Georgia Form MV-7: Replacement Plate Reasons, Filing, and Fees

Georgia Form MV-7 is the application you file at your county tag office to replace a license plate or renewal decal that was lost, stolen, damaged, defective, or never arrived in the mail. The fee is $8.00 in most cases, and if your plate style is in stock the clerk can hand you a new one before you leave. Driving with a missing or illegible plate is a misdemeanor in Georgia, so don’t sit on it.¹

When to Use Form MV-7

The form covers six situations, and you’ll check the matching box in Section A:

Lost — the plate or decal fell off or went missing.
Stolen — someone removed it from your vehicle.
Never received in the mail — you registered or renewed but nothing arrived.
Mutilated — the plate is bent, cracked, or physically damaged.
Defective — the reflective coating has peeled, blistered, or faded.
Other — a catch-all for anything that doesn’t fit above.

Pick one. That single choice decides what you have to bring with the form.

What to Bring to the Tag Office

Everyone brings the completed MV-7 and $8.00. The supporting paperwork is what changes.

Lost or Stolen Plates and Decals

Georgia law requires you to report a lost or stolen plate or decal to law enforcement immediately. File with your local police department, sheriff’s office, or the Georgia State Patrol, and bring a copy of the report. If you cannot obtain one, the statute allows a sworn affidavit describing the circumstances in its place.²

Mutilated or Defective Plates

If the plate is damaged but the characters are still legible, you can surrender the old plate with your application and skip the police report.² If the damage has made it unreadable, you’re back under the general rule and need a police report or sworn affidavit.³

Plates Never Received in the Mail

Two extra steps apply here. The MV-7 must be notarized when you check this box, so arrange for a notary to witness your signature before you go to the tag office. You’ll also need a police report documenting the nonreceipt. The $8.00 fee may be waived if you apply within 90 days of the original issue date.³

Filling Out the Form

You can download the MV-7 from the Georgia Department of Revenue website or pick one up at the tag office.⁴ It has five sections.

Section A — Reason for Replacement

Say whether you need a plate, a decal, or both, then check one of the six reasons. That selection drives the rest of the application.

Section B — Vehicle Information

Enter the current license plate number (or the one that was assigned if you never received it), the full 17-character VIN, and the model year, make, and model. A transposed digit here will hold up processing.

Section C — Owner Information

Give the primary owner’s full legal name exactly as it appears on the title, along with a mailing address and phone number. If there’s a co-owner, their information goes in the second block. The mailing address is where the replacement plate will be sent if the office doesn’t have your style on hand.

Section D — Certification

Both the primary and any secondary owner must list a Georgia driver’s license number, sign, and date the form. The signature certifies the information is true. Unsigned forms get rejected.

Section E — Notary Acknowledgement

Only applies if you checked “Never Received in the Mail.” A notary witnesses your signature, applies the seal, and completes the notary block. Leave it blank otherwise.

Where to File and What It Costs

Take the completed MV-7, the $8.00 fee, and your supporting documents to the county tag office where the vehicle is registered for property tax purposes.³ This is an in-person transaction; Georgia does not currently offer online submission for replacement plate applications. The $8.00 covers a plate, a decal, or both.⁵ Payment methods vary by county, so call ahead if you’re unsure whether yours takes cards.

Two exceptions on cost. A duplicate county name decal (the small sticker showing your county) is free.² And a plate lost in the mail may qualify for a fee waiver if you apply within 90 days of the issue date.

What You Leave With

If your plate style is in stock, the clerk will hand you the new plate at the counter. If the plate has to be manufactured, which is common for specialty, prestige, and personalized plates, the office will issue a 30-day temporary operating permit so you can keep driving while you wait. The permanent plate is mailed to the address on your application by the Georgia Department of Revenue.

There is no published timeline for how long a mailed replacement takes. Standard plates generally arrive faster than specialty plates that need custom manufacturing. If your temporary permit is close to expiring and the plate hasn’t shown up, contact your county tag office to check the status or ask about an extension.

Mistakes That Cause a Second Trip

Missing signature. Every owner on the title has to sign Section D.
Name mismatch. Your name has to match the title record. A nickname or an unupdated married name will bounce the form.
No police report. If you checked lost or stolen and show up empty-handed, the clerk can’t process it. A sworn affidavit works if a report isn’t available.
No notary stamp. The “never received” box requires it; without it, you’re going home.
Wrong county. File in the county where the vehicle is registered for property tax, which isn’t always where you live.

1
Justia. Georgia Code 40-2-41 – Display of License Plates
2
Justia. Georgia Code 40-2-44 – Reporting of Theft, Loss, or Mutilation of License Plates or Revalidation Decals; Issuance of Duplicates or Replacements
3
Georgia Department of Revenue. Replace License Plate
4
Georgia Department of Revenue. MV-7 Application for a Replacement License Plate (Tag) and or Decal
5
Georgia Department of Revenue. Motor Vehicles Fees, Fines, and Penalties