How to Get a Custom License Plate in Texas: Steps and Costs

To get a custom license plate in Texas, you order a specialty plate design through MyPlates.com or submit Form VTR-999 to your county tax assessor-collector, and if you want personalized text you add it during that same order. Pricing runs from about $30 per year for a basic specialty design with a randomly assigned number up to $195 per year for a seven-character personalized message through the state’s online vendor.¹

Specialty Plate or Personalized Text

Texas won’t let you personalize the general-issue plates that come with registration. Any custom plate starts with a specialty plate, which is one with a custom background design like a university logo, military branch, or Texas-themed graphic.² The plate number on top of that design can be randomly assigned (cheaper) or personalized with a message you choose (more expensive). When people say “custom plate,” they usually mean the second one, but the price difference makes the distinction worth knowing before you shop.

Who Qualifies

You need to be a Texas resident, and the vehicle has to be titled and registered in Texas in your name. If it isn’t titled in your name, attach a statement confirming you have legal possession and control of it at all times.³ The vehicle must be for personal use.

Passenger cars and trucks are eligible for the full specialty plate catalog. Motorcycles and trailers are eligible for a narrower list; on Form VTR-999, motorcycle-eligible designs are marked with an “(M)” and trailer-eligible designs with a “(T).”³ Disabled veteran plates and plates with the International Symbol of Access also require Form VTR-214 with a physician’s original prescription or notarized signature.²

Picking Your Message

Character limits depend on where you order. Plates ordered directly from TxDMV allow up to six alphanumeric characters. Plates ordered through MyPlates.com allow up to seven.⁴ Motorcycle plates typically have a lower limit than passenger vehicle plates.

You can also use a small set of symbols: a space, heart, star, hyphen, period, the International Symbol of Access, or a Texas silhouette. No more than three symbols per plate, and each has to be separated by at least one character or blank space.⁴ MyPlates.com lets you check whether a combination is available before you commit.

What TxDMV Won’t Approve

Every personalized message is reviewed, and TxDMV rejects anything it considers offensive, derogatory, or misleading, including references to sexual acts, drugs, illegal activity, or language that demeans a person or group.² The reviewer reads the message the way a reasonable person would, with no other context, so creative spellings and abbreviations meant to slip something past won’t work. Rejections happen daily. If you’re unsure whether yours crosses the line, assume it will.

The Two Ways to Order

Online Through MyPlates.com

MyPlates.com is the state’s authorized private vendor. You browse designs, enter a message, check availability, and pay in one online session. This path allows up to seven characters and carries the widest selection of designs.² After checkout, TxDMV reviews the message and the plates go into production.

By Paper Application (Form VTR-999)

For department-issued specialty plates, complete Form VTR-999 and submit it in person or by mail to your county tax assessor-collector. Payment is by personal check, money order, or cashier’s check. If the vehicle was recently titled, include a copy of the title application receipt; leased vehicles need a copy of the lease agreement.³ Personalized text through this path is capped at six characters, but the annual cost is much lower.

What It Costs

Specialty and personalized plate fees are on top of your regular registration.

Through MyPlates.com, a personalized plate of six or fewer characters is $150 for one year, $400 for three years, or $450 for five years. A seven-character personalized plate is $195 for one year, $445 for three years, or $495 for five years.¹ The five-year term is dramatically cheaper per year if you plan to keep the plate.

Through the county tax office with Form VTR-999, the base specialty plate fee is $30 to $40 per year depending on the design. Adding personalized text costs an additional $40 per year.³

One thing to know before you click submit: TxDMV does not issue refunds on specialty plates once they’re manufactured to your specifications. Check your message and spelling carefully.²

How Long It Takes and Where You Get Them

After the order is placed and the message approved, expect about six weeks for manufacturing and delivery to your local county tax office.⁵ If you mailed in a VTR-999, check with the county tax office after about three weeks to confirm the order is moving.³

Plates are not shipped to your home. You pick them up at the county tax office you named on the application. Bring a valid photo ID. If you ordered plates with the International Symbol of Access, bring the original Form VTR-214 as well.²

If Your Message Is Rejected

You have three options: pick a different combination, request a refund, or appeal. Appeals are typically reviewed within about five days. A refund is available here because the plate hasn’t been manufactured, which makes rejection one of the only situations where you can get your money back.

Keeping the Plate

Specialty plates are issued for one-, three-, or five-year terms. TxDMV adds a reminder to your annual registration renewal notice, but the specialty plate renewal is a separate line item and easy to miss. If you don’t renew within 60 days of expiration, TxDMV cancels your plate selection and releases the combination for anyone else to claim.² Put the date somewhere you’ll see it.

If you get a new vehicle, you can move the plates using Form VTR-904, with no fee for the transfer itself. The plates have to be in good condition with a readable number. Antique, classic, custom vehicle, and street rod plates can’t be transferred; standard specialty and personalized plates generally can.

If your plates are lost, stolen, or damaged, order replacements through the county tax office using Form VTR-60. The fee is $6 plus a $0.50 automation fee, and your personalized combination stays reserved to you.² If the plates were stolen, file a police report before heading to the tax office.

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My Plates. Pricing
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Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. License Plates
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Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. Application for Specialty License Plate (Form VTR-999)
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Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. License Plate Specifications
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Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. Plate Auctions