How to Get Personalized License Plates in Texas

To get personalized license plates in Texas, you order them one of two ways: directly from the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles for a plate with up to six characters, or through MyPlates.com, the state’s contracted vendor, for a plate with up to seven characters and a wider design catalog. Pricing starts at $150 per year, every message needs TxDMV approval, and you pick the finished plates up at your county tax assessor-collector’s office.1Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. License Plates

Pick Your Ordering Channel

Texas runs the personalized plate program on two tracks, and the difference comes down to character count and design.2Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. Specialty License Plates eVIEW

  • TxDMV department-issued plates allow up to six alphanumeric characters, with a smaller set of designs. The process runs entirely through the state.
  • MyPlates.com vendor plates allow up to seven characters and offer more elaborate backgrounds. Ordering happens online.3Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. License Plate Specifications

Either way, TxDMV approves every message before manufacturing, and either way you finish the transaction at the county tax office.

What It Costs

MyPlates.com prices personalized plates by character count and term length, and the full term is paid up front.4My Plates. Pricing

  • Six characters or fewer: $150 for one year, $400 for three years, or $450 for five years.
  • Seven characters: $195 for one year, $445 for three years, or $495 for five years.

The five-year term does most of the work on the price. A seven-character plate is $495 for five years, compared with $975 if you renewed it one year at a time.

These fees sit on top of your regular vehicle registration, plus any pro-rated registration you owe at pickup to sync the sticker’s expiration with your plate term. Once a plate goes to manufacturing, it is custom-made and there are no refunds.

What Your Plate Can Say

Character limits are firm: six for department plates across passenger cars, trucks, and motorcycles, and seven for vendor plates.3Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. License Plate Specifications

Content rules come from Texas Administrative Code Title 43, Section 217.45.5Legal Information Institute. Texas Administrative Code 43 TAC 217.45 – Specialty License Plates, Symbols, Tabs, and Other Devices The state will not approve combinations that are indecent, vulgar, profane, sexually suggestive, or derogatory. References to crime, violence, drugs, or government entities are prohibited, as are messages that could confuse law enforcement or give negative instructions to other drivers. The TxDMV has sole control over designs, typefaces, colors, and alphanumeric patterns.6State of Texas. Texas Transportation Code Chapter 504 – License Plates

Before you settle on a phrase, run it through the availability search on MyPlates.com. No two Texas plates can share the same alphanumeric pattern, so a perfectly clean combination may already belong to someone else.

How to Apply

Through MyPlates.com

For a vendor plate with up to seven characters, everything happens online. Choose a design, enter your desired combination, and check that it’s available. Have your vehicle identification number and current plate number ready before you start.1Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. License Plates Pay by credit card or electronic check to complete the order.

Through the County Tax Office

For a department-issued plate with up to six characters, use Form VTR-999, the Application for Specialty License Plate. Download it from TxDMV.gov or pick one up at your county tax assessor-collector’s office, then submit the completed form with payment to the tax office.7Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. Application for Specialty License Plate VTR-999

Picking Up Your Plates

When the plates are ready, you pick them up in person at the county tax assessor-collector’s office. They are not mailed. Bring:

  • A government-issued photo ID, such as a driver’s license, passport, or military ID.
  • Your current license plates, which you’ll surrender at the counter.
  • Your current registration sticker, which will be replaced.

You get a new registration sticker at pickup because the sticker displays your plate number. Expect pro-rated registration fees so the sticker’s expiration lines up with your plate term.8Travis County Tax Office. Specialty License Plates Put the sticker on the windshield and mount both plates before you drive off.

Renewals and the 60-Day Trap

Personalized plates come with a one-year, three-year, or five-year term. Your annual registration renewal notice reminds you when the plate term is up.1Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. License Plates

If you do not renew within 60 days of expiration, the TxDMV system automatically cancels your combination and releases it for anyone else to claim. There is no grace extension, and once a new owner takes the combination, you cannot get it back. A plate you have carried for ten years can be gone from a missed deadline.

Transferring Plates to a New Vehicle

When you sell or trade in a vehicle, you can transfer your personalized plates to a replacement vehicle at no cost. Take the plates and the registration sticker off the old vehicle before you hand it over.1Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. License Plates

  • Between vehicles you already own: bring the plates to your county tax office for a new sticker on the new vehicle.
  • Buying from a dealer: hand the plates to the dealer and ask them to transfer them to the new vehicle.
  • Buying from a private party: register the plates at the county tax office when you title the new vehicle.
  • Leased vehicle: the same transfer process applies.

TxDMV recommends transferring rather than surrendering, because keeping the plates in your possession keeps someone else from using them fraudulently.