Do I need to go in person if the 4S shop helps with license plate registration?
2 Answers
You do not need to go in person if the 4S shop helps with license plate registration. According to relevant regulations, when applying for a new car license plate, it is only required that the provided ID card matches the name and ID number on the invoice of the car owner. Therefore, the vehicle license plate registration can be handled by someone else, and the car owner does not need to go to the vehicle management office in person. The cost of license plate registration at a 4S shop is higher than that of personal registration at the vehicle management office. Since there is no unified standard for license plate registration fees, different 4S shops have different charging standards. However, currently, the service fee for license plate registration at most 4S shops on the market ranges from about 500 to 2,000 yuan. If the customer chooses to entrust the 4S shop to help with license plate registration, all the procedures for the new car will be handled by the 4S shop, and all the processes for license plate registration will be completed by the designated personnel. On the other hand, the process of registering the license plate by oneself is more cumbersome. It requires completing multiple steps such as purchasing car insurance, paying the purchase tax, handling criminal investigation inspection, accepting license plate registration materials, selecting a license plate number, receiving vehicle procedures, paying vehicle and vessel tax, etc. Under normal circumstances, the entire license plate registration process takes about more than 3 hours.
When I bought the car, I specifically consulted the salesperson at the 4S store. He said that for license plate registration, the owner doesn't need to be present at all. As long as you prepare the original ID card, car purchase invoice, and vehicle qualification certificate in advance and give them to the store, they will send someone to the DMV to handle the paperwork. They'll help fill out forms, take a number, inspect the vehicle, and even install the license plate for you. My colleague just had the 4S store handle it last week—he didn't even take half a day off and picked up the car with the license plate already installed the next day. Just remember to ask about the agency fee in advance—some stores bundle it into the service fee, while others charge separately, so don't get tricked. If the local DMV requires face verification for selecting the license plate number, the salesperson will contact you in advance for a video call—such special cases are extremely rare.
