Missouri Form 4601: Military Plate Application, Fees, and Filing

Missouri Form 4601 is the application you use to order a military specialty license plate from the Missouri Department of Revenue, covering branch-of-service, award, conflict, and recognition plates for veterans, active-duty members, and certain family members. The form has four steps: owner and vehicle information, plate selection, personalization, and license office pickup. You mail it, with proof of service and payment, to the Motor Vehicle Bureau in Jefferson City.¹

Check Your Eligibility First

The vehicle must be titled in Missouri.¹ It cannot be a commercial vehicle licensed at more than 24,000 pounds gross weight.² You also need to qualify personally for the plate you want. Branch plates require proof of service in that branch. Award plates (Bronze Star, Silver Star, Purple Heart, Combat Infantryman Badge, and the rest) require proof you received that specific decoration. Conflict plates require proof of service during that campaign. Family-member plates, like Some Gave All, are limited to immediate family of a service member who died in the line of duty.

Gather Your Documents

Every application needs proof of military service. The Department of Revenue accepts any one of the following:¹

DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty
DD Form 215, Correction to DD Form 214
Form WD AGO 53-55, Enlisted Record and Report of Separation
General Orders documenting an award or decoration
NGB Form 22, for National Guard members
Official discharge order from the U.S. Armed Forces
Current military identification card, for active-duty members

For an award-based plate, your paperwork also has to show you received that decoration. The DD-214 usually lists awards on its face, so a single document often covers both the service and the award.³

Additional Documents for Disabled Veteran Plates

If you’re applying for a Disabled Veteran plate, bring two more items. The first is a statement from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, dated within one year of your application, confirming your disability is service-connected. The second applies only if you want the wheelchair accessibility symbol: an original, signed Physician’s Statement for Disabled Person License Plates (Form 1776), completed by a licensed physician, chiropractor, physician’s assistant, podiatrist, optometrist, or advanced practice registered nurse. That statement is valid for 90 days after it is signed.¹

Filling Out the Four Steps

You can download the PDF from the Missouri Department of Revenue website or pick up a paper copy at any local license office.

Step 1: Owner and Vehicle Information

Write your name exactly as it appears on the vehicle’s Missouri title. Add your current street address, city, state, ZIP code, and a daytime phone number. Enter your current license plate number along with the vehicle’s year, make, model, and VIN. Check the box for the vehicle category the plate will go on.¹

Step 2: Select Your Plate Type

Check the single box for the military plate you want. The form lists every available design, from branch and award plates to Former POW, Retired Military, and the two Gold Star options. If you want plates on more than one vehicle, submit a separate Form 4601 for each.

Step 3: Choose Your Personalization

Print your preferred letter-and-number combination in capital letters. There is room for backup choices if your first pick is already taken. You can use one space, one dash, or one apostrophe, and no other symbols. The Department of Revenue will reject combinations it considers obscene, profane, or offensive.¹

Step 4: Pick a License Office and Sign

Military plates are not mailed to your home. Write in the name and number of the local license office where you want to pick them up; the Department of Revenue’s license office locator lists both. Sign and date the form. A false statement on the application is a criminal violation and can result in fines or imprisonment.¹

What It Costs

The standard fee is $15 for personalization, and it applies to most plates on the form. Several plates have no fee or a waived personalization fee:¹

Congressional Medal of Honor: no fee
Former POW: no fee, stock or personalized
Purple Heart: one free set for recipients
Disabled Veteran: one free set per owner; additional sets pay regular fees
Retired Military: no personalization fee
We Shall Not Forget (Gold Star): no personalization fee

The $15 is on top of your regular annual registration fee, not a replacement for it. You pay the reservation fee again at each annual renewal, along with the standard registration cost.³ Include your payment with the application.

Where to Submit and How to Pick Up Your Plates

Mail the completed form, your proof-of-service documents, and payment to:

Missouri Department of Revenue
Motor Vehicle Bureau
Personalized License Plate Section
PO Box 569
301 West High Street, Room 370
Jefferson City, MO 65105-0569³

You can also hand the application in at any Missouri license office, or reserve and personalize plates through the Department of Revenue’s online portal.

Expect six to eight weeks after the plates are ordered.¹ The Department of Revenue mails a notification letter to your address when the plates reach the office you selected. Bring that letter with you to pick them up.

Keep the Renewal Deadline in Mind

Once you have the plates, renew them within 60 days of their expiration date. If you miss that window, the Department of Revenue may release your personalized combination for someone else to claim. Renewal requires the $15 reservation fee plus your regular registration fee.¹

1
Missouri Department of Revenue. Application for Missouri Military Personalized License Plates
2
Missouri Revisor of Statutes. Missouri Code 301-451 – Purple Heart Medal, Special License Plates
3
Missouri Department of Revenue. Personalized and Specialty License Plates