NY Registration & Plates

Registering your New York vehicle is absolutely necessary before you can take the streets in your vehicle legally, as it is against the law to drive without registration. Even if you have just purchased a new vehicle, there is a time limit in effect that determines when the registration should be transferred to your name, which can cause great penalties if ignored. Understanding how to get new registration for your vehicle, new plates, and even renew your registration each year or every other year, depending on your actual plates, is something that you must do before you even get started.

• The New York DMV offers several methods for getting your vehicle registered as well as renewing your New York registration when the time comes. In fact, you are mailed a renewal notice that will determine how and where to renew your registration, which can even be done by mail or online. If you are getting first-time registration for a new vehicle you have just purchased, you will have to report in person to the DMV in order to complete the process adequately with the proper proof of identification. However, once your vehicle is registered in your name, the options for renewal can be by mail or online, whichever you choose – or even in office if you feel it is best.

• If you happen to lose your registration, you should know how to replace NY registration with the New York DMV as the process can be much different than that from other states. However, it isn't difficult to get your registration documents replaced, and the same goes for plates. If you ever suspect that these documents have been stolen, however, you must be sure to report the theft to the police department, after which your replacement could be at no charge.

• If you need a New York address change, it must be made before you renew your registration or obtain initial registration and plates. These documents are often mailed to your home, which means that if your address is incorrect with the DMV, someone else may be receiving your registration and plates. However, if you do change your address before renewing your registration, the online option may no longer be available. Visit Department of Motor Vehicles to get the information you need to determine whether you can register online or not.

• Before you can even think about registration, really, you must first consider safety and emissions inspection in New York, which is completed before you are issued your new registration and plates. If your vehicle fails the inspection, however, 4dmv.com will help you determine what you should do next, if an emissions waiver is going to help, and how to ensure that your vehicle is registered sooner than later.

• There are definitely different types of plates in New York, with personalized, disability, picture, and classic plates offered. Each type of plates takes a different process to obtain and can mean different processes to come as well. If you are interested in these plates, or in getting disability parking placards in New York, visit 4dmv.com's handy License Plates & Placards page for all the New York plating information you could need.