889, or in the hands of an authorized RMV business partner, and the form says so itself in the clause that kills it off. The Registry titles the document the Vehicle Owner's Limited Power of Attorney and identifies it as TTLREG109, with the identifier printed as TTLREG109_0823. Its expiry line reads: this Limited Power of Attorney shall expire on the earlier of thirty days from my or our signature, or when the vehicle registration or title is processed at the RMV or by an authorized business partner. So the form is spent the moment the transaction clears the counter, and in any event it dies after a month. That short life is the reason the Registry built the sheet to be filled in completely and by hand. All sections of this Limited Power of Attorney form must be completed in order for it to be valid, it reads, and all signatures must be handwritten. A note just below narrows it further: this power of attorney can only be used to perform Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles transactions. Massachusetts asks for no notary. There is no acknowledgment block on TTLREG109. The owners instead certify under penalty of perjury that all information presented in the form, including any supporting documents, is true and correct, and the Registry prints two witness signature lines with printed name fields beneath them. What the RMV does require is paper identification for the person acting: a clear, legible, quality photocopy of the agent driver license or identification, attached to the form, with a valid identification from any state or country accepted. DocDraft builds your Massachusetts vehicle power of attorney from your facts, with attorney review available as an option before you sign.

Key Things to Know

1
The completed form goes to the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles at P.O. Box 55889, Boston, MA 02205-5889, or to an authorized RMV business partner, and the Registry calls the document the Vehicle Owner's Limited Power of Attorney, identifier TTLREG109_0823.
2
It expires quickly. The form states that it ends on the earlier of thirty days from the owner signature, or when the vehicle registration or title is processed at the RMV or by an authorized business partner, so a stale sheet has to be redone.
3
No notary is involved. TTLREG109 prints no acknowledgment block. The owners certify under penalty of perjury that all information presented, including supporting documents, is true and correct, and the form carries two witness signature lines with printed name fields.
4
Every section has to be completed and every signature has to be written by hand. The form states that all sections must be completed for it to be valid and that all signatures must be handwritten.
5
The authority is bounded twice over. The form notes that it can only be used to perform Massachusetts RMV transactions, and the Registry states that its Limited power of attorney allows the agent to perform registration and title transactions only.
6
A photocopy of the agent identification must be attached: a clear, legible, quality photocopy of the agent driver license or identification, with a valid identification from any state or country accepted. Where the agent is a business, the copy is of the identification of the representative who signed.
7
The Registry accepts a photocopy of the power of attorney itself. Asked whether the original must be submitted for processing, the RMV answer is that a clear, legible, quality photocopy of the limited power of attorney is acceptable.

Key decisions before you file

Before you file a Vehicle Power of Attorney in Massachusetts, 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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MASSACHUSETTS VEHICLE OWNER'S LIMITED POWER OF ATTORNEY - RMV FORM TTLREG109 WORKSHEET

Use this worksheet to gather every entry Registry of Motor Vehicles form TTLREG109 asks for, in the order the form asks for it, then copy the entries onto TTLREG109 itself. Every section must be completed for the form to be valid, and all signatures must be handwritten. The Registry address printed on the form is P.O. Box 55889, Boston, MA 02205-5889.

VEHICLE OWNER OR OWNERS Owner 1 name: first [FIRST] middle [MIDDLE] last [LAST] Owner 1 date of birth: [DATE OF BIRTH] Owner 1 driver license number: [NUMBER] State issued: [STATE] Owner 1 street address: [STREET] City: [CITY] State: [STATE] ZIP: [ZIP] Owner 2 name, date of birth, license number, state issued and address, where the title shows a second owner.

LIMITED POWER OF ATTORNEY GRANTED TO Named agent or attorney in fact, full legal name: first [FIRST] middle [MIDDLE] last [LAST] Driver license number: [NUMBER] State issued: [STATE] Street address: [STREET] City: [CITY] State: [STATE] ZIP: [ZIP] Company name: [COMPANY, if a business is acting] Company FID: [FID] Company representative name: [PERSON SIGNING FOR THE COMPANY] Company street address, city, state and ZIP. Agent for, name and address, if applicable: [NAME AND ADDRESS]

VEHICLE INFORMATION Make: [MAKE] Model: [MODEL] Model year: [YEAR] Vehicle identification number: [VIN] Title number: [TITLE NUMBER]

APPOINTMENT LANGUAGE PRINTED ON THE FORM The owners appoint the person named as their power of attorney to sign in their stead any Certificate of Title, or other supporting papers covering the motor vehicle, in whatever manner necessary to register or transfer ownership of it, and grant full authority to perform all acts necessary to execute the powers expressly granted.

CERTIFICATION AND SIGNATURE, WITH NO NOTARY BLOCK The owners further certify under penalty of perjury that to the best of their knowledge all information presented in the form, including any supporting documents, is true and correct, and that any documents presented are genuine.

Owner 1 or principal signature: ____________________ Date: [DATE] Owner 2 signature: ____________________ Date: [DATE] Witness 1 signature: ____________________ Printed name: [NAME] Witness 2 signature: ____________________ Printed name: [NAME]

EXPIRY PRINTED ON THE FORM This Limited Power of Attorney expires on the earlier of thirty days from the owner signature, or when the vehicle registration or title is processed at the RMV or by an authorized business partner.

CHECKLIST BEFORE YOU HAND IT IN

Every section is completed and every signature is handwritten.
A clear photocopy of the agent driver license or identification is attached.
Where a business is the agent, the identification copied is that of the representative who signed, and that person writes on behalf of the business beside their signature.
The date signed is recent, because the authority lapses after thirty days.

Note: this worksheet mirrors Massachusetts RMV form TTLREG109. Massachusetts sets the form and its identifier, dispenses with a notary in favor of a certification under penalty of perjury plus two witness lines, limits the authority to RMV registration and title transactions, requires the agent identification to be attached, and ends the authority within thirty days. 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 Massachusetts in about a minute, and notarize it online through DocDraft if it does.

Massachusetts Requirements for Vehicle Power of Attorney

RMV Form TTLREG109, Vehicle Owner's Limited Power of Attorney
Massachusetts uses the Vehicle Owner's Limited Power of Attorney, published by the Registry of Motor Vehicles and identified on the sheet as TTLREG109_0823. The Registry address printed on the form is P.O. Box 55889, Boston, MA 02205-5889, and the policy behind the form took effect on August 21, 2023.
No Notary Block, Perjury Certification and Two Witness Lines
TTLREG109 prints no notary acknowledgment block. The owners certify under penalty of perjury that all information presented, including supporting documents, is true and correct and that any documents presented are genuine. Below the owner signatures the form prints Witness 1 and Witness 2 signature lines with printed name fields.
Expires in Thirty Days or on Processing
The form states that it expires on the earlier of thirty days from the owner signature, or when the vehicle registration or title is processed at the RMV or by an authorized business partner. A sheet older than a month cannot be used and has to be signed again.
Every Section Completed, Every Signature Handwritten
The form states that all sections of the Limited Power of Attorney must be completed in order for it to be valid, and that all signatures must be handwritten. A partly filled sheet is not a valid appointment in Massachusetts, so blanks are not left for the counter to fill.
Agent Identification Copy Attached
A clear, legible, quality photocopy of the agent driver license or identification is required as an attachment, and a valid identification from any state or country is acceptable. Where the agent is a business, the copy is of the representative who signed, and that person writes on behalf of or as an agent of the business after their signature.
RMV Registration and Title Transactions Only
The form notes that it can only be used to perform Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles transactions, and the Registry states that its Limited power of attorney allows the agent to perform registration and title transactions only. It is not a general authority over the vehicle or the owner affairs.
Photocopy of the Form Accepted
Asked whether the original has to be submitted for processing, the Registry answer is that a clear, legible, quality photocopy of the limited power of attorney is acceptable. The signatures themselves still have to be handwritten, but the sheet delivered to the RMV may be a copy.
When No Power of Attorney Is Needed
The Registry states that where the applicant has signed their own application, a third party may submit that application to the RMV on the applicant behalf without a power of attorney. The form is needed only where someone other than the owner is signing a document for a registration or title transaction.

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

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

Where does a completed Massachusetts vehicle power of attorney go?

Which form is the Massachusetts vehicle power of attorney?

Does a Massachusetts TTLREG109 have to be notarized?

How long is a Massachusetts vehicle power of attorney good for?

Whose identification has to be attached in Massachusetts?

Can the Massachusetts RMV take a photocopy rather than the original?

Must a Massachusetts owner use the RMV form, or will another one do?

When does a Massachusetts transaction not need one at all?

Find out where you stand in Massachusetts

Introduction

Key Things to Know

Key decisions before you file

Customize your Vehicle Power of Attorney Template with DocDraft

Massachusetts Requirements for Vehicle Power of Attorney

RMV Form TTLREG109, Vehicle Owner's Limited Power of Attorney

No Notary Block, Perjury Certification and Two Witness Lines

Expires in Thirty Days or on Processing

Every Section Completed, Every Signature Handwritten

Agent Identification Copy Attached

RMV Registration and Title Transactions Only

Photocopy of the Form Accepted

When No Power of Attorney Is Needed

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

Frequently Asked Questions