New Hampshire License Plate Lookup

New Hampshire started to register license plates in 1905. Now, the New Hampshire Department of Safety issues license plates within the Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV).

Using New Hampshire License Plate Lookup

Before you purchase a used vehicle or obtain your license plate you have the opportunity to make a license plate lookup to get thorough information about your car. License plate lookup gives you information about the car’s history, accident records, former owner or manufacturer, security recall info, etc.

As for Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), they mainly consist of 11-17 series of numbers and letters which are considered to be a unique code for each vehicle. You can require for VIN lookup and get detailed information about the vehicle’s history records. The fastest method is an online VIN check, but you may as well order VIN code lookup via mail. The total information you will receive about your vehicle is:

• Car registration information
• Title history
• Account of sale
• Car suspensions
• Accident records

You may order a vehicle history test through DMV, but remember that it requires separate fees for each section of the information, while ordering a VIN check online provides the whole information together.

New Hampshire Department of Motor Vehicles will provide you with enough information about license plates. You can even do it online sitting at home. This service is entirely free and at the same time easy to manage.

Applying For License Plates in NH

When you buy a car first thing to consider is to obtain a temporary tag. Drivers should fill out the application form and present the following documentation:

• The car’s title certificate or the copied version of the title application
• The confirmation of state residency
• The car’s title or the vehicle’s original certificate

Then make sure you have paid all the required fees. After that, you will need to apply for permanent registration and license plate. You should present the registration application to your county clerk’s office and then pay the city/town fees. The weight of a vehicle matters if it is about registration fees.

Afterward, you must prove your residency and the ownership of the vehicle. You must pay all the necessary taxes and fees in person at your county clerk’s office. Note: sometimes you may have to pay both state and local fees at once.

In case you are a new resident in New Hampshire you must do exactly the same as the previous residents (application process). New residents will have 60 days to apply for a new registration since the establishment day.

Types of New Hampshire License Plates

Before using your vehicle in New Hampshire make sure you have a license plate. New Hampshire offers various types of plates.

The common and standard issued plates are passenger plates. Here are some other ones:

• Decal Plates
  These plates are similar to passenger plates, but they also contain a 3”x3” blank square on the left side of the plate. This allows you to place a special decal, which can only be placed on a Decal Plate. It costs $15, along with the plate manufacturing fee and regular state/town registration fee. The plate manufacturing fee is $8 and it is required only in the first year.
• Vanity Plates
  These plates are personalized registration plates that consist of completely alpha characters or alphanumeric characters. There is also a combination of alphanumeric characters and symbols which you can get with an additional fee. You will just need to fill out the application form for vanity plates and pay a $40.00 fee for twelve months.
• Conservation (Moose) Plates
  These are regular license plates with the moose logo on the left side. This plate costs $30 for each year in addition to the plate fee and regular state/town registration fee. You must only pay an $8.00 plate fee in the first year of purchase.
• State Parks Plates
  These are again regular NH license plates with the Parks logo on the left side. With these park plates, you can enter most New Hampshire state parks. You should pay an $85 fee per year in addition to the same fees as in the case of Moose Plates.
• Conservation Parks Plates
  Once again regular license plates only with Moose on the left and Park logo on the right side. These plates do not contain only four digits. The price per year is $85 for the parks and an additional 30$ for protection. You pay the plate fee only in the first year.

The state may reject your personalized plate application for several reasons. For more information check our banned NH license plates page.

Other types of license plates

New Hampshire has veteran plates for those people who serve in the armed forces including the army, air force, corps, etc. New Hampshire also issues license plates for motorcycles, trailers, and boats.

In addition, if you have a disability, you can apply for disability license plates. You can get a disability placard which is available for people with temporary or permanent disabilities. These licenses hang from the rear-view mirror.

License Plate Design

Personalized (vanity) plates include letters and numbers and also signs such as plus (+), minus (-) or ampersand (&), but you can use them only once. A vanity plate should not duplicate or be like an existing plate.

As for custom tags they should not use banned language or any other offensive, illegal, intolerant or brutal terms. The letter/number combo should be correct and without any characteristic mistakes.

How to get a title in New Hampshire?

Basically, the first thing you need to do is to get a title for your vehicle. It is a legal document which indicates the possesion of the car. Titling is required by New Hampshire law. You can visit DMV to request titling. But if you cannot help visiting DMV you may attend your local town or county clerk’s office.

Mainly, only a few documents are required for titling. You must present your valid driver’s license and fill out the application form (TDMV 23A) for Certificate of Title. You should as well pay the required fees. Therefore you should apply for vehicle’s registration. You can register all types of motor vehicles in New Hampshire.

In case you lost or damaged you car title, you can request a title replacement once again through the state’s Division of Motor Vehicles. You may do it either in person or by mail. You should provide certain documents and pay the required fees.

Car owners are also able to request duplicate vehicle ownership paperwork. This is useful in case your car title is stolen or lost.

License Plate Fee

The new standard license plate fee is $8 in addition to state/local fees. License plate fees may differ from county to county. It also depends on what kind of plate you want. For example, vanity plates are more expensive than the standard ones. For a vanity plate you should pay $40 for personalization and $8 for making. While you are waiting for your license plate, you can use a temporary tag in order to drive your car. Temporary tags may cost you $10.

Besides you need to pay $4 license plate replacement for per plate and $1 for replacement decals. So for more detailed information about your total fees you should contact DMV.

New Hampshire License Plate Renewal

As soon as your current registration expires New Hampshire Department of Motor Vehicle will mail you a vehicle registration renewal notice.

First you should appear in person and present all your documentation to local DMV office. The necessary documents are:

• Your vehicle’s current registration or
• Vehicle’s registration renewal notice

Therefore you must pay the renewal fee. The fees may differ depending on the county. You will have to pay both state and city/town fees. Payment may be done via cash, check, money order and VISA or MasterCard credit/debit card. If you are out of state (not permanently) for some purposes you can renew it up to four months prior to the expiration date.

Every year you should inspect you vehicle for safety and emissions. You must do it at least 10 days after your birth month. In case your vehicle inspection expires, you must renew it too. If you are out of state you can apply for a 30-day permit.

Additional Information

If you have lost or damaged your license you should present the application for plate’s replacement to DMV or any other registration office for the request of replacement of plates.

As you already know, car insurance is one of the most important parts of owning a vehicle. New Hampshire offers different kinds of auto insurance. So, you’d better visit DMV official website to gain details about auto insurance.

Car owners can also apply for temporary registration such as for 20 or 50 days. This type of registration is issued by DMV or by legal dealers.

For more information you can apply…

New Hampshire Division of Motor Vehicles

Division of Motor Vehicles
23 Hazen Drive
Concord, NH 03305
Phone Number: (603) 227-4000