What are the requirements for license plate swapping?
2 Answers
Need to meet the following conditions: Condition 1: For swapping different license plates, the owner must be the same person, including matching name and ID card. The different license plates must be under the same person's name. Condition 2: Swapping different license plates under the same person's name does not include commercial vehicles; only non-commercial vehicles can be swapped. Condition 3: Both vehicles must be registered in the same location and must have the same type of license plate. Condition 4: Any traffic accidents or fines must be resolved before applying for the swap. Condition 5: Both vehicles must have valid safety technical inspections and compulsory traffic insurance to proceed with the swap.
At the time, I bought a new car and an old car, and wanted to swap the license plates because the old plate was passed down from my dad and held sentimental value. When I inquired at the DMV, I found there were quite a few conditions: both vehicles had to be registered under my name, and after confirming that, the registration status had to be checked—both had to be valid. The vehicle types also had to match, for example, both being passenger vehicles—you couldn’t swap a private car plate to a commercial truck. The process itself wasn’t complicated—just filling out a form and paying a fee—but if these conditions weren’t met, they’d outright refuse, wasting your time. It’s recommended that owners check their vehicle’s registration certificate and type in advance to ensure a smooth transition.
