Hi all,

My mother passed this year without a will or estate and only left a 2010 Kia with 190k miles on it. I filed a voluntary administration statement with the probate court in Hampshire County and paid the extra $50 for an Exemplified copy.

I live in Vermont and, along with the death certificate, this seemed to check off the VT DMVs list of needs for this process. They turned me down because they stated that the Voluntary Administration Statement (certified and exemplified) does not actually prove that I am the rightful owner of the vehicle. I am not saying that it does, but I have no legal knowledge whatsoever and am doing this alone.

The person I spoke with said that the certified statement only shows that the paperwork was filed, not that anything had come of it. I have gone back and forth with the probate court over this and the DMVs requirements and they say that this is all they are able to provide and that they have no idea what else the DMV could need. The DMV is similarly stumped because they claim that their requests are standard for this process.

Is there anyone who can give me some advice on what I might be able to do next? Neither agency is helping me move along, so I am at a dead end. I would be extremely grateful for any additional information, thank you!