Can a Used Car Be Transferred Along with Its License Plate?
2 Answers
Buying a used car does not allow for the transfer of the license plate along with it. If the original license plate meets the usage period requirement, it can be retained under the original owner's name for use when purchasing a new car. If the conditions are not met or the owner relinquishes the original license plate, the vehicle management office will reclaim it, and the new owner will need to select a new license plate. Conditions under which a vehicle cannot be transferred include: 1. Vehicles without compulsory traffic insurance cannot be transferred; 2. Vehicles that have been modified, altered, or had their cargo weight or passenger capacity changed without approval; 3. The applicant cannot act as an agent for the original owner to complete the transfer procedures; 4. Vehicles with unresolved traffic violations, accidents, or those under investigation by authorities; 5. Vehicles that have not undergone regular inspections or have failed inspections; 6. Smuggled, customs-supervised, or stolen vehicles cannot be transferred; 7. Vehicles under court-ordered freeze or with unresolved mortgages; 8. Commercial vehicles converted to non-commercial use that have reached the scrap age or will reach it within one year; 9. Used cars being relocated in or out that do not meet local standards.
When I bought a used car, I asked this exact question and the answer was basically no—the license plate can't be transferred along with the car. The plate is like the car's ID number, tied to the original owner. During the transfer, the old plate must be canceled first, and then the new owner applies for a new one. For my transaction, I went to the DMV with my ID and the purchase contract—got it all done in one morning, and getting a new random plate number was straightforward. But don’t assume you can keep the old plate unless you're in a city like Beijing with license plate quotas; exceptions might apply. Always confirm policies with the seller beforehand and check the local DMV website to avoid scams. The transfer went smoothly, but the plate had to be new—don’t bother fixating on the old number.
