Is the Vehicle Registration Location the Same as the License Plate Issuance Location?
3 Answers
No. The vehicle's jurisdiction is determined by the location of the vehicle management office where the license plate is registered, not the address listed on the vehicle's registration certificate. License plates serve as unique identifiers for vehicles, allowing authorities to determine the vehicle's region of registration and access information about the vehicle's owner and registration details. More details are provided below: Registration System: The state implements a registration system for motor vehicles. A motor vehicle can only be driven on public roads after being registered with the traffic management department of the public security authority. For motor vehicles that have not yet been registered but require temporary use on public roads, a temporary license plate must be obtained. Five-Day Registration Review Period: The traffic management department of the public security authority should complete the review of motor vehicle registration within five working days from the date of accepting the application. If the application meets the conditions specified in the preceding provisions, the department should issue the motor vehicle registration certificate, license plate, and registration certificate. If the application does not meet the conditions, the department must explain the reasons for denial to the applicant.
My brother helped me pick up a new car in another province recently, and we also struggled with this issue. Actually, the vehicle registration office is where you get your license plates. For example, if you get Shanghai plates at the Shanghai DMV, then Shanghai is the registration location. This place is particularly important because later tasks like annual inspections, vehicle transfers, and handling traffic violations all need to be done at the DMV in the registration location. Last time, my colleague bought a used car from another region and had to make two trips just to change the registration location, plus pay an additional transfer fee. So when buying a car, you need to think carefully—if you want convenience for future maintenance, it’s best to get plates in your usual residence location. Don’t just go for a cheap deal and end up with out-of-town plates.
I only understood this when I accompanied a friend to transfer the vehicle registration. The registration location indeed refers to the place where the vehicle was first registered at the DMV, equivalent to the vehicle's domicile. The city where you registered and obtained the license plate and registration certificate at the DMV is permanently recorded in the vehicle's file. If the new owner doesn't change the license plate when selling, the vehicle still belongs to the original registration location. One thing to watch out for: some car dealers might trick you into registering the vehicle in a different location. Unless you live there long-term, handling traffic violations can be a huge hassle. My neighbor's SUV, registered in another city, got 12 points from traffic cameras last year and had to fly back to the original location to deal with it.
