Did you know that Nebraska residents once made their own license plates? When motor vehicle registration procedures were first implemented in 1905, each resident made his own license plates. Since then, Nebraska's license plates have gone through several makeovers to keep pace with the public's design preferences.

Available License Plate Designs

Today, Nebraska residents have several choices for their license plates:

• The standard red, white, and blue Spirit Plate design provides a fresh, contemporary look.

• Husker Spirit license plates are the perfect choice for students, alumni, and fans of the University of Nebraska.

• Military veterans can choose from Disabled American Veteran, Ex-Prisoner of War, Purple Heart, or Pearl Harbor Survivor license plates.

• Ham radio enthusiasts can select Amateur Radio plates for their motor vehicles.

• Drivers with disabilities can request a Handicapped Motor Vehicle license plate.

Download the license plate brochure from the DMV for examples of currently available designs.

License Plate Application

To apply for the license plate of your choice, download the corresponding application and submit it to the address on the application along with the applicable fees and requested verification (if required):

• Husker Spirit plate application ($70)

• Disabled American Veteran plate application ($5)

• Ex-Prisoner of War plate application ($5)

• Purple Heart plate application ($5)

• Pearl Harbor Survivor plate application ($5)

• Amateur Radio plate application ($5)

• Handicapped plate application

Note: Standard plates and handicapped plates cost only the standard registration fees and taxes. The amounts listed above are in addition to standard fees.

Message Plates

Many Nebraska residents wish to express their individuality with personalized message license plates. If you're interested in applying for message plates, please consider the following:

• All messages must be approved by the Nebraska DMV. Applications for messages that are offensive or in poor taste will be denied.

• If your plates are for a car or truck, your message can contain a maximum of seven characters. If your plates are for a motorcycle, your message can contain a maximum of six characters.

• Only alpha and numeric characters are allowed in personalized message license plates. No punctuation marks will be accepted.

To see if the message you want is available, visit the Specialty Plate Search feature on the DMV's website.

To apply for a message plate, complete the application and send it (along with the required fees) to the address on the form.

Once your application is approved, you'll be notified by the DMV with information on which office to pick up the plates in. Allow three or four weeks for the plates to arrive.

Antique (Historical) License Plates

Your vehicle qualifies for historical plates if it is at least 30 years old and displays minimal modifications.

Vintage Plates

Vintage plates, derivatives of historical plates, correspond to the vehicle’s model year. Unlike historical plates, you only receive one vintage plate to display on the rear of your vehicle.

Restrictions

• You cannot apply if you don’t have at least one other vehicle registered in Nebraska.

• Your vehicle can only be used for parades, test drives and hobby-related activities. It cannot be used for regular daily transportation.

• Historical trucks cannot be used for commercial purposes, nor carry any load exceeding 1,000 pounds.

How to Apply

• Complete the aptly named Application for Historical License Plates.

• Provide either an old registration or proof of sales tax payment.

• Provide proof of insurance. Photocopies will not be accepted. You must show the original insurance card.

• If your vehicle is currently registered, you must submit the license plate(s) and registration.

• Pay appropriate fees.

One-Time Fees

• First historical vehicle: $70

• First historical motorcycle: $66.75

• First vintage vehicle: $88.50

• First vintage motorcycle: $88.50

Questions? Call (402) 471-3918.

Surrendering Your Plates

If you're moving out of state, make sure to surrender your plates and registration back to your county official. If you've got time left on a paid registration, the office will mail you a prorated refund.

Other situations that might lead you to surrender your plates include selling your car and not transferring the plates to a new vehicle, donating a car to charity, or taking a vehicle off the road for an extended period of time. If you drop the insurance on a vehicle and need to cancel the registration, you'll probably want to surrender the plates as well.

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