Delaware Temp Tags: Cost, Duration, and Insurance Rules

Delaware temp tags let you drive a newly purchased vehicle legally while you finish permanent registration. A Delaware dealer issues one at the point of sale for up to 90 days. If you bought the car in a private sale or from an out-of-state dealer, you get the tag yourself at any Delaware DMV office for $20, bringing proof of insurance, your Delaware license, and your bill of sale or signed-over title.¹

How to Get a Temp Tag

Where you go depends on who sold you the car.

From a Delaware Dealer

The dealer handles it. Before giving you the tag, they must see proof of valid liability insurance on the vehicle. An insurance ID card, a policy identifying the vehicle, or a letter on the insurer’s or agent’s letterhead all count. If you just traded in or sold your previous vehicle and it was properly insured, your existing insurance ID card covers the new vehicle automatically for 30 days from the purchase date.²

The dealer stamps the tag with the issuance and expiration dates and the vehicle’s make and serial number, then transmits that information to the DMV through an approved temporary tag system.³

Private Sale or Out-of-State Dealer

Walk into any DMV office (or use the drive-through) with:

A bill of sale or certificate of title signed over to you
Your Delaware driver’s license or ID
Valid proof of Delaware insurance on the vehicle
The VIN, make, and year

The tag costs $20. Temporary tags are not sold online.¹

What It Costs

The tag itself is $20, whether you buy it at the DMV or through a dealer. Dealers are capped at that same $20 per plate by statute.⁴

Budget for what comes next, though. When you finalize permanent registration, Delaware charges a document fee of 5.25% of the purchase price or the NADA book value, whichever is greater, with a minimum of $8.⁵ On a $30,000 vehicle, that is $1,575 on top of regular registration fees. A lot of buyers get caught off guard.

How Long a Temp Tag Lasts

A dealer-issued tag is valid for 90 days from the issuance date, or until your permanent plate arrives, whichever comes first.³ Tags issued directly by the DMV may be shorter: 60, 30, or 5 days depending on the circumstances.¹ No Delaware temp tag is ever valid beyond 90 days.

If Your Tag Expires Before You Finish Registering

Delaware does not offer formal extensions or renewals. You may be able to get a second tag, but how depends on the situation.

If you bought from a Delaware dealer, start with the dealership. If you bought from an out-of-state dealer, you can go back to them or visit a Delaware DMV office. At the DMV you will need your bill of sale showing your name and VIN, a Delaware driver’s license, valid Delaware insurance, a passing vehicle inspection, and another $20.¹

If the first tag expired because the vehicle failed inspection, you will need to show at least some repairs have been done. The inspection lane decides whether the vehicle qualifies for a second tag, and it will not if the car still fails safety items.¹

Lost or Stolen Tags

If your tag is lost, stolen, or falls off, bring your temporary tag registration card, valid insurance, and your Delaware driver’s license to any DMV office. A duplicate costs $2.¹

Insurance You Have to Show

No tag issues without proof of Delaware liability coverage.⁶ The state minimums are $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for bodily injury, $10,000 for property damage, and personal injury protection of $15,000 per person and $30,000 per accident.⁷

If you just traded in or sold your old vehicle and it carried proper insurance, that policy automatically covers the new one for 30 days, and the old insurance ID card is valid proof during that window.⁸ After 30 days you need a policy specifically listing the new vehicle. Call your insurer early. A policy that has not been updated can lead to denied claims even when you technically had coverage at the time of purchase.

Penalties for Driving on an Expired or Invalid Tag

A temp tag violation in Delaware is an unclassified misdemeanor. The penalties:

First offense (operating on an expired or invalid tag, putting false information on a tag, or issuing one to an unauthorized person or vehicle): a fine of $25 to $100.⁴
Subsequent offenses: a fine of $50 to $200, or 10 to 30 days in jail, or both.⁴

Cases are handled in justice of the peace courts. A second offense adds the real possibility of jail, not just a larger fine.

5-Day Transit Tag for Out-of-State Buyers

If you are buying a Delaware-titled vehicle and taking it to another state to register, you want a different product: a 5-day transit tag, issued by the DMV for $20. Bring your driver’s license or ID, proof of insurance (on the vehicle being purchased or on a vehicle titled in your home state), a bill of sale or signed-over title, and the VIN, make, and year.⁹ A standard 90-day temp tag is not the right instrument for driving a car out of Delaware for registration elsewhere.

1
Delaware Division of Motor Vehicles. Vehicle Services FAQs – Temporary Tags
2
Delaware Regulations. Delaware Administrative Code 2-2273 – Issuance of Temporary Registration Plates
3
Justia. Delaware Code Title 21 2131 – Effect and Duration of Temporary Registration Plates
4
Delaware Code Online. Delaware Code Title 21 Chapter 21 Subchapter II
5
Delaware Division of Motor Vehicles. DMV Fees
6
Justia. Delaware Code Title 21 2118 – Requirement of Insurance
7
Delaware Division of Motor Vehicles. Vehicle Services Registration – Insurance Requirements
8
Delaware Regulations. Delaware Administrative Code 2-2273
9
Delaware Division of Motor Vehicles. Delaware Titled Vehicles Sold to Out-of-State Buyer