Vanity plates or personalized plates are interchangeable terms used when you have a fancy plate for your vehicle. All motorcycle owners can have a vanity plate. Besides, if you have livery, commercial, bus, or antique vehicles, you can easily apply for vanity plates.
To get a vanity plate, you need to understand a few things such as:
· Your vanity plate must have two letters at the beginning.
· Your plate must not exceed more than six characters. Or, in the case of a motorcycle, you can choose five characters maximum.
· You cannot choose a mixture of letters and numbers.
How to Apply for a License Plate
If you don’t have an actively registered plate for your vehicle, you can request one. Let’s get started with the procedure:
You can opt for the online process to order a vanity plate. It depends on you what style you choose; however, it is better to choose from the most used plate styles. That way, you can increase your vehicle’s value. Moreover, you may call or send an email to check the availability of the number.
Other than online, you can apply for plates by sending an email or even in-person.
Online Order
You must be free of disabilities that have the Universal Symbol of Access to apply for personalized plates. Below are some points that you need to carry out;
You may need a vehicle registration valid for more than 60 days. The registration must be issued in a passenger, motorcycle, or commercial class.
The vehicle registration record must have your current mailing address.
The record must have the same name as your current name.
You need to provide a 3-letter registration class code, current plate number, and the first three letters of your last name.
A credit card is needed for verification that may be acceptable by DMV.
Email or Fax Order
Once you check the availability, you can email or call to order your plate. Get the application form and fill it up to submit. The whole procedure is completed online, and you can now fax it or email it to the given address.
A check or money order is used to pay the charges. In choosing a fax option, you need to complete the form and fax it with credit card authorization. After that, the DMV staff will review your request, and your plates will be approved if everything is fine. In the next step, plates will be sent to the DMV office so that you can pick them up quickly.
In-Person Order
If you don’t understand the online form filling procedure, you can apply for your plate in person. Go to the DMV office to renew the vehicle’s registration. With the customized plate search option, you can select any style of plate beforehand. You will get a temporary permit for vehicle movement, and you will get the plates through email.
Once you successfully applied for the vanity plates, the department will process your request. If they find it perfect, you will get plates within 12 weeks in the mail. If the plate’s order got rejected, you would get a notification along with a refund within 4 to 6 weeks.
Things You May Need for Vanity Plates
· At least two letters at the beginning of the vanity plate are needed.
· Maximum 6 and minimum two characters for Bus, Livery, Camper, Passenger, and Commercial vanity plates are allowed.
· You cannot use numbers in the mid of the plate. Numbers must be at the end.
· You can use these letters I, O, Q, and U only as a part of the word with clear-cut spellings. No ambiguity in spellings is allowed.
· Your plate must be free of spaces, periods, or any punctuation marks.
· Your letters and numbers must not spread an offensive message.
What are the Criteria for Plate?
Below are the criteria given that you need to follow in order to get a vanity plate;
- The Registrar is not allowed to issue a plate if the vanity plate contains;
- a mixture of letters or numbers that are offensive or duplicate of an existing registration,
- if the mixture of characters is vulgar or it is a bad combination that should not be registered, such as profanity shown in the form of plate characters or a swear or curse word,
- if the combination of characters is insane, disgusting, or disturbing for a race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation, or political affiliation,
- Or if the combination is duplicate to a vehicle actively registered.
- Apart from the reasons mentioned above, the Registrar can reject the plate request if the combination seems inappropriate in any sense.
- Moreover, the Registrar also checks if the combination is irrelevant or communicated offensively while reading the plate from left to right or right to left and whether a foreign language or a code is used.
- The Registrar can recall a vanity plate that has been issued even it has been renewed. If the Registrar intentionally gets to know that the combination of letters or numbers is offensive in nature, or the plate is duplicate, this will be enough to recall.