Question: Does the signature on title of ownership transfer for vehicles have to be signed in front of a DMV employee? When selling or turning over the vehicle, must the signature of ownership be signed in person or can the person sign it due to not being able to go to DMV in person due to being incapacitated?
Answer: The answer to your first question is no, according to Honolulu’s Department of Customer Services, making your second and third questions moot.
In private-party vehicle transfers, the city strongly recommends but does not require “that the buyer and seller go together in person to transfer the vehicle title and registration (buyer) and submit notice of transfer (seller). This will ensure any discrepancies with the vehicle documents can be identified, and the seller can be confident that the ownership transfer is legally finalized,” the CSD website says. “All joint buyer-seller transactions for a single vehicle ownership transfer can be processed in a single appointment at any City and County of Honolulu satellite city hall,” it says, referring to AlohaQ.org for appointments.
For sellers who can’t or don’t want to appear in person, notarization of the seller’s signature on the notice of transfer is an option to avoid problems such as having an “irregular signature” void the transfer. This can happen when the seller’s signature has changed over the years and doesn’t look the same as the signature on file, to which the signature on the notice of transfer will be compared. Having the seller appear in person or having their signature notarized prevents this problem. Like appearing in person, notarization is an option, not a requirement, according to CSD’s website.
For detailed instructions on transferring a vehicle in Honolulu County, go to 808ne.ws/3J2L7Ji.
Q: Is is still possible to do vehicle transfers by mail?
A: Yes. The buyer submits motor vehicle transfer documents and the fee. The seller submits a completed Notice of Transfer form within 10 days of signing over the Certificate of Title to the buyer. See the aforementioned website for step-by-step instructions.
Q: Do Maui residents who lost their jobs in the fires have to look for work now, or can they still collect UI without looking? There are quite a few jobs open.
A: Job-search and work registration requirements for unemployment insurance recipients who lost their jobs in the Maui wildfires were reinstated on Feb. 11, although there are some exceptions, according to the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.
“The job-search and work registration requirements do not apply if you are still attached to your regular employer, not working or working less than your full-time hours due to a lack of work, and earn less than your weekly benefit amount, or belong to a referring labor union,” according to the DLIR website. “All others must make at least three job search contacts per week, keep records of those contacts, and register for work and post an online resume on HireNet Hawaii.”
Financial Literacy Fair
Federal, state and city agencies, plus nonprofit groups, will share information about saving and investing, insurance, credit, preparing for home ownership or for retirement, avoiding financial scams and other money matters at the annual Financial Literacy Fair hosted by the state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs’ Business Registration Division. The fair is scheduled for Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Tamarind Park in Bishop Square in downtown Honolulu, the DCCA said in a news release.
Mahalo
I would like to thank the people who came to my aid when I fell in the parking lot of the Aiea Post Office. A special thank you to the man who called 911. — A reader
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
