How to Fill Out and Submit the AMA Annual Minor Release Form

The AMA’s annual minor release form is a liability waiver that a parent or legal guardian submits electronically through Smartwaiver so a rider under 18 can compete in American Motorcyclist Association-sanctioned events for the calendar year. Once the AMA processes the submission, it emails back a digital release card that serves as proof of compliance at every sanctioned event through December 31.¹

What You Need Before You Start

The minor must have an active AMA membership with their own individual membership number before you submit the release. A family membership or a parent’s account does not satisfy this; each racer in the household needs a separate membership and a separate release on file.¹

Then log in to the AMA membership portal at ama.users.membersuite.com and open the “My Info” tab. Check two things on the minor’s profile: the date of birth and the email address. The date of birth you enter on the Smartwaiver form has to match the date of birth in the membership profile exactly, or the release will not be processed.¹ This is the single most common reason submissions stall. A typo in the birth year, or an email address the family no longer uses, means the digital release card never reaches you.

Choose the Right Version of the Form

There are two versions of the electronic annual release, and picking the wrong one delays processing.

The both parents/guardians version. Each parent or guardian signs and submits a separate form through Smartwaiver. The release is not complete until both submissions are in. This is the default.
The sole custody version. A single parent or guardian with legal sole custody signs and submits one form, indicating sole custody status on the form itself.

The AMA states that both parents or guardians must sign unless one has legal sole custody, with no exceptions.¹ If one parent is uninvolved or hard to reach and does not have sole custody, there is no workaround built into the annual release path.

How to Submit Through Smartwaiver

Go to the AMA’s Annual Release Forms page at americanmotorcyclist.com, under Racing Resources, and open the Smartwaiver link for the version you need.¹ Nothing is printed, hand-signed, or mailed for the standard annual release.

For the both-parents version, the first parent completes and submits, then the second parent does the same separately. Each submitter gets a confirmation email from Smartwaiver. That confirmation is a receipt, not the release card itself. The release card arrives later in a separate email from the AMA.¹

The annual release submitted through Smartwaiver does not need to be notarized. The form’s own language states that failure to witness or notarize the agreement does not affect its validity.² Notarization only enters the picture when a temporary guardian will bring the minor to an event, which is a separate document covered below.

Processing Time and the Digital Release Card

Allow two to three weeks for the AMA to process the submission.¹ Volume spikes at the start of the racing season and turnaround can stretch beyond that window, so submit well ahead of the first race on the calendar.

When processing is complete, the AMA emails the digital release card as a PDF. The email goes to the address on the minor’s AMA membership profile and, if different, to the email address used during the Smartwaiver submission.¹ Bring this card to the track. It shows a completed liability release is on file with the AMA, so you are not repeating paperwork at every event.

Annual release cards expire on December 31 each year regardless of when they were issued.¹ A new release is required at the start of each season.

What the Release Does Not Cover at the Track

A release card on file does not let a minor show up alone. The AMA competition rulebook requires a parent, legal guardian, or authorized adult to remain present at the meet for the entire time the minor is there, and a minor without a responsible adult on-site will not be allowed to compete.¹

Individual event organizers and tracks can also require their own documentation on top of the AMA release. Some use their own insurance providers and separate entry waivers. The AMA recommends contacting the event organizer in advance to confirm what they accept.¹ Arriving with only the AMA card and finding out the track wants its own paperwork is avoidable.

If an adult other than the parent or legal guardian will bring the minor to a sanctioned event, that adult must carry a notarized letter of temporary guardianship stating that the parent or legal guardian has given them responsibility for the minor during the meet. The letter needs a notary seal and stamp, and it has to be signed, dated, and notarized each time the rider attends an event with that temporary guardian.¹ Some AMA districts accept online notarization when a physical notary is not available.³ The guardianship letter does not replace the annual release; both are needed.

When an Event-Specific Form Makes More Sense

Not every family needs the annual release. The AMA also publishes competition minor release forms as downloadable PDFs on its liability release waivers page.⁴ These are paper forms used at a single event rather than filed electronically for the year.

An event-specific form covers only the race or activity listed on it. For a rider who competes once or twice a season, or who wants to try a new discipline before committing, it avoids the processing wait tied to the annual release. The trade-off is repeating the paperwork at every event, with signatures and review happening at the track before the rider is cleared. For a full season of racing, the annual release is the practical choice: one filing, one card, and faster sign-in at every event.

1
American Motorcyclist Association. Annual Release Forms
2
American Motorcyclist Association. AMA Minor Release and Waiver of Liability and Indemnity Agreement
3
AMA District 2 Racing. 2026 Minor Waiver Policy
4
American Motorcyclist Association. Liability Release Waivers