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Return your active New York license plates before canceling the vehicle’s liability insurance. To surrender by mail, complete form PD-7 for each set and mail the form and plates in an envelope—not a box—to NYS DMV, 6 Empire State Plaza, Room B240, Albany, NY 12228. Mail surrender is free. You can also surrender plates at a DMV office; county motor vehicle offices charge a $1 processing fee.
Return plates before canceling insurance
New York DMV requires you to surrender the plates and registration before canceling liability coverage on the vehicle. The DMV warns that failing to turn in plates can lead to a registration suspension and may also lead to a driver-license suspension. If the vehicle remains registered in New York, liability insurance must remain in place. See the New York DMV plate-surrender instructions and its auto liability insurance guidance.
If the vehicle is uninsured, surrender its plates immediately. There is an exception for motorcycles during an insurance lapse, but a motorcycle still must have proper liability insurance to be ridden. If you are registering the vehicle in another state, New York DMV says to surrender the New York plates to NY DMV.
Choose mail or an office visit
| Method | Cost | How you get proof | Timing detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| No fee; do not include payment. | DMV mails an FS-6T receipt to the address on the registration. | DMV uses the postmark date as the surrender date and asks you to allow 21 days for the receipt. | |
| DMV office | County motor vehicle offices charge a $1 processing fee. | Ask for and keep the FS-6T receipt. If someone else surrenders the plates for you, have them give you the receipt. | Check the office’s current instructions before visiting. |
How to surrender plates by mail
- Check the registration address. DMV sends the FS-6T receipt to the address on the vehicle registration. If it is outdated, update it using the DMV’s current address-change instructions before mailing. If you are moving, arrange USPS forwarding as well.
- Prepare the plates and vehicle. Remove plate frames and fasteners. Destroy the registration and inspection stickers from the windshield.
- Complete form PD-7. Use a separate PD-7 application for each set of plates.
- Mail the plates and form in an envelope, not a box, to:
NYS DMV
6 Empire State Plaza, Room B240
Albany, NY 12228 - Keep the receipt. Allow 21 days for the FS-6T to arrive. If it does not, contact DMV. The postmark date is the surrender date.
How to surrender plates in person
- Remove plate frames and fasteners, and destroy the registration and inspection stickers from the windshield.
- Complete a PD-7 for each set of plates.
- Bring the plates and form to a DMV office. County motor vehicle offices charge a $1 processing fee; check local office instructions before you go.
- Keep the FS-6T receipt as proof of surrender. If another person handles the visit, ask them to give you the receipt.
Check whether your plates need to be surrendered
Old plates replaced by new ones
If replacement plates have made the old plates inactive, DMV says not to surrender the old plates. Mark them with permanent marker to help protect against fraudulent use, then recycle or discard them according to local guidelines.
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Motorcycle or trailer plates
Motorcycle plates do not need to be surrendered solely because of an insurance lapse, though the motorcycle must be insured when ridden. A trailer plate must be surrendered if the trailer does not have a valid registration.
Lost, stolen, or destroyed plates
If you cannot turn in a plate because it is lost, stolen, or destroyed, follow DMV’s separate reporting procedure and surrender the registration. Form MV-1441.3 is used to explain why a plate or other document cannot be turned in; submit it to a DMV office. See the DMV surrender guidance and form MV-1441.3.
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Return plates from another state to that state’s motor vehicle agency, not to New York DMV.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Refunds are not automatic
You may be eligible for a refund in some cases, but surrendering plates does not guarantee one. The PD-7 says any refund check owed is mailed by the New York State Office of the State Comptroller.
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