What to Do When the Temporary License Plate Is Not Visible After Applying Black Tint Film on a New Car?
3 Answers
Temporary license plate should be placed outside or the film should be removed. Below are the relevant details: 1. Motor Vehicle License Plate: If a motor vehicle driven on the road does not display a license plate, lacks inspection qualification marks, insurance marks, or the driver fails to carry the vehicle registration certificate or driving license, the traffic management department of the public security organ shall detain the vehicle and require the party to provide the corresponding license plate, marks, or complete the necessary procedures. 2. Legal Basis: Article 11 of the Road Traffic Safety Law states that when driving a motor vehicle on the road, the vehicle must display a license plate, have inspection qualification marks and insurance marks, and carry the vehicle registration certificate. The motor vehicle license plate must be displayed clearly and completely as required, without intentional obstruction or damage. No unit or individual is allowed to confiscate or detain motor vehicle license plates.
I've got plenty of experience with this! Just last week I helped my cousin deal with the exact same situation. Putting temporary plates on tinted film is basically digging your own grave—traffic cops' first move when checking plates is to feel the rear window. I told him to immediately go to the auto parts market to buy static cling stickers and move the temp plate to the bottom right corner on the outside of the rear window. This way it won't leave adhesive marks and avoids the tinted area. He also spent 15 bucks on reflective tape to outline the plate edges—it glows bright red under headlights at night. For temporary parking when you're worried about getting ticketed, just roll down the passenger window completely and wedge the temp plate halfway out through the window gap for extra security. Remember: never use double-sided tape directly on the film—it'll ruin the tint when removed!
A hard lesson learned: pairing dark tint with temporary plates is like lighting a candle for a blind man—utterly pointless. My brand-new car wrapped in premium 'Black Warrior' film got pulled over three times by traffic cops the very next day. The real issue wasn’t the fines—it was the fact that the temporary plate’s reflective coating became completely invisible through the rearview mirror at night, nearly causing me to back into a guardrail. Now I’ve wised up: either cut a transparent PET panel and suction-cup it to the rear, or just grab a magnetic license plate holder from Taobao and stick it on the trunk. The simplest yet most effective trick? Thread fishing line through two holes to hang it on the grille, then cover it with a clear document sleeve on rainy days. A mod shop owner even taught me a hack—spraying defogger on the tinted area temporarily boosts light transmission.
