Does Indiana require a front license plate?

No. Indiana passenger vehicles display one plate, on the rear.

What does an Indiana plate number look like?

Standard plates have three numbers followed by one to three letters, like 123AB.

How long is an Indiana temporary plate good for?

A dealer’s paper interim plate is valid for up to 45 days from the date of purchase.

Do Indiana plates stay with the car?

No. The seller removes the plate and can transfer it to another vehicle they own, online through myBMV for standard plates.

Can I get a VIN from a Indiana license plate?

Yes. Enter the license plate number with Indiana selected and the lookup returns the VIN of the vehicle it is registered to, with the year, make, model and trim.

Can I find the owner of a Indiana license plate?

Not through a public lookup. Owner details in Indiana vehicle records are protected by the federal Driver’s Privacy Protection Act and released only for purposes the law allows, such as by court order or to an insurer handling a claim.

Indiana License Plate Lookup

Enter a Indiana plate number to get the vehicle’s VIN, year, make, model and trim.

Indiana puts the numbers first. The standard plate issued since 2017 starts with three numbers and ends with letters, the reverse of most states. Plates and registrations come from the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, at BMV branches or BMV Connect kiosks.

Indiana plate to VIN

A Indiana platenumber points to one current registration, and the registration records the vehicle’s 17-character VIN. Enter the plate above to get the VIN with the year, make, model, trim, body and engine. It is the quickest way to get the VIN of a car you are not standing next to: one in a listing, one you are quoting a repair for, or your own when the title is in a drawer somewhere.

Indiana license plate formats

Standard passenger plates use these formats. Personalized, specialty, commercial and motorcycle plates follow their own rules, and every format works in the lookup.

Format	What it is
123ABC	Standard plate since 2017: three numbers followed by one to three letters, such as 123A or 123AB.

Indiana issues one plate, for the rear of the vehicle.

Who issues plates in Indiana

Plates and registrations in Indiana come from the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles, and people go in person to BMV branches and BMV Connect self-service kiosks. Plate Decoder is an independent service and is not affiliated with the BMV or any other government agency.

Temporary tags in Indiana

Indiana dealers print paper interim plates through the state’s Plates On Demand system. They are valid for up to 45 days from the date of purchase.

Personalized and specialty plates

Indiana calls them Personalized License Plates, or PLPs. A standard passenger plate takes up to eight characters, and you can check availability on myBMV. Since 2025 there is also an optional Blackout plate, with white characters on black.

The plate shows the county

Indiana plates carry a county identifier in the bottom right corner, along with the month and year stickers. You can tell which county a car is registered in at a glance.

What a Indiana plate lookup can and can’t show

You get the vehicle: VIN, year, make, model, trim, body and engine. You do not get the person. See what a plate lookup shows for the full list.

What we don’t show, and why

No owner names, addresses, phone numbers or photos. Owner details in DMV records are protected by the federal Driver’s Privacy Protection Act, and looking someone up out of curiosity is not a purpose it allows. Any site that promises the owner of a plate for a few dollars is either breaking that law or not going to deliver.

Who can get owner records, and what to do instead

FAQ

Indiana plate lookup questions

Does Indiana require a front license plate?: No. Indiana passenger vehicles display one plate, on the rear.
What does an Indiana plate number look like?: Standard plates have three numbers followed by one to three letters, like 123AB.
How long is an Indiana temporary plate good for?: A dealer’s paper interim plate is valid for up to 45 days from the date of purchase.
Do Indiana plates stay with the car?: No. The seller removes the plate and can transfer it to another vehicle they own, online through myBMV for standard plates.
Can I get a VIN from a Indiana license plate?: Yes. Enter the license plate number with Indiana selected and the lookup returns the VIN of the vehicle it is registered to, with the year, make, model and trim.
Can I find the owner of a Indiana license plate?: Not through a public lookup. Owner details in Indiana vehicle records are protected by the federal Driver’s Privacy Protection Act and released only for purposes the law allows, such as by court order or to an insurer handling a claim.