New License Plates in Illinois: Documents, Fees, and Deadlines

To get new license plates in Illinois, you file an Application for Vehicle Transaction(s) (Form VSD 190) with the Secretary of State, along with proof of ownership, your driver’s license, and proof of insurance, and pay a minimum of $316 in title and registration fees. You can submit the paperwork in person at any Secretary of State facility or by mail to the Vehicle Services Department in Springfield. If you bought from a private party, you’ll also owe Illinois vehicle use tax at the time you register. New residents have 30 days after establishing residency to switch out-of-state plates.¹

When You Need New Plates

Four situations trigger a trip to the Secretary of State:

You bought a vehicle, new or used. The Illinois Vehicle Code technically requires you to apply for registration within 24 hours of taking ownership, though dealers usually handle the paperwork and hand you a temporary permit at the lot.¹
You moved to Illinois with a vehicle registered in another state. You have 30 days to register it here.¹
You bought a different vehicle and want to move your existing Illinois plates to it. Ownership has to stay the same for a plate transfer.
Your current plates are lost, stolen, damaged, or worn past legibility.

One boundary worth flagging up front: if the vehicle carries a salvage, rebuilt, or similar title brand from another state, Illinois generally honors that brand, and a vehicle branded as nonrepairable elsewhere may not be registrable here at all. Check the title before you buy.

Documents to Bring

The main form is the VSD 190. You can fill it out through the SOS Electronic Registration and Title System and print it, or pick up a blank copy at any Secretary of State facility.² Alongside it, gather:

Proof of ownership. That’s the signed title from the seller for a used vehicle, or a Manufacturer’s Certificate of Origin from the dealer for a new one.
Your Illinois driver’s license or state ID.
Vehicle details: VIN, make, model, year, and current odometer reading. Confirm the VIN on the title matches the VIN on the vehicle.
Proof of insurance. Illinois requires minimum liability coverage of $25,000 per person for bodily injury, $50,000 per accident for bodily injury, and $20,000 per accident for property damage. An insurance card or declarations page is fine.³
An Odometer Disclosure Statement (VSD 333) for title transfers, signed by both buyer and seller. Vehicles from model year 2010 or older are exempt from federal disclosure, and vehicles from model year 2011 or later become exempt 20 years after their model year.⁴
Private Party Vehicle Tax Transaction form (RUT-50) if you bought from an individual rather than a dealer.⁵

What It Costs

Standard fees for a passenger vehicle:⁶⁷

Registration: $151 per year
Title: $165 for an original title on ownership transfer
Plate transfer: $25, if you’re moving existing plates to a newly acquired vehicle⁸
Personalized plates: $47 initial fee on top of registration and title⁹
Vanity plates: $94 initial fee on top of registration and title⁹
Electric vehicle surcharge: an additional $100 per year

A straightforward new registration with title runs at least $316. Transferring plates from your previous vehicle drops the plate side to $25 but still leaves the $165 title fee for the ownership change. SOS facilities take checks, money orders, and credit or debit cards; mail-in applications need a check or money order.

Vehicle Use Tax on Private Purchases

This is the cost that catches private-party buyers off guard. Dealers collect sales tax at the point of sale; individuals don’t, so the state collects vehicle use tax from you when you register. It’s due at the counter, and no trade-in deduction applies.

For vehicles purchased for less than $15,000, the tax is set by model year:¹⁰

2025 or newer: $465
2024: $365
2023: $290
2022: $240
2021: $190
2020: $165
2019: $155
2018: $140
2017: $125
2016: $115
2015 or older: $100

For purchases of $15,000 or more, the tax is set by purchase price:¹⁰

$15,000–$19,999: $850
$20,000–$24,999: $1,100
$25,000–$29,999: $1,350
$30,000–$49,999: $1,600
$50,000–$99,999: $2,600
$100,000–$999,999: $5,100
$1,000,000 or more: $10,100

A handful of transfers qualify for a flat $15 tax: transfers between a spouse, parent, sibling, or child (including adopted children); estate gifts to a beneficiary other than a surviving spouse; and business reorganizations. Step-relations, in-laws, and grandparent-to-grandchild transfers do not qualify.¹⁰

Emissions Testing in Chicago and Metro-East

If you live in the Chicago area or Metro-East St. Louis region, the Secretary of State won’t process your registration until your vehicle passes an Illinois EPA emissions inspection. Most gasoline-powered passenger vehicles from model year 1996 and newer become subject to testing once they are four years old.¹¹ Schedule the test before your SOS visit so you don’t make two trips.

Residents outside those regions don’t need emissions testing to register. Illinois also doesn’t require a general safety inspection for standard passenger vehicles.

Where to File Your Application

Illinois doesn’t offer fully online plate applications. You have two ways to submit:

In Person

Take the completed VSD 190, your original documents, and payment to any Secretary of State facility or an authorized remittance agent such as a currency exchange. In-person filing lets a clerk catch paperwork problems while you’re still standing there. If you bought from a dealer, the dealer often submits everything for you and issues a temporary registration permit on the spot.

By Mail

Send the VSD 190, supporting documents, and a check or money order to the Illinois Secretary of State, Vehicle Services Department in Springfield. Use a traceable shipping method — you’re mailing your original title. Mail processing takes longer than in-person filing.

Either way, you’ll get a temporary registration permit good for up to 90 days while your permanent plates and title are processed and mailed out.²

Deadlines and Late Penalties

Delay costs money. Renewing more than 30 days late tacks a $20 late fee onto the standard registration cost. Driving with expired or missing registration is a petty offense carrying a $90 fine. New residents ticketed after the 30-day window closes face the same exposure. Handling the paperwork early, even if it means giving up an afternoon at the SOS office, is the cheapest path.

Replacing Plates You Already Have

If your existing plates are lost, stolen, damaged, or unreadable, you don’t need to re-register the vehicle. Replacement fees are modest: $9 for a pair of plates, $6 for a single plate, and $20 for a replacement sticker. A plate plus sticker combination runs $26 for a single or $29 for a pair.¹² If your plates were stolen, file a police report before requesting the replacements so the old number can’t be misused against you.

1
Illinois General Assembly. 625 ILCS 5 Illinois Vehicle Code – Section 3-801
2
Illinois Secretary of State. Apply for Registration and Title
3
IDOI – Illinois.gov. Auto Insurance Shopping Guide
4
eCFR. Part 580 Odometer Disclosure Requirements
5
Illinois Department of Revenue. RUT-50 Instructions for Private Party Vehicle Use Tax Transaction
6
Illinois Secretary of State. Fees
7
Illinois Secretary of State. Vehicles FAQ
8
Illinois Secretary of State. Transferring Plates
9
Illinois Secretary of State. Passenger License Plates
10
Illinois Department of Revenue. RUT-5, Private Party Vehicle Use Tax Chart for 2026
11
Illinois EPA. Vehicle Emissions Testing Program
12
Illinois Secretary of State. Replacement License Plates