How to transfer custom plates in California

[CHB2704]

I have a custom plate on my current car and want to transfer that over to my new Model Y that I’m taking delivery of in a few days.

The CA DMV site linked me to an application to fill out but one of the boxes asks me for the license plate number of the car I want to transfer it to. Since it’s new it doesn’t have a license plate yet.

I will be selling my current car in a few days, do I just take the plate off and hold onto it?

Can I sell a car without a license plate?

If anyone has gone through this before I would really appreciate some insight.

Thanks in advance.

 

[HelloJP]

I’m in the same situation. Is there a process set up already to make this transfer easier?

 

[arnolddeleon]

Yes, just take off the plates from the existing car. When you get the "real" plates for your car then transfer the plates. If there is a long period between you may want to apply to do retain the plates:

You figure things out from:

https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/file/special-interest-license-plates-application-reg-17-pdf/

Special License Plate Fees - California DMV

Special License Plate fees provided on this page are an estimation of fees only, and subject to law changes and vary depending on the application or transaction.

www.dmv.ca.gov

 

[lUtriaNt]

@CHB2704 @HelloJP ,

i see you cats are still active on the forum. wanted to ask you how this all went?

im getting ready to sell my 2020 model 3p to driveway to get a 2022 model 3p (used market is insane so wanted to take advantage). when i got my car in 3/2020 at the start of the shutdown, i eventually went to AAA who did this for me after i got the plates from dmv , which took months. i went into AAA because the dmv was still closed when i did get the plates and it took 15 minutes for aaa to do the swap.

a year later, when you guys did it, how was the process? did you go through aaa or the dmv? did you do it in person at the dmv or handled it via the mail?

and since this is a transfer of plates, shouldn't we get some of the license fee money back from tesla? my registration is still current. @arnolddeleon any thoughts if you care to answer?

any help from anyone else who wants to provide input is welcome also.

​

 

[arnolddeleon]

@CHB2704 @HelloJP ,

i see you cats are still active on the forum. wanted to ask you how this all went?

im getting ready to sell my 2020 model 3p to driveway to get a 2022 model 3p (used market is insane so wanted to take advantage). when i got my car in 3/2020 at the start of the shutdown, i eventually went to AAA who did this for me after i got the plates from dmv , which took months. i went into AAA because the dmv was still closed when i did get the plates and it took 15 minutes for aaa to do the swap.

a year later, when you guys did it, how was the process? did you go through aaa or the dmv? did you do it in person at the dmv or handled it via the mail?

and since this is a transfer of plates, shouldn't we get some of the license fee money back from tesla? my registration is still current. @arnolddeleon any thoughts if you care to answer?

any help from anyone else who wants to provide input is welcome also.

​

I went into the DMV for one in 2018 and I did the other one all by mail in 2020.

The first one was complex because I was shuffling plates. I had a RAV4-EV that had "devcar3" that I wanted to move to our Model 3 (it just made too much sense) and I had ordered new plates, appropriately devcar4 to go onto the RAV4-EV. The DMV person was able to brilliantly shuffle the plates and I surrendered the regular plates that I had received for the Model 3.

When we got our Model Y I wanted to reuse "devcar2" which was previously on our LEAF. We had removed the plates from LEAF when we gave it away so the plates were not on an active vehicle. Once I had the standard plates for the Model Y I mailed the forms and the DMV mailed me the appropriate stickers (new month and valid registration). This was in 2020 when hardly any services were open. I still have the regular plates that I would have normally surrendered.

With regard to refunds, I'm not sure. I recall that the DMV did refund me some fees. I didn't look at it too closely to figure the exact reason.