New Mexico Vanity Plates

 

New Mexico vanity plates

Overview

New Mexico offers drivers a variety of license plate designs. Any person moving to the state has to register his car and get a tab. It’s up to him whether to pick a standard or a custom version.

However, in any case, you have to contact the local Motor Vehicle Division (MVD). It is responsible for any car-related licensing and registration. This article will show how to order a vanity plate in NM.

New Mexico Vanity Plates

First, you have to go through a mandatory process of registration and titling. Most of the services are available online. On the MVD website, you also find the addresses of all field offices.

Remember that you have to visit the office if you have a new car. The owner will find the list of necessary documents here. One thing you need for sure is auto insurance.

Choosing between different options

Once you have it registered and titled, your car requires a vanity plate. One option is to pick a standard variant. The other is to choose between the New Mexico vanity plates.

Normally, a standard tag has two colors. This is not the case for NM. The local placards are colorful and unique. It is impossible to mix the turquoise variant with any other.

Overall, there are three of them:

  • Yellow with red lettering
  • Turquoise with yellow letters
  • “Chile capital of the world”

All mentioned tags feature the “Land of Enchantment” inscription. It’s a nickname of the state that first appeared in 1941. It’s also the only state to specify “USA”. This makes it easy not to confuse it with the country of Mexico.

Application process

Luckily a standard option is free of charge. A driver may apply for it when registering his automobile. There is no complicated application procedure. You can easily submit a request and later renew it with a valid sticker.

The local authorities do not require a front number plate. You can have just a single tab fixed to the back bumper.

Vanity or prestige options

MVD is open to issuing a special “prestige” version both for vehicles and motorcycles. It is up to you to mix traditional design and any numbers or letters. Bear in mind that one may choose alphanumeric characters only.

The Division provides all necessaryinformation on the available combinations. They vary from 1 to 8 characters. Of course, there are some restrictions. For example, there is a ban on the use of offensive language or duplications.

There are also some rules on special characters. Be careful not to use:

  • Zia symbol
  • Hashtag
  • Asterisk
  • Dash
  • Underscore
  • Space

The tag and the sticker have to be readable. Covering it with frames to obstruct characters from view is illegal.

Order procedure

The orders and free shipping are at hand. The driver should visit Division’s special page for online services. Tap on Request Personalized Plate. Any resident is eligible if he/she has registered the car. You need either a full VIN, control number, or license number to proceed. The driver should fill in personal and vehicle information.

Here you find 3 empty fields to indicate your preferences. The first combination of your choice may not be vacant. In this case, the MVD considers the second and third choices. The applicant receives notification if all variants are taken.

Fees

Ordering a personalized tag costs only $17. Remember that the fees should match the registration term. An administrative charge of $2 is collected once.

If you want a number plate of the City of Las Cruces, it costs around $37. Why so? The city issued a unique variant for its residents. As a result, $25 out of the mentioned amount goes to the city of Las Cruces Recreation Fund.

In addition to custom placards, there are also special ones in NM. Those designed for organizations and causes are more expensive. The reason is some of them help raise funds for a good cause. For example, an Autism Awareness message will cost $35.

Renewal

There are also additional fees for the renewal of the registration. This process is available online as well. You are also able to hand over your papers in person. The third method is to send them by mail.

The Division promotes online services and offers a discount. The customer gets a 5% discount if he applies via the website.