Plate transfer

Plates registered to vehicles you own are only transferrable if you sell your vehicle to an immediate family member. Immediate family is the owner’s: 

• Spouse 
• Father, mother, stepparent, mother-in-law, father-in-law 
• Child or stepchild, daughter-in-law, son-in-law 
• Sibling or stepsibling, half-sibling, or sister-in-law, brother-in-law 
• Grandparent 
• Grandchild or grandchild-in-law 
• Legal ward 
• Legally appointed guardian  
  
  It doesn’t include aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, and nephews. 

• No - immediately remove your plate when you sell the vehicle.  
• You can transfer the plate to another vehicle you own or purchase later.  
• Do not let a buyer borrow your plate because you could be responsible for any violations, like parking tickets, the buyer gets with your plate.  
• Michigan law allows the buyer 3 days to drive the vehicle home in the most direct route without plate. The buyer needs to carry the assigned title and proof of insurance while driving it home. 

•  License plate fees for 1984 or newer model year passenger vehicles and light trucks are calculated using a percentage of the manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) at the time the vehicle is first titled. This is also known as the base price. It is then reduced by a percentage of that registration fee for the following three years. Under the present law, no further reduction is provided. 

• If the vehicle is older than 1984, the fee is based on the weight of the vehicle. You may contact our Information Center at 1-888-SOS-MICH (1-888-767-6424) and someone will help you figure the fee for your particular vehicle, or visit a Secretary of State branch office for assistance. 
• Use the Registration fee calculator to calculate your vehicle registration fee.  
• Use the Plate transfer fee calculator to calculate the cost of transferring a license plate. 
   
  

  Registration fee calculator

  Plate transfer fee calculator