FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can I order a vanity plate for a vehicle I have yet to purchase?

No, you must have a current registration to apply for vanity plates.

2. Can I order a vanity plate as a gift for someone else?

No, due to the Federal Driver Privacy Protection Act (DPPA), you cannot change a plate on a registration that is not your own.

3. Can I order a vanity plate for my commercial truck-tractor?

No; commercial vanity plates cannot be issued if the vehicle is being used in a truck-tractor configuration.

4. Can my vanity plate sequence start with a number?

Vanity plates with a total of 7 characters may mix numbers and letters as long as there is at least one letter in the sequence, i.e.: A123456, 1234A56, 123456B, AGR8PL8. Vanity plates having fewer than 7 characters may mix numbers and letters as long as the first character is a letter, i.e.: A1, A2B, A3C5, A4D4U, F2G3H4. Vanity plates cannot begin with a 0 (zero) or with the letter “O”, followed by only numbers.

5. Can I order a disability (handicap) plate online?

Because certification of disability must be submitted or confirmed, you can order a disability plate only if your current registration is a disability plate with one of the following class codes: CD, DX, MX, or WX

6. How will I know if my plate has been approved/ordered?

You will receive an e-mail from VANITY.PLATE@MAINE.GOV once the Bureau of Motor Vehicles has approved your plate. Vanity plates are a great way to personalize your motor vehicle. Bear in mind as you request a phrase, acronym or abbreviation to use on a Maine registration plate that other citizens may not understand your intended phrase, or be offended by it, and may complain to the Office of the Secretary of State. Maine law, MRSA Title 29-A subsection 453, paragraph 3-A states: 3-A. Restrictions. The Secretary of State, in the Secretary of State's discretion, may refuse to issue or may recall a vanity plate that consists of language that encourages violence or may result in an act of violence or other unlawful activity because of the content of the language requested by the registrant; falsely suggests an association with public institutions; or is duplicative. Should the Secretary of State receive a complaint about a vanity plate, the holder of that plate may be required to surrender the use of that registration plate.

7. How will I receive my plates, stickers and registration?

A registration and stickers (month and year) will be mailed with your new metal plates approximately 4-6 weeks after your request is approved.

8. Can I have my plates mailed to an alternate mailing address?

Yes, there is an opportunity to select an alternate mailing address when using the online Vanity Plate Order application.

9. My trailer is registered for two years. Can I apply for a trailer vanity plate online for this registration?

Yes. You will be charged the $25.00 annual fee for both registration periods ($50.00).

10. What special characters beside letters and numbers can I have on my vanity plate?

In additional to a blank space between characters, you can obtain a dash (-) and ampersand (&).

11. Can I have an ampersand in my seven character vanity plate sequence?

No, due to the size of the character on the plate, the ampersand is only allowed in sequences containing 2 to 6 characters.

12. Will a seven character vanity plate cover the graphic on my chickadee plate?

Plates with seven characters will cover the chickadee design, especially if the sequence contains a space or dash.

13. Which plates are considered specialty plates and are charged an additional fee each year?

All Conservation plates (Loon), the University of Maine System plate, the Lobster plate and the Black Bear plate. The first year costs an additional $20 and each annual renewal is an extra $15.00.

14. Can I redeem my specialty plate voucher when ordering a vanity plate online?

No. If you have a voucher (gift certificate) for an Agriculture, Breast Cancer Support, or Animal Welfare plate, you cannot use it to order a vanity plate online. Please proceed to your nearest motor vehicle branch office to apply for your vanity plate.

15. Can I apply for a Firefighter vanity plate online?

You can apply for a firefighter vanity plate only if you are replacing an existing firefighter registration plate.

16. Can I pay for my online order with an electronic check?

No. At this time, only Visa, MasterCard and Discover are accepted as forms of payment.

17. Can I renew my registration using the Rapid Renewal online service and apply for a vanity plate at the same time?

No. Please renew your current registration using Rapid Renewal; you will normally receive your updated registration within 3-5 days. Once you have received your renewal, you may apply for a vanity plate using the online application.

18. Can I order a plate any time of the year?

Yes. Keep in mind that the vanity plate fee is an annual fee due at time of re-registration. Therefore, if you are nearing your month of expiration, it may be to your financial advantage to apply for a vanity plate after re-registering.

19. If I have a vanity in one class code, can I obtain the same vanity in another class code?

No. This is no longer allowed. Vanity plates already issued in one class code cannot be duplicated in any other class code.

20. Can I renew my vanity plate registration if that vanity has been issued in other plate classes?

Yes. Even though the vanity may exist in other plate classes, you will be allowed to renew, as long as your registration has not been expired for more than 1 year.

21. Can I order a vanity plate for my long term trailer?

No. Vanity plates are allowed for all trailers, with the exception of long-term trailers.

22. My vanity plate registration has been expired for 6 months or more. Can I renew using that same vanity plate?

We can still issue vanity plates that have been expired for 6 months or more, as long as no one else has a current registration with that vanity, in any class of plate. You will be required to re-apply for that vanity plate by completing a new vanity plate application.

Questions about this Service? Contact Bureau at: (207) 555-1212 x 12345 or Email: bureau@maine.gov

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