The Massachusetts C-19 Affidavit for Cancellation of Registration is a legacy Registry of Motor Vehicles form used to cancel a vehicle’s registration when the owner no longer has the physical plates to hand in. It is not a driving school document. In practice, the form is largely obsolete: the RMV no longer requires you to return your plates when you cancel a registration, so most owners can cancel online, by mail, or in person without filing C-19 at all.1Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles. Cancel Your Vehicle Registration (License Plates)
If a city or town clerk, an insurer, or another office has told you to submit C-19, contact the RMV before chasing down a copy. The RMV can confirm whether the current cancellation process satisfies the requirement or whether a specific form is still expected.
How to Cancel a Massachusetts Vehicle Registration
The goal is the same whether or not C-19 is involved: end the active registration on RMV records. That matters because Massachusetts municipalities keep assessing excise tax on registered vehicles until the RMV shows the registration as cancelled.
You have three options:
- Online through the RMV’s website. This is the fastest route.
- By mail to the RMV at PO Box 55889, Boston, MA 02205. Include your name, registration information, and a written statement that you are cancelling.
- In person at any RMV service center with your registration documents.
You do not have to surrender the plates.
Information to Have Ready
Whichever method you choose, pull these details together first:
- The plate number. If the plates are lost, find it on your most recent registration card, an insurance document, or an excise tax bill.
- The 17-character vehicle identification number tied to the registration.
- Your full legal name, and the name the vehicle was registered under if different.
- The reason for cancellation: sold, moved out of state, scrapped, or lost plates.
What to Do After You Cancel
Two follow-ups protect you from unnecessary charges.
Notify your auto insurance company. Massachusetts ties mandatory auto insurance to active registrations, and you may be owed a pro-rated premium refund once the registration is cancelled. Do not cancel insurance first. If the RMV sees the insurance drop before the registration cancellation, your record can be flagged and you can be charged a reinstatement fee later: $50 for an insurance-related cancellation, or $100 for other reasons.2Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles. Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles Fees
Apply for an excise tax abatement with your city or town clerk. If you cancelled partway through the year, you may be entitled to a partial refund of excise tax already paid. Municipalities set their own filing windows after cancellation, so do it promptly. Send or bring the cancellation confirmation from the RMV; the clerk’s office uses it to fix the effective date.
If Your Plates Were Stolen
File a police report before you contact the RMV. A report protects you if the stolen plates end up on another vehicle involved in violations. Reference the report number when you cancel the registration, or when you apply for replacement plates if you plan to keep driving the vehicle.
Cancellation only makes sense if you no longer plan to operate or insure the car. If you want to keep it on the road, apply for replacement plates instead. C-19 was originally aimed at the narrower situation where an owner wanted to end the registration but could not physically return the plates.
When to Ask the RMV About C-19 Directly
If a municipal office or insurer specifically insists on Form C-19, ask the RMV to confirm the current status of the form and what will be accepted in its place. The RMV runs an online inquiry system for questions that cannot be handled at a service center, and the mailing address for written questions is PO Box 55889, Boston, MA 02205.3Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles. Ask the RMV Confirming this in writing gives you something to show the office that requested the form.