How to Fill Out Missouri Form 1576: Notarization, Fees, and Filing

Missouri Form 1576, the Application for Replacement Plate(s) and Tab(s), is the document you file with the Department of Revenue when license plates or registration tabs have been lost, stolen, mutilated, destroyed, never received, or seized by law enforcement, or when you want an optional second plate. State law gives you five days after the loss or damage to file an affidavit with the Department of Revenue, so moving quickly matters.¹ The replacement fee is $8.50 per item plus a $9.00 processing fee, and you can complete the transaction at any Missouri license office or by mail.

When Form 1576 Is the Right Form

On the application, you check one reason for the request. The available reasons are lost, stolen, mutilated, destroyed, never received, seized by law enforcement, or second plate only.² Pick the one that actually fits your situation. If a plate was taken by police during an investigation, “seized by law enforcement” is correct; marking “stolen” instead can confuse processing. The “second plate only” option is specifically for vehicles that were originally issued a single plate when the owner now wants a front plate as well.

File a Police Report First If Your Plates Were Stolen

If the reason is theft, contact the Missouri State Highway Patrol or your local police department and file a report before you complete Form 1576.³ The report creates an official record that lets law enforcement enter your plate number into the National Crime Information Center database, which flags the plate if it turns up on another vehicle. Keep the report details on hand; license office staff may ask about it during processing.

What to Have Ready Before You Fill It Out

Pull out your certificate of title or your most recent registration receipt first. The name you write on the form must match the name on the title or registration exactly. A minor discrepancy is enough to get the application rejected.²

The full legal name of every owner listed on the title
Current address and a daytime phone number
Vehicle year and make
The full seventeen-character Vehicle Identification Number
The current plate number (or the number from your registration receipt if both plates are gone)
The month and year your current registration expires

Copy the VIN and plate number carefully. Those two fields are what the Department uses to match your request to your vehicle record, and transposed digits are the most common cause of processing delays.

Filling Out the Two Pages

Page one is where owner and vehicle information goes, along with the reason for replacement and exactly what you need: a year tab, a month tab, a single plate, or a full set. Check each item separately so the fees calculate correctly. If you need both new plates and new tabs, mark each.

Do not sign the form yet. The signature has to be witnessed by a notary.

Notarization

Form 1576 must be signed in the presence of a notary public.² The only exception is an application for an optional second plate on a commercial motor vehicle, which does not require notarization.

Missouri caps notary fees at $5.00 per signature.⁴ Banks, UPS stores, and shipping centers commonly offer notary services. If you plan to submit the form in person at a license office, call ahead to confirm whether a notary is on site. Not all offices have one, and showing up with an unsigned form when no notary is available means a return trip.

Fees

Every filing includes two charges: a replacement fee and a flat processing fee. The replacement fee is $8.50 per item, set by Section 301.300 of the Missouri Revised Statutes.¹ A $9.00 processing fee applies to every transaction regardless of what you are replacing.² The fees are the same for standard embossed plates, flat plates, and specialty or personalized plates.

Typical totals:

One tab: $8.50 + $9.00 = $17.50
One plate: $8.50 + $9.00 = $17.50
Two plates: $17.00 + $9.00 = $26.00
Two plates plus tabs: $17.00 + $8.50 + $9.00 = $34.50

Payment

Mailed applications must be paid by check or money order made payable to the Missouri Department of Revenue. Checks have to be pre-printed with your name, address, bank code, and account number, and you need to write your driver license number, date of birth, and daytime phone number on the check itself.² The Department notes that returned checks may be electronically resubmitted, so confirm the funds are available. In-person applicants at a license office can typically use additional payment methods; check with the local office for what it accepts.

Where to Submit

You have two options once the form is completed and notarized.

In person at any Missouri license office, with payment.
By mail to: Missouri Department of Revenue, Motor Vehicle Bureau, P.O. Box 100, Jefferson City, MO 65105-0100.²

In person is faster. You walk out the same day with a temporary permit. Mailing adds transit both ways plus the processing queue.

What You Get Right Away

When you apply for replacement plates (not just tabs), you receive a Replacement Plate Permit. This single-page permit is your proof of valid registration while the permanent plates are manufactured and mailed. Display it on the back windshield of your vehicle. Motorcycles, motortricycles, autocycles, and trailers are the exceptions: for those, carry the permit with the vehicle instead.² The Department also recommends keeping your validated application receipt with you as additional proof of registration until the plates arrive.

The form does not state a guaranteed delivery timeline. Standard plates are manufactured centrally and mailed to the address on the application. If your plates have not arrived after a reasonable period, contact the Motor Vehicle Bureau in Jefferson City or visit a local license office to check the status of the order.

Where to Get the Form

The current PDF is available from the Missouri Department of Revenue at dor.mo.gov, and blank copies are available at any license office. Do not sign it until you are in front of a notary, and confirm the name you write matches your title or registration receipt character for character before you go.

1
Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 301.300 – Replacement of Lost, Stolen or Damaged Certificates, Plates, or Tabs, Procedure to Obtain Replacement or Duplicates, Fee – Multiyear Plates Fee
2
Missouri Department of Revenue. Form 1576 – Application for Replacement Plate(s) and Tab(s)
3
City of St. Louis. Report Lost or Stolen License Plates or Tags
4
Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 486.685 – Fees of Notary Public