Oregon Vehicle Power of Attorney

Introduction

Key Things to Know

1. 1

   Form 735-500, which Oregon's Driver and Motor Vehicle Services Division titles simply Power of Attorney, authorizes a named person or firm to act as the owner's representative and to sign the owner's name to any forms needed to title or register the one vehicle described on it.

2. 2

   No notary is involved. The form prints no notary acknowledgment block, and its own validity list names only three things: the appointed attorney's name, the plate number or vehicle identification number or title number, and the signature of the owner.

3. 3

   The authority cannot be passed along. The form states in capitals that THIS POWER OF ATTORNEY MAY NOT BE TRANSFERRED TO ANY OTHER PERSON OR FIRM, so the person you name is the only person who may use it.

4. 4

   The representative exercises the authority by writing the owner's name followed by their own signature. The form gives the example Sharon Smith by Jane Doe, where Sharon Smith is the owner.

5. 5

   A company named as the representative must sign and either use a business name line stamp or print the business name. The form's example runs Sharon Smith by Morrison's Garage, George Morrison, owner.

6. 6

   The vehicle description block asks for the plate number, year, make and body style, then the vehicle identification number with its own Oregon instruction to check a box if the VIN begins with OR, then the title number. A joint owner gets a second printed name and signature line with its own date.

7. 7

   An odometer disclosure is a different job. Under OAR 735-028-0080, a seller giving the buyer power of attorney to make an odometer disclosure must use the DMV Secure Power of Attorney, form 735-402 or 735-402A, or the Electronic Secure Power of Attorney, form 735-402B, and the DMV will not accept photocopies, facsimiles or digitized copies of those secure forms.

Oregon Requirements for Vehicle Power of Attorney

• DMV Form 735-500, Power of Attorney

  Oregon uses form 735-500, titled Power of Attorney, published by the Driver and Motor Vehicle Services Division of the Oregon Department of Transportation. The posted revision reads 735-500 (9-26), with stock number 300158. It authorizes a named person or firm to act as the owner's representative and sign the owner's name to titling and registration forms.

• No Notarization, and No Perjury Certification Either

  Form 735-500 prints no notary acknowledgment block and no penalty of perjury certification. The form sets out its own validity test instead, and a notary is not part of it, so an Oregon owner can complete and sign the form without a notary appointment.

• The Three Entries That Make It Valid

  The form states that this power of attorney is valid ONLY if the following sections are completed: the name of the person or firm appointed as attorney, the plate number or vehicle identification number or title number, and the signature of the owner. Any one of the three vehicle identifiers satisfies the second item.

• Vehicle Description Block and the OR Checkbox

  The description of vehicle block takes the plate number, year, make and body style, then the vehicle identification number and title number. Beside the identification number the form prints an Oregon specific instruction: if the VIN begins with OR, check this box.

• Joint Owner Signs the Same Sheet

  Form 735-500 prints a second block for a joint owner, name of joint owner printed and signature of joint owner, each with its own date line. Where the Oregon title shows two owners, both sign the one form rather than completing a second 735-500.

• Authority May Not Be Transferred

  The form states in capitals that this power of attorney may not be transferred to any other person or firm. The representative named on the sheet is the only person who may use the authority, and the form must be exercised on the title or document the authority was granted for in order to be valid.

• How the Representative Signs, Including a Company

  To exercise the authority the representative writes the name of the owner followed by their own signature, as in Sharon Smith by Jane Doe. Where the named representative is a company, that representative must sign and use a business name line stamp or print the business name, as in Sharon Smith by Morrison's Garage, George Morrison, owner.

• Secure Forms 735-402, 735-402A and 735-402B for Odometer Work

  Under OAR 735-028-0080, a seller giving the buyer power of attorney to make an odometer disclosure must use the DMV Secure Power of Attorney, form 735-402 or 735-402A, or the Electronic Secure Power of Attorney, form 735-402B. The DMV does not accept photocopies, facsimiles or digitized copies of those secure forms, and the original goes to the Oregon DMV with the title.