What are personalized plates?

Personalized plates are standard series plates that have a combination of numbers and letters that you select, for an additional fee in addition to your regular vehicle registration fee. 1

How much do personalized plates cost?

Passenger and Commercial Plates:
Initial Cost = $60.00
Annual Fee = $31.25

Motorcycle Plates:
Initial Cost = $35.00
Annual Fee = $18.75

Can I use personalized plates on any type of vehicle?

You can use personalized plates on passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles, motorcycles and trailers.

What can I use for a personalized plate combination?

Your requested plate combination is subject to review.  The DMV is not required to issue your requested plate. 

The maximum number of characters you can use depends on the plate type you are registering.  2   You can have up to

• eight characters on a standard series plate 
• six characters on a personalized plate for a motorcycle
• six characters on a picture plate
• the state image is available on some personalized plates and counts as a character.  See the example [1]. 

Check if the personalized plate combination you want is available. [2]

What plate combinations are restricted? 

• Personalized plates that give the appearance of an official plate or the configuration of special registration classes.  3
• Combinations that are considered obscene, derogatory or offensive.
• Combinations that do not have one letter.
• Combinations that consist of six numbers followed by one letter.
• Use of the letter "O" between two numbers to make what appears to be a number.  4
• Use of the letter "I" as the first or last characters on a plate when the other characters are all numbers.  5
• Use of the number zero (0) between two letters to form a word.  6
• Use of the number zero (0) and the letter "O" to form a word or number.  7

Read the DMV regulations for restrictions on personalized plate combinations [3]. 

Can picture plates be personalized?

Yes. Some picture plates can be personalized for an additional fee in addition to your picture plate and regular registration fee. For personalized plate availability and pricing for the picture plate you are interested in, you can browse our collection of picture plates online. The categories are:

• I Love NY Adventure [4]
• Sports [5]
• Military and Veterans [6]
• Counties and Regions of NY State [7]
• Colleges, Fraternities, Sororities [8]
• Causes [9]
• Professions [10]
• Organizations [11]
• Motorcycle Plates [12]