How Much Is It To Transfer Plates In Illinois? (2026)

Cost of Transferring License Plates in Illinois

The cost to transfer your license plates is $25, and you’ll need to fill out an Application for Vehicle Transaction (VSD 190) form to do it. Illinois won’t let you complete transfer-only transactions online, so you must visit a Secretary of State facility in person to do so.

Eligibility and Documents for Plate Transfer

You will need these documents to complete your transfer:

• A completed Form VSD 190
• The Illinois vehicle registration for the old vehicle, or the one you’re transferring plates from
• The title for the new vehicle, or the one you’re transferring plates to
• Proof of insurance for the new vehicle

In Illinois, license plates belong to the vehicle owner, not to the car. This means that if you sell a vehicle in Illinois, you may not transfer the plates to the new owner. To transfer license plates to a new vehicle, you must own both vehicles.

In some cases, you might be able to transfer plates between family members. Form VSD 980 allows a vehicle owner to release their license plates to their spouse or child.

You will also need to verify that your insurance coverage for the new vehicle meets minimum state insurance requirements, which include:

• $25,000 bodily injury liability per person
• $50,000 bodily injury liability per accident
• $20,000 property damage liability insurance

Given the potential cost of medical care and the high value of many vehicles on the road, it may be a good idea to purchase more than the minimum coverage.

How to Transfer Your Plates

To transfer your plates, you’ll need to gather the required documentation and visit a Secretary of State facility. After filing all the necessary documents and paying the transfer fee, you may move the plates from the old vehicle to the new one.

Ideally, you’ll want to transfer your Illinois vehicle license plates while the registration on both vehicles is still current. You should still be able to complete the transfer if one or both registrations have expired, but you might encounter delays in the process.

Transferring Your Plates After Buying a New Car

If you have two vehicles titled in your name and decide you want to transfer license plates from one to the other, you would only owe a fee of $25. However, this is a relatively uncommon situation.

Many people who transfer their Illinois license plates are doing so because they’ve purchased a new car and want to keep the license plates they used on their old vehicle. If you’re in this situation, you’ll need to do what’s called a “title and transfer.” This is when you retitle the vehicle in your name while transferring the old license plates.

To complete a title and transfer, you’ll need to submit the required documents and pay a fee. Make sure the title for your new vehicle has been signed over to you. The total fee for an Illinois title and transfer is $190. That includes $165 for the transfer fee and $25 for the title fee.

You will generally only need to handle this process yourself if you purchase a car from a private party. If you buy a car at a dealership, the dealer should be able to handle the plate transfer for you.

Can You Transfer Plates Between Different Vehicle Types?

But how much is it to transfer plates in Illinois if the vehicles differ? Unfortunately, you may not transfer plates between different types of vehicles. For example, you may not transfer plates from a car to a motorcycle or vice versa.

Updating Insurance After Plate Transfer

Once you’ve officially transferred your plates, don’t forget to notify your insurance company. Your insurer will likely need to update your insurance coverage to reflect the change.

Looking for Legal Help?

Now you know the answer to the common question, “How much is it to transfer plates in Illinois?” But as you can see, the legalities around even seemingly mundane things can be complicated. ConsumerShield is here to help you make sense of it all. Check out our array of legal tools and resources today!