Illinois License Plate Transfer (Form VSD 393): Filing, Fees, and Deadlines

To complete an Illinois license plate transfer, file Form VSD 393 (Application for Vehicle Transaction(s)) with the Secretary of State, pay the $25 transfer fee, and do it before you sign over your old vehicle. Plates in Illinois belong to the owner, not the car, so you keep yours when you sell or trade in and move them to the next vehicle you register.¹ If the receiving vehicle also needs a title in your name, the combined fee is $190.²

Only the person named on the current registration can transfer the plates. You cannot hand them to a buyer as part of a sale.

File Before You Sell the Old Vehicle

Illinois registration expires the instant you transfer ownership of a vehicle.³ The moment you sign the old title over, the plates are no longer registered to anything, and you don’t get a refund for the unused months. Handle the transfer the same day you close the sale, or before.

If the old registration lapses before you file, you lose the simple transfer path. A delinquent renewal costs an extra $20 once more than a month has passed since expiration.²

Driving the new vehicle before the paperwork clears carries real risk. A first or second expired-registration violation is a petty offense, but a third within a year of the first becomes a Class C misdemeanor, and fixing it after the stop is not a defense under the statute.⁴

What You Need on Form VSD 393

Download the form from the Secretary of State’s website or pick one up at any Driver Services facility.⁵ Have these in front of you:

The 17-character VIN of the vehicle receiving the plates
The Illinois title number for that vehicle
Your current license plate number
The registration expiration date on the plates you’re moving
Year, make, and model as they appear on the title

Check the “Transfer” box if you already hold the title to the receiving vehicle. Check “Title and Transfer” if you need a title issued at the same time.¹ Everything must match state records exactly. A single wrong character in the VIN or a misspelled model will send the application back.

If you just bought the vehicle and the title isn’t yet in your name, submit a title application with the transfer, along with the bill of sale and odometer disclosure. The Secretary of State verifies ownership before attaching your plates.¹

Submitting in Person vs. by Mail

Any Driver Services facility can process the transfer at the counter. A technician reviews the form before it enters the system, so errors get caught on the spot. Credit and debit cards are accepted in person.

Mailed applications go to the Secretary of State’s Vehicle Services Department in Springfield, paid by check or money order.⁶ Keep a photocopy of the entire packet, including the check. Mail processing takes longer, and if something goes missing, that copy is your only proof you filed.

What the Transfer Costs

Fees are set by statute and don’t change between in-person and mail filings.²

Transfer only: $25, when the title is already in your name and the receiving vehicle stays in the same registration class
Transfer plus new title: $190 ($25 transfer fee plus $165 title fee)
Registration class upgrade: if the new vehicle falls into a higher-cost class, you pay the difference between the two registration rates on top of the $25

Moving Plates to an Electric Vehicle

Illinois charges EV owners an additional $100 annual fee intended to offset gas tax revenue the vehicle doesn’t generate.⁷ Total annual EV registration runs $251. When moving plates from a gas vehicle to an EV, expect to pay the difference between what you’ve already paid for the current class and the higher EV rate.

After You File

In-person filers walk out with a temporary registration permit that lets you drive legally while the application is processed.⁸ Display it as directed until the permanent registration card arrives. Processing typically takes several weeks.

Mail filers do not receive a temporary permit. The photocopy of your submission is your record that the transfer is pending, but it is not valid registration for driving purposes. When the registration card arrives, keep it in the vehicle; Illinois requires active registration documentation whenever the car is on the road.

If the Plates Belonged to Someone Who Died

Whether you can keep the plates depends on how the title was held. A surviving joint tenant listed on the title can apply to correct the registration and continue using the plates for $3 for the corrected title and $2 for the corrected registration, with no new registration fees until the current period ends.⁹

A surviving spouse who is not on the title qualifies for the same treatment by submitting a copy of the death certificate. A beneficiary named on the title, however, does not inherit the plate registration and must obtain a new registration.⁹

1
Illinois Secretary of State. Transferring Plates
2
Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Compiled Statutes 625 ILCS 5/3-821 – Miscellaneous Registration and Title Fees
3
FindLaw. Illinois Code 625 ILCS 5/3-501 – Registration Expires on Transfer by Owner
4
FindLaw. Illinois Code 625 ILCS 5/3-834
5
Illinois Secretary of State. Application for Vehicle Transaction(s) – Form VSD 393
6
Illinois Secretary of State. Vehicle Services
7
Illinois Secretary of State. Electric Vehicle License Plates
8
Illinois Secretary of State. Temporary Registration Permit
9
Illinois General Assembly. Administrative Code – Transferring Certificates of Title Upon the Owner’s Death