Plate Surrender in Mississippi

Moving to Mississippi

You must register your car with Mississippi’s Department of Revenue (DOR) within 30 days of moving into the state. Surrendering your old license plates is not required, unless mandated by your former state’s DMV.

Before visiting your local DOR office to register your vehicle, give some thought to the type of license plate you want to order. Besides the standard plate you also can choose from a variety of specialized plates.

Visit our relocation guide for a look at Mississippi.

Moving from MS

Surrendering your Mississippi license plates is not required after moving out of state. You can keep the plates as a memento of your residency, or check if your new neighborhood offers license plate recycling.

Our Moving Out of Mississippi page serves as a helpful guide for your move.

Selling a Used Car in Mississippi

Mississippi license plates stay with both the owner and the vehicle. When the vehicle changes hands, the plates must be removed and surrendered to your local tax collector.

If applicable, you may use the unused portion of the vehicle’s registration and apply it towards a new registration. Credit is given from the first of the next month following the surrender date of the plates, not the sales date.

Go to our Title Transfers page for additional selling information.

Buying a Used Car in MS

Even though you buy both the vehicle and the license plates, you must surrender the plates to your local tax collector and register for new Mississippi plates.

Our Vehicle Title Transfers page tells it all.

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