Can a car's license plate be changed?
4 Answers
A car cannot change its license plate unless it is transferred to a new owner, in which case a new plate can be issued, but the new plate belongs to the new owner. To change the license plate, one would need to purchase another vehicle. According to regulations, to retain a license plate, the owner must first complete a transfer registration or cancellation registration, transferring the old vehicle to someone else or applying for its scrappage. Then, within six months, the owner must submit an application to the vehicle management office to retain the original plate number, providing the necessary documents for the new vehicle and surrendering the old plate. License plates follow a limited lifetime system; applications must be made within six months after scrappage or after owning the plate for at least three years. When registering a new vehicle, the owner can apply to continue using the original plate number or choose a new one. If the owner fails to apply to retain the plate number within six months, the vehicle management office will reclaim the plate and make it available for public selection by other vehicles.
Regarding changing license plates, it's not as simple as you might think. According to our country's regulations, license plates are tied to the owner's information, and they can only be replaced if there's a legal reason. The most common situation is vehicle transfer—for example, if you sell your car to someone else, the original plate must be reclaimed and reissued. Additionally, if the plate is stolen or severely damaged and unreadable, you can apply for a replacement at the DMV, though the number usually stays the same. If you want a completely new plate number, your options are basically limited to transferring ownership or going through an auction process. A reminder: after changing plates, you must immediately update your ETC and car insurance information, or you might run into trouble with toll reimbursements. I've seen many people on forums transferring ownership to relatives or friends just to get a desired plate number, but this approach is both costly and time-consuming.
Speaking of changing license plates, I just went through it recently. At the beginning of the year, my family moved to another city, and according to regulations, we had to switch to local license plates. When preparing the materials, I realized how troublesome it was: I had to bring my ID card, vehicle license, original vehicle registration certificate, as well as copies of the compulsory insurance policy and the vehicle inspection form. The staff at the vehicle management office emphasized that when replacing license plates, you can only keep the original number. If you want a completely new number, you have to transfer the vehicle ownership first. What was even more frustrating was that after changing the plates, I found out that the annual inspection sticker on the car window still had the old license plate number, so I had to reprint it. This reminds everyone to check all the documents on the car after changing plates.
The most surprising thing about vehicle transfer was having to get new license plates. Even though it's the same car, the original plate number was taken back. The staff said this helps prevent illegal use of cloned plates and monitors unlawful transactions. However, there are exceptions, such as when company vehicles are auctioned or during government agency restructuring, where applying to keep the original number is possible. But individual car owners rarely get this chance unless they obtain special approval. I remember feeling reluctant when handing in the old plates to the DMV, having grown accustomed to them after five years of use. Now I've adjusted to the new plates, though it meant re-registering for highway ETC and parking cards.
