Oregon Veteran License Plates: Eligibility, Designs, and Fees

Oregon veteran license plates are available to service members with an honorable discharge, and you apply by submitting Form 7307 with your DD-214 (or equivalent proof) to the DMV, along with your registration fee and a $2.50-per-plate annual surcharge. Separate programs for disabled veterans, former prisoners of war, and Medal of Honor recipients carry stronger fee benefits than the standard recognition plates and are worth checking before you apply.

Who Qualifies

The recognition plate program under ORS 805.105 works through a “veterans’ group” framework: the Department of Transportation sets the qualifications for each group, and you must show proof of veteran status. In practice that means honorable service in the U.S. Armed Forces, consistent with the federal definition of “veteran” under 38 U.S.C. § 101.¹

The document that proves it is the DD Form 214, showing an honorable discharge. Oregon also accepts a DD Form 215 (a correction to the DD-214) or a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs summary-of-benefits letter confirming honorable service.²

Gold Star Family plates fall under the same statute but have their own rule: only a parent, sibling, spouse, or dependent of a service member killed in action during an armed conflict qualifies. “Sibling” is defined broadly to include half-siblings and siblings through adoption, marriage, or domestic partnership.³

Which Designs Are Available

The recognition program includes plates for each of the five listed branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard.² Plates are issued for passenger vehicles and for motorcycles or mopeds. Motor homes are not an eligible vehicle type.⁴

Additional designs recognize specific decorations, service periods, or family status:

Decoration plates: Purple Heart and Bronze Star
Conflict-era plates: World War II, Korean Armed Forces Service, Vietnam Service, and Southwest Asia Service
Family recognition: Gold Star Family

The designs are standardized. You cannot add your own decal to any veteran plate.²

Check the Fee-Free Plate Programs First

Oregon runs three separate plate programs that skip renewal registration fees entirely. If you might qualify for any of them, review these before applying for a standard recognition plate.

Disabled Veteran Plates

Under ORS 805.100, a qualifying disabled veteran pays a one-time registration fee and owes nothing at renewal for as long as they hold the plates. Emissions testing still applies where required. Each qualifying disabled veteran in a household can register one vehicle, and commercial vehicles are excluded.⁵ The application uses Form 6736 rather than the standard veteran plates certification.⁶

Former Prisoner of War Plates

Former POWs also pay a one-time registration fee with no renewals under ORS 805.110. One vehicle per household qualifies, and it cannot be a commercial vehicle or exceed 10,000 pounds loaded weight. If a former POW dies, the surviving spouse can keep the plates on a vehicle, transfer them to a different one, or retain them as a memento.⁷

Congressional Medal of Honor Plates

Recipients of the Medal of Honor qualify for a plate featuring the Medal of Honor image and text under ORS 805.103. The department may waive the customized plate fee. Only one vehicle per recipient can carry the plate, and a certificate from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is required to confirm the recipient’s status.⁸

How to Apply

For standard veteran recognition plates, use the Veteran Plates Certification, Form 7307, available on the DMV website or at any field office.⁶ You will need your proof of honorable discharge (DD-214, DD-215, or VA benefits letter) and the applicable fees. Some plate types require additional proof beyond the discharge document; the back of Form 7307 lists what your specific plate requires.

You can submit the application two ways:

By mail: send the completed Form 7307, proof documents, and payment to DMV Services, 1905 Lana Ave NE, Salem, OR 97314.
In person: schedule an appointment at a DMV office so staff can verify original documents on the spot.

Once approved, the plates are manufactured and mailed to you, so plan for several weeks of processing time. Providing false information on a DMV application is a serious matter under Oregon law, so check every detail before you send the form in.

What It Costs

A standard veteran recognition plate carries the regular Oregon vehicle registration fee plus a surcharge of $2.50 per plate for each year of the registration period. On a typical two-year passenger registration with two plates, the surcharge totals $10, and it applies again at every renewal.³

Base two-year registration fees for registrations beginning or expiring after December 31, 2025 depend on your vehicle’s fuel efficiency:⁹

0–19 MPG: $126
20–39 MPG: $136
40+ MPG (not enrolled in OReGO): $216
All electric (not enrolled in OReGO): $376
Enrolled in OReGO (any vehicle): $86
Motorcycle or moped: $88

OReGO is Oregon’s road usage charge program, where drivers pay per mile instead of the per-gallon gas tax. Enrollment sharply reduces the registration fee for high-efficiency and electric vehicles.

Moving Plates to a New Vehicle

You don’t have to reapply if you sell or replace your car. Veteran group plates transfer to another vehicle of the same type (passenger to passenger, motorcycle to motorcycle), and the qualifying veteran must be a registered owner of the new vehicle. A plate transfer fee applies.¹⁰

Rules differ for the specialty categories. Disabled veteran plates transfer to any non-commercial vehicle owned by the qualifying person. Former POW plates transfer to any motorized vehicle that isn’t commercial and doesn’t exceed 10,000 pounds loaded weight. Medal of Honor plates follow their own transfer process under ORS 805.103 and can only move to a vehicle registered under the same fee category.⁸

1
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 38 U.S. Code 101 – Definitions
2
Oregon Department of Transportation. Veteran Plates Certification Form 7307
3
Oregon Public Law. Oregon Code 805.105 – Veterans Recognition Plates; Gold Star Family Plates; Rules; Surcharge; Disposition of Moneys
4
Oregon Department of Transportation. Vehicle License Plate Manual
5
Oregon Public Law. Oregon Code 805.100 – Disabled Veterans
6
Oregon Driver and Motor Vehicle Services. License Plates
7
Oregon Public Law. Oregon Code 805.110 – Former Prisoners of War
8
Oregon Public Law. Oregon Code 805.103 – Congressional Medal of Honor Recipients; Rules
9
Oregon Driver and Motor Vehicle Services. Vehicle Title, Registration and Permit Fees
10
Oregon Department of Transportation. DMV Title and Registration Handbook – Chapter K: Registration