How long can the license plate be retained after a vehicle is scrapped?
2 Answers
After a vehicle is scrapped, if its license plate has been used on the original vehicle for more than one year, it can be retained for two years. This means the original plate number can be used for vehicle registration within one year. License plates, commonly known as vehicle plates, refer to the plates hung on the front and rear of a vehicle. They are typically made of aluminum, sheet metal, plastic, or paper, and display the vehicle's registration number, registration region, or other relevant information. License plates serve as identification and information registration for vehicles, allowing people to determine the vehicle's region of registration and access details about the vehicle's owner and registration information based on the plate number.
Last year, I scrapped my old car, and the vehicle management office informed me that the license plate could be retained for a full year—a decent amount of time, but I had to act quickly. After scrapping the car, I needed to promptly apply for plate retention at the office, bringing my ID card and the scrapping certificate. As long as the original car had no pending traffic violations, the application would be approved. I delayed for two months before handling it and almost missed the deadline, so I’d advise others not to procrastinate like I did. Within the retention period, I bought a new car and directly reused the old plate, saving a lot of hassle—especially for those with personalized numbers, as keeping them holds sentimental value. Overall, this policy is quite considerate, helping car owners maintain familiarity and convenience, but be sure to remember the deadline to avoid delays, or you’ll have to go through the lottery process all over again.
