About Replacing Car Registration in North Carolina

If you need to replace a lost car registration in North Carolina, it is important to do so as soon as your original documents disappears from your possession. Driving without a valid registration card, license plates or validation stickers is unlawful. It could result in you paying costly penalty fees if a police officer pulls you over for any reason.

While the most common reason to get a duplicate registration is due to lost documents, you must also replace them if they sustain a significant amount of damage from water, fire, heat or any other reason.

Your vehicle’s registration documents must be legible, and requires a replacement if they become unreadable at any time. To learn more about these requirements and to explore the process to replace your registration credentials, review the information below.

Getting a North Carolina Auto Registration Replacement

You can request a duplicate registration card and replacement validation stickers if your original credentials get damaged, become defective or disappear from your possession at any time. Typically, you can purchase replacement registration stickers in one of three ways:

• In person at any North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles (NCDMV) license plate agency.
• By mail.
• Online.

To replace car registration cards and stickers, you must follow some steps depending on the request method you choose. You must be able to provide important information about your registered motor vehicle, such as its vehicle identification number (VIN), make, model and year. You must also provide the names, addresses and identification numbers of each vehicle owner.

Download our free guide to find out what additional documents you may need to submit to replace your car registration.

Online

You may be wondering, “Can you print your car registration online in North Carolina?” Typically, you can replace your vehicle’s registration credentials online by logging into your myNCDMV account or by downloading the division’s free smartphone app to your Android or iOS device.

Keep in mind that to purchase a replacement document online, you must be able to pay for the duplicate credential with a credit card or bank account.

Note: If your registration materials are expired or nearing their expiration date, you may be able to request a car registration renewal instead.

In Person

To replace a damaged or lost registration credential in person, you must visit a NCDMV license plate agency to submit a completed application. During your visit, you must pay the applicable fees before you can receive your replacement documents.

By Mail

To obtain NC replacement car registration credentials by mail, you must submit a completed application and payment for the applicable fee to the NCDMV’s Mail Service Center in Raleigh.

In the envelope you plan to mail, there are several items you must include, such as your application and your remaining validation stickers and/or registration card, if these items are available.

Getting a North Carolina DMV Copy of Registration Plates

For duplicate car registration plates, you must visit your local license plate agency to submit your request in person. During your visit, you will fill out an application, provide proof of a valid North Carolina insurance policy, and pay the applicable fee.

Your application for a duplicate copy of registration plates must include a reason for your request as well as your full legal name and identification number. If available, you must also surrender the vehicle’s damaged license plates.

If your license plates were stolen from your registered vehicle, there is an additional step that you may need to complete to get new plates.

Get helpful instructions on replacing your registration documents when you download our free guide.