Question: How do I transfer a vehicle title to myself after an owner has died? Do I have to have a death certificate? We didn’t have an automatic transfer set up.
Answer: The process varies depending on whether you also are listed on the title as an owner. But, yes, you will have to submit a death certificate for the owner who has died, whether or not you also are a registered owner. Detailed instructions are posted on the website of Honolulu County’s Department of Customer Services, at 808ne.ws/vtdoo.
Here’s a recap:
>> If the vehicle is jointly owned, the survivor can transfer ownership by bringing the following to an Oahu satellite city hall and paying applicable taxes and fees: a certificate of title that is properly endorsed in sections A and D; last-issued certificate of registration; current Hawaii safety inspection certificate; and a state-certified copy of the decedent’s official death certificate (a photocopy is not acceptable). The title transfer fee is $10. Registration fees and taxes might also be due, depending on the vehicle. An appointment is recommended, which you can make at AlohaQ.org.
>> If the vehicle is registered only in the name of the person who died, you’ll need to download and print an affidavit for collection of personal property of the decedent (808ne.ws/vtf) and call the city at 808-768-4325 or visit a satellite city hall for further guidance. This process also will require you to present a death certificate, according to the website.
Q: Last year, my son had to quarantine when he came home from college for Christmas break even though he had followed the rules and gotten his COVID- 19 test within the required time period. The lab was late with the negative test result. It arrived while we were driving home from the Honolulu airport and he still had to quarantine. Will the state cut some slack this year for holiday travelers — especially returning residents — in this type of situation?
A: No, the negative test result must be received before a passenger boards their Hawaii-bound flight, to reduce the number of surprise positive cases that emerge after arrival, said Sheri Kajiwara, administrator for Hawaii’s Safe Travels program, which requires arriving domestic passengers to quarantine for 10 days unless they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, tested negative before boarding, have recovered from the disease within the past 90 days or have another exemption. Each exception has rules the passenger must follow; read more at hawaiicovid19.com/travel.
We heard from numerous readers like you last December, frustrated that family members had to quarantine because their negative test result wasn’t received before boarding. The vaccine exception wasn’t available last holiday season. Now that it is, this should be less of a problem, even during the busy holiday travel season. These days, most domestic passengers use the vaccine exception to avoid quarantine rather than the testing option. The number doing so is expected to grow by Christmas, Kajiwara said, because U.S. residents ages 5 to 11 only recently became eligible for COVID-19 vaccination.
Q: Can I keep renewing my learner’s permit or do I have to take the road test at some point? Working from home, I haven’t had much practice driving and I don’t feel comfortable yet.
A: You can renew your learner’s permit, as long as you do so no sooner than 30 days before its expiration date, according to Honolulu County’s Department of Customer Services. There’s no limit on the number of times a driver can renew a yearlong learner’s permit, it says.
Q: Can I renew an expired learner’s permit?
A: Yes, but you’ll have to retake the written test if the permit has been expired for more than 90 days, according to the Customer Services Department.
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.