The Illinois Secretary of State sets fees by statute for vehicle registrations, titles, driver’s licenses, business filings, notary commissions, and official records. Most are flat and apply the same statewide. The current Illinois Secretary of State fees are below, grouped by what you’re paying for.
Vehicle Registration
A standard passenger vehicle costs $151 a year to register. That’s a $148 base fee plus a $1 State Police Vehicle Fund surcharge and a $2 Park and Conservation Fund surcharge. Motorcycles use the same surcharge structure on a $38 base, for $41 a year.1Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Code 625 ILCS 5/3-806 – Registration Fees; Motor Vehicles of the First Division
Electric vehicles cost $251 a year. The extra $100 offsets the fuel taxes gas-powered vehicles pay at the pump.2Illinois Secretary of State. Electric Vehicle License Plates
Active-duty military members stationed outside the United States for at least 90 days during the prior registration year get a 50% discount. Veterans returning from a combat mission get a full waiver for the year following their return.3Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Code 625 ILCS 5/3-806.7 – Registration Fees for Active Duty Military Personnel
A replacement registration sticker is $20. A single replacement plate is $6.4Illinois Secretary of State. Basic Fees
Vanity and Personalized Plates
Vanity plates use only letters; personalized plates combine letters and numbers. On a passenger vehicle, annual renewal runs $164 for a vanity plate and $158 for a personalized plate — a $13 or $7 surcharge over the standard $151. Motorcycle renewals run $54 for vanity and $48 for personalized. Initial ordering fees are typically higher than the annual surcharge.4Illinois Secretary of State. Basic Fees
Vehicle Titles
An original certificate of title costs $165, whether you bought from a dealer or a private party.4Illinois Secretary of State. Basic Fees Private-party purchases also trigger a separate vehicle use tax collected by the Illinois Department of Revenue, so budget for both when buying used.
A duplicate or corrected title is $50.4Illinois Secretary of State. Basic Fees5FindLaw. Illinois Code 625 ILCS 5/3-821 – Duplicate Certificate of Title Expedited service adds $30; requests submitted by noon ship overnight the same day.6Illinois Secretary of State. Expedited Title Service
Driver’s Licenses and State ID Cards
License pricing scales with age and is the same for a standard card or a REAL ID version.
- Standard renewal, ages 21–68: $30 for four years
- Original license, ages 18–20: $5
- First instruction permit: $20
- Ages 69–80: $5
- Ages 81–86: $2
- Age 87 and older: free
- Duplicate or corrected license: $5
These come from the fee schedule in the Illinois Vehicle Code.7Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Code 625 ILCS 5/6-118 – Fees If you recently renewed a standard license and want to switch to a REAL ID before your current card expires, the switch is $5 rather than a full renewal.
A state ID card for adults 18 to 64 costs $20. Seniors 65 and older qualify for reduced fees or free cards.8Illinois Secretary of State. Driver’s License/State ID Card Fees
Commercial Driver’s Licenses
A CDL is $60. That bundles $10 for the license, $24 for the CDL endorsement, $20 for the Motor Carrier Safety Inspection Fund, and $6 for the national CDL information system fund.7Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Code 625 ILCS 5/6-118 – Fees
License Reinstatement
Getting a suspended or revoked license back costs more than the license itself, and each action on your record carries its own fee:
- Traffic-related suspension: $70 per suspension
- Failure to appear in court: $70 per suspension
- Mandatory insurance conviction: $100 per suspension
- First DUI-related summary suspension: $250
- Subsequent DUI-related suspensions: $500 each
- License revocation: $500 per revocation
Someone with multiple actions on their record can owe several hundred dollars before applying for a new card.9Illinois Secretary of State. Driver’s License Reinstatement Fees
Business Entity Filings
Business filings go through the Department of Business Services, a division of the Secretary of State.
Formation
Articles of Organization for a standard LLC cost $150. A Series LLC costs $400 to form, plus $50 for each Certificate of Designation filed for an individual series.10Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Code 805 ILCS 180/50-10 – Fees
Articles of Incorporation for a standard business corporation are also $150.11Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Code 805 ILCS 5/15.10 – Fees for Filing Documents Illinois has fully phased out its franchise tax, so new corporations filing in 2026 no longer owe that additional charge.
Nonprofit Articles of Incorporation cost $50, the cheapest entity type to form.12Illinois Secretary of State. Not For Profit Corporations Publications and Forms
Annual Reports and Late Penalties
Every LLC and corporation must file an annual report to stay in good standing. The LLC annual report fee is $75. Series LLCs pay an additional $50 for each active series on top of the base $75.10Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Code 805 ILCS 180/50-10 – Fees
Miss the deadline and a $100 late penalty applies. Keep missing it and the Secretary of State will administratively dissolve the entity. Reinstatement requires filing every overdue annual report (up to six years’ worth) and paying every associated fee and penalty in a single transaction.13Illinois Secretary of State. Reinstatement Filing – Corporation
Amendments and Certificates
Amending articles of organization or incorporation costs $50 per filing. Restating articles entirely is treated like a new formation and costs $150.10Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Code 805 ILCS 180/50-10 – Fees
A certificate of good standing costs $25 for corporations and LLCs and $5 for nonprofits. You can buy and print it immediately online with a credit card.14Illinois Secretary of State. Illinois Secretary of State – How Do I
Notary Public Commissions
A four-year notary commission costs $15. Adding electronic notarization requires a separate endorsement with a $25 fee on top of the base commission.15Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Code 5 ILCS 312 – Illinois Notary Public Act A surety bond is also required before the commission takes effect, but that’s purchased separately and not paid to the Secretary of State.
Records and Certified Copies
A certified driving record abstract costs $21, which includes a $20 base fee and a $1 payment processor fee.16Illinois Secretary of State. Driving Record Abstract
Certified copies of business filings cost $25 per document, or $50 with expedited processing.17Illinois Secretary of State. Limited Liability Company Publications and Forms These are typically requested for court proceedings, opening bank accounts, or registering an Illinois business in another state.
Paying Without the Credit Card Surcharge
In-person transactions accept credit cards and checks. Mail-in payments accept checks, cashier’s checks, and money orders.18Illinois Secretary of State. Payment Information Online payments accept credit cards, debit cards, and electronic checks.
Every credit card payment carries a processor fee. That surcharge goes to the payment processor, not to the Secretary of State. To skip it, pay by e-check online or by check or money order through the mail.19Illinois Secretary of State. License Plates Renewal