Indiana Temporary License Plates: Options, Penalties, and BMV Steps

If you’ve just bought a vehicle in Indiana, you have three ways to drive it legally before permanent plates arrive: a dealer-issued interim plate good for 45 days, a 30-day temporary registration permit from the BMV, or a 96-hour delivery permit. Indiana temporary license plates cost $18 through the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, and which one applies to you depends on whether you bought from a dealer or a private seller and what paperwork you still need to finish.¹²

The Three Temporary Plate Options

Each permit exists for a different situation. Pick the wrong one and you’ll either waste a trip to the BMV or run out of time.

Dealer interim plate (45 days). When you buy or lease from a licensed Indiana dealer, the dealer issues an interim plate at the point of sale. You can drive on it for up to 45 days or until your permanent plate arrives, whichever comes first. The dealer marks the expiration date directly on the plate and gives you an ownership document to keep in the vehicle while you’re driving on the interim tag. If the dealer misses the deadline for delivering your title, the BMV can issue a replacement interim plate directly to you.³

30-day registration permit. Bought at any BMV branch, this is the permit for bringing a vehicle into Indiana from another state, or for driving a vehicle whose out-of-state registration has expired while you apply for an Indiana title. To qualify you generally need to show Indiana residency, an expired prior registration, and that you’ve applied for an Indiana title. The BMV accepts a completed Request for Title (State Form 1014) or the title application from your prior state.¹

96-hour delivery permit. This is the short-window option. It lets you move a vehicle you own without titling or registering it during those four days. At the branch, bring proof of insurance and proof of ownership — a certificate of title, a registration from any state, a bill of sale, or a certificate of origin.¹

Neither BMV permit can be purchased online; you have to visit a branch. The temporary plate must be displayed on the rear of the vehicle or in the left side of the rear window, and the permit itself has to stay in the vehicle in case an officer asks for it.¹

If You Bought From a Private Seller

Private-party buyers are the ones most likely to get caught out, because no one hands you a plate at the kitchen table. Indiana law gives you 72 hours after purchase to drive an unregistered vehicle, and only by the most direct route to one of three places: a storage location such as your home, an emissions inspection station, or a BMV branch to register the vehicle.⁴

There is one workaround. If you’re getting rid of another vehicle as part of the deal, you can transfer its valid and unexpired plate to the newly purchased vehicle and take 45 days to complete registration.⁴ Without a plate to transfer, and needing more than 72 hours before you can get to the BMV to register, go to a BMV branch first and buy either the 96-hour delivery permit or the 30-day registration permit before driving the vehicle on public roads.

Insurance Comes First

You cannot legally drive on any temporary plate or permit without insurance. The BMV requires proof of financial responsibility when you apply for a temporary permit, and Indiana’s insurance minimums apply whether your plate is permanent or temporary: $25,000 for bodily injury per person, $50,000 for bodily injury per accident, and $25,000 for property damage per accident.⁵

If you already insure another vehicle, most policies extend coverage to a newly purchased car for a short grace period, but the length varies by insurer and so does what’s covered. Call your insurance company before driving off the lot or the seller’s driveway. Ask exactly how long the grace period runs and whether it includes full liability or only collision. Without any existing policy, buy coverage before you drive.

Penalties for Expired or Misused Plates

The consequences scale with what went wrong.

Simply letting a temporary plate expire — driving with expired registration plates of any kind — is a Class C infraction with a fine of up to $500.⁶⁷ An infraction isn’t a criminal offense, but the fine is real and the ticket shows up in traffic stop records.

Driving past the 45-day window on a dealer interim plate is treated more seriously and is classified as a Class A infraction, which carries a significantly higher maximum fine. Failing to display an interim plate at all is a Class C infraction.³

Falsifying information to obtain registration or a temporary permit is criminal. Indiana classifies registration fraud as a Class A misdemeanor, and in certain circumstances the offense can be elevated to a Level 6 felony.⁸ Don’t transfer a temporary plate between vehicles, don’t drive on an expired plate as if it’s still valid, and don’t submit false information on a title or permit application.

Driving Out of State on an Indiana Temporary Plate

Indiana temporary plates are generally recognized in other states under interstate reciprocity principles, but no federal law guarantees every state will honor every other state’s temporary tags. Some states restrict recognition to specific permit types or durations. If you’re planning to leave Indiana on a temporary plate, call the destination state’s motor vehicle agency and confirm your Indiana plate or permit will be accepted before you go.

Finishing the Job at the BMV

A temporary plate only buys you time. When you go back to register permanently, you’ll owe the vehicle excise tax on top of registration fees. The BMV will not register a vehicle unless the excise tax has been paid or you can show the vehicle is exempt.⁹ The excise tax depends on the vehicle’s age and value and is a recurring annual cost tied to your registration renewal, not a one-time charge. Budget for both the $18 temporary permit and the permanent registration costs so the transition doesn’t catch you short.

1
Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Temporary Permits
2
Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Fee Chart
3
Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 9-32-6-11 – Interim License Plates; Violation
4
Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 9-18.1-2-8 – Operation of Vehicle Without Registration
5
Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Proof of Financial Responsibility
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Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 9-18.1-11-2 – Operation of Vehicle With Expired License Plates
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Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 34-28-5-4 – Infractions and Ordinance Violations
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Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 35-50-3-3 – Class B Misdemeanor
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Indiana General Assembly. Indiana Code 9-18.1-3-4 – Payment of or Exemption From Excise Tax