How to Get a Copy of Your California Vehicle Registration

To get a copy of your California vehicle registration, request a duplicate card from the DMV online, by mail, in person at a field office, or at a self-service kiosk. The fee is $28, and the online portal is the fastest route if you don’t need a document in your hand today.¹ Only the registered owner can submit the request.²

Order a Replacement Card Online

The online portal is the simplest option. You’ll need your license plate number, the last five digits of your VIN, and your registration details. No REG 156 form is required.³

Check your address on file before you start. The replacement is mailed to the address the DMV has on record, and it arrives within 14 days.³ Pay the $28 fee with a credit or debit card; online payments carry a 1.95% service fee.¹

Not every vehicle qualifies. The portal runs an eligibility check up front, and if there’s a hold or lien issue on the record it will send you to a field office instead.

Use a Self-Service DMV Kiosk

California has DMV kiosks in some field offices and retail locations. You can process a replacement registration card at a kiosk with your license plate number and the last five digits of the VIN.⁴ Kiosks use the lower 1.95% card processing rate, matching the online transaction.¹

Visit a Field Office

Go in person when you need proof of registration the same day. Staff can issue a temporary document on the spot while your permanent card is processed and mailed.

Book an appointment through the DMV website first, because walk-in waits are long. Bring valid photo ID, a completed Application for Replacement Plates, Stickers, Documents (REG 156), and your $28 payment. The registered owner’s name and signature must be on the form.² Card payments at a field office carry a 2.1% service fee, slightly higher than the online or kiosk rate.¹

Request a Duplicate by Mail

Download the REG 156 form from the DMV website.⁵ Complete your name, address, license plate number, and VIN, and mark the box for a replacement registration card. Sign and date it as the registered owner.

Include a check or money order for $28 made payable to the Department of Motor Vehicles.¹ Mail to:

Vehicle Registration Operations
Department of Motor Vehicles
PO Box 942869
Sacramento, CA 94269-0001⁶

Certified mail gives you delivery confirmation, worth the extra cost when you’re sending a check. Processing usually takes two to four weeks from when the DMV receives the application, and can stretch longer during busy periods.

Fees and Delivery at a Glance

The replacement fee is $28 regardless of method.¹ Card service fees vary by channel:

Online or kiosk: 1.95%
Field office: 2.1%

Delivery times:

Online: mailed within 14 days to the address on file.³
Mail: two to four weeks after the DMV receives your application, sometimes up to six weeks in peak periods.
In person: temporary document issued the same day, permanent card mailed afterward.

Who Can Request the Copy

Only the registered owner can apply. A family member or someone else managing the vehicle cannot submit the request without the owner’s signature on the REG 156. The form must show the registered owner’s name, address, and signature before the DMV will issue a replacement.²

If Your Registration Card Was Stolen

A stolen card is not the same problem as a lost one. Your registration lists your name, address, and vehicle details, so identity theft is a real concern. California doesn’t require a police report to get the duplicate, but filing one creates a paper trail if someone misuses your information and gives your insurance company documentation if the theft came out of a vehicle break-in.

The replacement process is unchanged — same $28 fee, same three channels. If you think someone took the card to clone your registration or commit fraud, tell staff during an in-person visit so the office can flag your record.

What a Duplicate Card Doesn’t Cover

Ordering a copy replaces a lost, stolen, or damaged card. It does not renew expired registration. If your registration has lapsed, you have to complete the renewal separately before the replacement card will do you any good. Driving on expired tags carries its own fines under Vehicle Code Section 4000(a), and a vehicle whose registration has been expired more than six months can be towed.

New California residents are also in a different situation. If you moved here with a vehicle registered in another state, you have 20 days to register it with the California DMV.⁷ That’s an original registration, not a duplicate, and it involves a smog inspection, proof of insurance, and the out-of-state title. The DMV’s new resident guide has the full checklist.⁸

Why Replacing the Card Promptly Matters

California Vehicle Code Section 4462 requires drivers to present their registration card when a peace officer asks for it.⁹ Getting stopped without one usually results in a fix-it ticket: you show proof of valid registration to the court and the citation is dismissed. Painless in theory, but it still means a court trip and any applicable fees. The $28 and few minutes it takes to order a replacement online costs less than the hassle.

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California DMV. Registration Fees
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California DMV. Vehicle Industry Registration Procedures Manual – Application for Replacement Plates, Stickers, Documents (REG 156) Form
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California DMV. Online Replacement Sticker or Registration Card
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California DMV. Registration Card Replacement
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California DMV. Replacement License Plates and Stickers
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California DMV. Contact Us
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California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code VEH 4152.5
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California DMV. New to California
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California Legislative Information. California Vehicle Code VEH 4462