If you live in the state of Missouri, you can register your vehicle with the Department of Revenue. When you apply for license plates, you can receive the state’s standard plate or choose a specialty design.
Residents of Missouri should register their vehicles with the Department of Revenue (DOR).
In the application process, you can choose from the following types of license plates:
All vehicles must have license plates on both the front and rear of their vehicle. Additionally, rear license plates must have registration stickers placed in the top corner.
You need a temporary license plate if you want to purchase a vehicle and drive legally until your license plates have been processed.
Licensed dealers may be able to provide you with temporary plates, or you can go to the nearest licensing office to pick some up.
When picking up temporary plates, you’ll need the following:
When you receive your temporary plates, they are valid for 30 days only.
There are two conditions that require you to apply for license plates in Missouri:
In both situations, you will have 30 days to register your vehicle with the DOR.
You must title and register your vehicle in order to receive your license plates. You may require the following to apply for plates:
Contact or visit your county’s licensing office for more details about your vehicle.
Specialty plates in Missouri allow you to attach a custom design to the rear of your vehicle. The following is a list of some of the plate available to you:
These plates have additional fees on top of the standard registration fees. For example, organizational plates can be registered for an additional $15 and renewed for $15. Other plates, such as the historic plates, cost $25.25 to register.
You are permitted to create a custom license plate number in Missouri. You can check to see if the plate number you want is available online.
You must follow the DOR’s guidelines in order for your application for personalized plates to be approved:
The fee for personalizing your license plate is $15 in addition to any registration fees.
If you have a disability, you may be eligible for disability license plates or placards in Missouri.
Placards are available to people with:
Disability license plates are only issued to people with permanent disabilities and to organizations that provide transportation services for people with disabilities.
You should renew your vehicle’s registration with the DOR before the date on your rear license plate.
You may receive a reminder in the mail, but you are responsible for renewing your vehicle before the date expires, to avoid any unnecessary late fees.
If you have damaged your license plates, or if you upgrade to a specialty plate, you must surrender your old ones.
You may also have to surrender your plates if you cancel your vehicle’s insurance or decide to move to a new state.
You can only transfer your plates to a new vehicle. You cannot transfer your license plates to a new person.
You must bring all documents for registering your new vehicle, in addition to payment for the transfer fee ($2).
If you sell your vehicle and do not intend to purchase a new one, you’ll have to surrender your license plates.
If your license plates have been stolen, you must obtain a police report and bring it with you to apply for new plates.
You can apply for replacement license plates either:
When you order replacement license plates, you’ll need the following:
Damaged or lost plates should also be replaced right away.
The following fees are required for registering vehicles in Missouri:
If you want to find an available license plate number, you can use FindByPlate to search in your state.
You can also search a vehicle’s history if you know the license plate and the state the vehicle is registered in.
