North Carolina vehicle registration is going paperless beginning October 1.
The Division of Motor Vehicles will no longer issue license-plate registration stickers or automatically provide printed registration cards when a vehicle is registered or renewed.
Renewal requirements remain in place
The change does not eliminate annual registration renewals. Vehicle owners must still pay registration fees and vehicle property taxes, maintain continuous insurance coverage and complete required safety or emissions inspections.
Drivers may continue renewing online, in person at a license-plate agency, by mail or at an eligible self-service kiosk. NCDMV will also continue mailing renewal notices approximately 90 days before registrations expire.
Printed copies remain available
Drivers are not required to carry a paper registration card. Law-enforcement officers will verify registration through their own electronic systems, and motorists will not be asked to hand over a telephone for verification.
Vehicle owners who want a copy may download a free PDF using their license-plate number and the final five digits of the vehicle’s title number. A printed copy may also be ordered or obtained through a license-plate agency for $5.
NCDMV recommends removing old registration stickers on or after October 1. Drivers traveling outside North Carolina may choose to save or print a registration copy as a backup.
Sources: North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles and WRAL.
