Pennsylvania Form MV-140 is the paper application for renewing your vehicle registration when you don’t have the pre-printed renewal notice (Form MV-140R) that PennDOT normally mails about two months before your registration expires. You can download the blank form from PennDOT’s website or pick one up at any Driver and Vehicle Service Center or Online Messenger office.1Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Titling and Registration Frequently Asked Questions Fill in your vehicle, owner, and insurance information, calculate the fee, sign it, and mail it with a check to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles in Harrisburg.
When You Need the MV-140
Most Pennsylvania drivers never touch this form. If your MV-140R renewal notice arrived in the mail, you can renew online, through an Online Messenger, or by returning that notice. The blank MV-140 is for the cases where that path isn’t available:
- Your renewal notice never arrived or was thrown out.1Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Titling and Registration Frequently Asked Questions
- Your vehicle type or account status blocks online renewal.
- You’ve moved and want to update your address at the same time.
What to Gather Before You Start
Pull these out before you sit down with the form. Missing any one of them stops you partway through.
- Title number, from your Pennsylvania certificate of title.
- Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), from the title, registration card, or the plate on your dashboard.
- Your current license plate number.
- The month and year your current registration expires.
- Insurance company name, policy number, policy effective and expiration dates, and the five-digit NAIC code for your insurer (printed on your insurance card).2Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Request for Registration – Form MV-140
- Current odometer reading, whole numbers only (no tenths).
- Pennsylvania driver’s license or photo ID number for yourself and any co-owner on the title.
- If the vehicle is leased, the lessor’s name and address.
How to Fill Out the MV-140
The form is divided into labeled sections. Work through them in order.2Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Request for Registration – Form MV-140
Section A: Vehicle Description and Owner Information
Enter the title number, plate number, make, VIN, and body type. For a truck or truck tractor, also fill in the registered gross weight, registered combination weight, and number of axles; passenger car owners leave those blank. Write the month and year your registration expires. Below that, print your full legal name (last, first, middle), date of birth, and Pennsylvania driver’s license or photo ID number. A co-owner on the title fills in the same information on their line.
Section B: Change of Address
Only use this section if your address has changed since your last registration. Enter the new street address, city, state, and zip. If nothing has changed, leave it blank.
Section C: Insurance Information
Enter the insurance company name, policy number, effective and expiration dates, and NAIC number. Pennsylvania requires every registered vehicle to carry financial responsibility, and PennDOT verifies it at renewal.3Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code 75 – Required Financial Responsibility If what you write doesn’t match what PennDOT has on file, your renewal can be delayed or your registration suspended.4Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Insurance Overview
Section D: Odometer Reading
Write the current mileage. Drop the tenths; whole number only.
Section E: Lessor Information
If the vehicle is leased, enter the leasing company’s name and address. Owners skip it.
Section F: Retired Person’s Processing Fee
If you’re retired and under PennDOT’s income threshold, you may qualify for a reduced processing fee in place of the full registration fee. Enter your actual income from the past calendar year. PennDOT publishes the income limits separately.
Section G: Optional Donations
You can add $5 for the Pennsylvania Veterans Trust Fund and $3 for the Organ Donor Trust Fund. Both are voluntary and get added to your total.2Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Request for Registration – Form MV-140
Section H: Fees
Add it all up. Start with the registration fee for your vehicle type, add the $5-per-year county fee if your county participates, add any Section G donations, and add $2 for each duplicate registration card you need. Write the total at the bottom.
Section I: Signatures
Sign and date. A co-owner signs on their line if there is one, and the lessor signs if the vehicle is leased. Add a phone number so PennDOT can reach you if there’s a problem.
Registration Fees
The fee depends on your vehicle type and whether you renew for one or two years. A standard passenger vehicle costs $48 for one year or $96 for two.5Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Bureau of Motor Vehicles Schedule of Fees Not every vehicle type qualifies for the two-year option; if “N/A” appears in the two-year block on PennDOT’s fee schedule, you must renew annually.6Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Payments and Fees
Trucks are priced by registered gross weight:
- 3,000 lbs or less: $7 per year.
- 3,001 to 10,000 lbs: $15 per year.
- 10,001 lbs or more: $46 per year, with a $223 permanent registration option.5Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Bureau of Motor Vehicles Schedule of Fees
Some counties add a $5-per-year local fee. The MV-140 itself notes whether your county participates; if it does, include that amount in your Section H total.
Where to Mail It
Make the check or money order payable to “Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.” Don’t send cash.6Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Payments and Fees Mail the completed form and payment to the address on the form:
Bureau of Motor Vehicles
1101 S. Front Street
Harrisburg, PA 17104-25162Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Request for Registration – Form MV-140
Confirm the payment amount matches the Section H total before you seal the envelope. A mismatch sends the whole thing back to you and costs you weeks.
After You Mail It
PennDOT mails the updated registration card to the address on file once it processes your renewal. There’s no sticker to apply; Pennsylvania stopped issuing registration stickers at the end of 2016, and law enforcement checks your status electronically.7Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Registration Stickers
Keep your old registration card in the vehicle until the new one arrives. If you’re pulled over in the gap, a copy of the submitted form or a bank record showing your check cleared can help explain the situation.
If Your Registration Lapses
Driving an unregistered vehicle on any Pennsylvania road is a summary offense. The fine is $75 or double the registration fee, whichever is greater. If the vehicle was registered within the previous 60 days, the fine drops to $25, plus court costs.8Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code Title 75 – Registration and Certificate of Title Required Mailing the MV-140 well before your expiration date gives PennDOT time to process it and get the new card back to you.