How to Fill Out and Submit Maine’s Window Tint Medical Exemption Form

To tint your windows darker than Maine’s 35% visible light transmittance limit for a medical reason, you file the Maine window tint medical exemption form with the State Police Traffic Division. The certificate is issued by the Chief of the State Police, not the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, and once you have it, you must keep it in the vehicle and produce it whenever a law enforcement officer or inspection mechanic asks.¹

Who Can Qualify

The statute does not list specific diagnoses. You qualify if “the health of the owner or a person who usually occupies the vehicle is adversely affected by sunlight.”¹ That gives the Chief of the State Police discretion over which conditions to approve. Common qualifying conditions include lupus, porphyria, xeroderma pigmentosum, and severe UV reactions after skin cancer treatment, but any condition your doctor can certify as being worsened by sunlight is potentially eligible.

The person whose health requires the tint does not have to be the vehicle’s registered owner. The form has separate sections for the owner and for the person with the medical condition, so a parent applying on behalf of a child, or an owner whose spouse is the regular passenger, uses the same process.²

Where to Get the Form

The document is titled “Application for Window Tint Medical Exemption” and is available as a PDF on the Maine Department of Public Safety website.² If you cannot find it online, contact Maine State Police headquarters at 45 Commerce Drive, Augusta, Maine 04333-0042 to request a copy.³

Completing the Form

The application has five sections. At the top, check whether this is an original application or a change-of-vehicle request. A warning at the top of the form states that knowingly providing false information is a Class D criminal offense, punishable by up to one year of confinement, a fine of up to $500, or both.²

Registered Owner Information

Enter your name exactly as it appears on the vehicle’s registration. A mismatch with the state’s registration database can delay processing. You’ll also list your phone number, home address, mailing address if different, driver’s license number, date of birth, and sex.

Person With the Medical Condition

Fill out this section even if the person needing the exemption is the registered owner. If the person is someone else, put their name and phone number here. The person with the medical condition must sign this section, certifying that they qualify under 29-A MRSA §1916.²

Vehicle Information

Provide the year, make, model, license plate number, VIN, and title number. Check every digit of the VIN against your registration card. The exemption is tied to this specific vehicle, so if you replace it later you file again.

Physician’s Statement of Certification

Your medical professional certifies here that you have a qualifying condition. The form accepts certification from a Maine-licensed physician, physician assistant, or optometrist.² The certifying professional prints their name, provides their license or certification number, lists their business address, and signs the statement that the person named in the medical-condition section has a condition warranting exemption from Maine’s window tinting standards.

The license number field is marked “Required.” Leaving it blank is one of the easiest ways to have the application sent back. Confirm your provider has filled it in legibly before you leave the office.

Where to Mail It

Send the completed, signed form to:

Maine State Police – Traffic Division – MVIU
20 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333-0020²

Neither the form nor the statute lists a filing fee. Do not send payment unless you are specifically told to. There is no published processing time; allow a few weeks for the certificate to come back in the mail, and contact the Traffic Division if a month passes with no word.

Carrying and Using the Certificate

The Chief of the State Police issues the certificate of exemption once your application is approved. You must keep it in the vehicle and present it whenever a law enforcement officer asks.¹ The glove compartment, alongside your registration and insurance card, is a sensible spot.

The certificate matters at annual inspection too. Without it, a vehicle tinted below 35% VLT will fail the tint check. Hand the certificate to the mechanic before the inspection starts. A vehicle that fails on tint alone gets a rejection sticker, and you have 60 days to correct the problem and return.

If You Change Vehicles

The certificate stays with the vehicle it was issued for, not with you. When you buy or trade for a different car, use the “Change of Vehicle” checkbox at the top of the application, complete the form with the new vehicle’s details, have your medical professional sign a fresh certification, and mail it to the same Traffic Division address.² File before you install tint on the new vehicle or drive it on the road, or you risk a citation while the paperwork is in transit.

Driving Without a Valid Certificate

Operating a vehicle with tint darker than 35% VLT without a valid exemption is a traffic infraction under Maine law and carries a forfeiture set by the state’s penalty schedule.¹ An inspection mechanic is also barred from issuing an inspection sticker for a non-compliant vehicle, so the problem carries over into your ability to keep the car legally on the road.

1
Maine State Legislature. Maine Code 29-A Section 1916 – Reflective and Tinted Glass
2
Maine.gov. Application for Window Tint Medical Exemption
3
Maine.gov. Contact Us – Maine State Police