How to Fill Out and Submit the PA Window Tint Exemption Form (MV-402)

The PA window tint exemption form, MV-402, is PennDOT’s medical application for permission to install UV-filtering film on a vehicle whose owner or a household member has a condition that makes sun exposure dangerous. You fill out the vehicle owner’s section, a licensed physician or optometrist completes the medical certification section, and you mail the form to PennDOT’s Vehicle Inspection Division. If approved, PennDOT issues a certificate for that specific vehicle. One point worth getting straight before you start: the exemption only authorizes colorless UV-filtering film. It is not a path to dark tint.¹

Who Can Apply

Two groups can file the MV-402. The first is a vehicle owner who personally has a qualifying medical condition. The second is a vehicle owner who lives in the same household as a person with a qualifying condition, provided that person regularly drives or rides in the vehicle.¹ A parent can apply for a child who needs UV protection as a passenger. A spouse can apply when the affected person is not on the title.

The exemption attaches to the vehicle, not the person. Two cars means two applications, each with its own vehicle information.

What Conditions Qualify

The statute does not list specific diagnoses. PennDOT decides, in consultation with its Medical Advisory Board, which conditions justify the exemption.² Conditions commonly associated with severe photosensitivity include lupus, albinism, erythropoietic protoporphyria, and dermatological conditions that trigger painful reactions to UV exposure. Whether a specific diagnosis qualifies turns on the strength of the medical certification and PennDOT’s review.

Filling Out the Owner’s Section

The MV-402 has two parts. You handle the top portion. Before you sit down with the form, have the following ready:

Your full legal name, exactly as it appears on your vehicle registration and Pennsylvania driver’s license or photo ID.
Your PA driver’s license or photo ID number, which ties the request to your PennDOT record.
Your current residential street address, matching your registration.
Vehicle make, year, model, and VIN. The VIN sits on the driver’s-side dashboard near the windshield or on the driver’s door jamb.

Read the VIN back twice. One wrong digit and PennDOT cannot match the exemption to your car, and the application comes back for you to redo. Sign the owner’s line before you mail anything.

Filling Out the Medical Certification

Give the form to your physician or optometrist. Both are authorized to certify. The regulation calls for a “medical certification of need due to a disability,”¹ and a strong certification includes:

The specific diagnosis requiring UV protection.
A medical explanation of why standard window transmittance is not enough for the patient’s safety.
Whether the need is permanent or temporary, with an expected duration if temporary.
The provider’s license number, office address, and contact information.
The provider’s signature.

A diagnosis listed with no connection drawn to UV sensitivity is a weak certification and slows the process. A missing signature or unreadable license number will get the application rejected outright. If your provider’s handwriting is hard to read, ask them to print or type the credentials.

Where to Mail the Form

Send the completed MV-402 to:

Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
Vehicle Inspection Division
P.O. Box 68697
Harrisburg, PA 17106-8697

There is no online submission. PennDOT’s practice is to print the mailing address in the upper corner of each form, so check the address on your downloaded copy before sealing the envelope.³ Certified mail gives you proof of delivery, which matters because a lost form leaves you with no record you submitted anything. PennDOT does not publish a processing timeline for the MV-402. If you have not heard back after a few weeks, call the Medical Unit at (717) 787-9662.⁴ The same number is a good starting point if you need a blank copy of the form or have questions before filing.

What the Exemption Actually Allows

Pennsylvania’s baseline rule prohibits any sun-screening material on a windshield, side wings, or side windows that keeps a person from seeing inside the vehicle.² The MV-402 exemption narrows that only enough to permit a “colorless sun screening device or other material which filters ultraviolet light.”¹ The film blocks harmful UV while staying transparent. Any installer you use should be familiar with colorless UV-filtering products; confirm they understand the Pennsylvania restriction before the job starts.

After You Receive the Certificate

Approval comes as a certificate of exemption for the specific vehicle listed on the form. It carries three ongoing obligations:

Keep the certificate in the vehicle whenever it is on the road.
Show it to any police officer who asks during a stop.
Present it at your annual safety inspection so the film does not cause an inspection failure.¹

Store the certificate somewhere you can reach from the driver’s seat. The glove compartment or a door pocket works. A protective sleeve keeps it from getting damaged or illegible.

If You Sell or Transfer the Vehicle

The certificate becomes void the moment you sell or transfer the vehicle. Before the sale closes, you have to remove any sun-screening material that would not comply with the standard rules, destroy the certificate, and give the buyer a notarized statement listing your name and address, the VIN, the vehicle’s year and model, and the business and process used to remove the film.¹ This is the seller’s responsibility, not the buyer’s. Leave the film on without the notarized statement and the new owner walks into a tint violation at their next inspection. If you still need UV protection in your next car, file a new MV-402 for that vehicle.

Do Not Install the Film Before Approval

Driving with non-compliant tint and no valid certificate is a summary offense under Pennsylvania’s vehicle equipment laws, and the vehicle will fail its annual inspection.² The certificate is what makes your film legal. If you install it while your application is pending and then get pulled over, you have nothing to hand the officer, and “I applied” is not something they can verify on the roadside. Wait for the certificate before you book the installation.

1
Pennsylvania Code. 67 Pa. Code 175.265 – Exemption Provisions
2
Pennsylvania General Assembly. 75 Pa.C.S. 4524 – Windshield Obstructions and Wipers
3
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Contact Driver and Vehicle Services
4
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Vehicle Window Tint Fact Sheet