To put window tint darker than 35% visible light transmission on your car in Massachusetts, you need a medical tint waiver from the Registry of Motor Vehicles. The waiver is free, but it requires a Massachusetts-licensed physician to certify on the RMV’s application form that you have a permanent condition causing photosensitivity or photophobia, and that polarized tinted sunglasses are not enough to manage it. You mail the original completed form to the RMV’s Medical Affairs office, and if the Medical Advisory Board approves it, you receive both a waiver certificate and an updated vehicle registration.
Who Qualifies
The RMV does not publish a list of approved diagnoses. The application treats photosensitivity and photophobia as symptoms, and your doctor identifies the underlying clinical diagnosis that causes them.1Mass.gov. Application for Tinted Glass Waiver Conditions like lupus, porphyria, and albinism are common examples, but any diagnosis producing severe light sensitivity can be the basis for a waiver.
Two eligibility rules catch people out. The condition has to be permanent, so temporary photosensitivity from a medication or a healing eye procedure will not qualify.1Mass.gov. Application for Tinted Glass Waiver And your doctor has to confirm that polarized tinted sunglasses alone cannot adequately manage your symptoms. If standard eyewear would solve the problem, the RMV will not approve the waiver.
The Application
The form is the Application for Tinted Glass Waiver, a downloadable PDF on Mass.gov.2Mass.gov. Apply for a Tinted Glass Waiver for Your Vehicle It has two halves.
You complete the applicant section with your full name, home address, date of birth, driver’s license number, and the license plate number of the vehicle to be tinted.1Mass.gov. Application for Tinted Glass Waiver For a standard registered vehicle, the form asks for the plate number rather than the VIN.
A Massachusetts-licensed medical doctor completes and signs the physician section. That includes their name, address, Massachusetts Board of Registration number, and National Provider Identification number. On the medical side, the doctor states the specific clinical diagnosis, confirms the condition is permanent, and certifies that polarized tinted sunglasses cannot adequately manage your symptoms.1Mass.gov. Application for Tinted Glass Waiver
If the car is leased, add a letter from the leasing company on its letterhead granting permission to apply tinted glass. The letter needs the vehicle’s VIN or registration information and a statement that the tint will be removed when the lease ends.1Mass.gov. Application for Tinted Glass Waiver
Where to Send It
Mail the original signed application. The RMV rejects photocopies and faxes.2Mass.gov. Apply for a Tinted Glass Waiver for Your Vehicle The address is:
Registry of Motor Vehicles
Medical Affairs
PO Box 55889
Boston, MA 02205
There is no filing fee. The Medical Advisory Board reviews the application, so allow several weeks for a decision.1Mass.gov. Application for Tinted Glass Waiver Submit and get approval before you have the tint installed. Otherwise you are driving illegally in the meantime, and if the waiver is denied you will pay to have the film removed.
What You Receive and What to Do With It
Approval brings two documents in the mail: the waiver certificate and a new vehicle registration marked “Vehicle with Tinted Glass Waiver” in the message field. Discard the old registration and keep the new one in the car along with the certificate.2Mass.gov. Apply for a Tinted Glass Waiver for Your Vehicle
Keep the certificate in the vehicle at all times. If an officer stops you and questions the tint, that is the document you present. The registration notation is a secondary confirmation; the certificate is what the RMV requires you to carry.
If you lose the certificate, request a replacement by mailing a signed, notarized letter to the same Medical Affairs address, stating that the original is no longer in your possession and that you need a new one.2Mass.gov. Apply for a Tinted Glass Waiver for Your Vehicle
What the Waiver Does and Doesn’t Cover
A waiver permits darker-than-legal tint on the front side windows, rear side windows, and rear window. It does not authorize tinting the windshield below the AS-1 line, meaning the area below the top six inches.2Mass.gov. Apply for a Tinted Glass Waiver for Your Vehicle That windshield rule applies to every driver.
The waiver is also tied to one specific private passenger vehicle that you own or are listed on as an operator under the insurance policy.2Mass.gov. Apply for a Tinted Glass Waiver for Your Vehicle Change cars and you file a new application.
The Underlying 35% Rule and the Cost of Skipping the Waiver
Without a waiver, all side windows and the rear window must let at least 35% of visible light through. A transparent strip on the top six inches of the windshield is allowed; the rest of the windshield must stay untreated.3General Court of Massachusetts. Massachusetts General Laws Part I, Title XIV, Chapter 90, Section 9D Anything darker than 35% VLT on the regulated windows requires the medical waiver.
Driving with illegal tint carries a fine of up to $250 per violation, and a third or subsequent conviction can bring a license suspension of up to 90 days.3General Court of Massachusetts. Massachusetts General Laws Part I, Title XIV, Chapter 90, Section 9D Tint is also checked at the annual safety inspection, so a failing car cannot renew its registration until the film comes off or a valid waiver is on file.