Does Massachusetts require a front license plate?

Yes, on current plates. Massachusetts requires plates on the front and rear of passenger vehicles.

Does Massachusetts issue temporary plates?

No. Dealers register the car electronically, or you register it through your insurance agent before driving it.

What is the Massachusetts 7-day rule?

After you get rid of your old car, you can drive a replacement of the same type on your old plates for seven calendar days while you transfer the registration.

Do Massachusetts plates stay with the car?

No. Plates belong to the owner, who can transfer them to a replacement vehicle or cancel the registration.

Can I get a VIN from a Massachusetts license plate?

Yes. Enter the license plate number with Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts license plate?

Not through a public lookup. Owner details in Massachusetts 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.

Massachusetts License Plate Lookup

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

In Massachusetts it is the Registry, not the DMV. The red, white and blue Spirit of America plate has been the standard since 1993, so cars decades apart look alike, but the order of letters and numbers on it has changed several times as serials ran out.

Massachusetts plate to VIN

A Massachusetts 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.

Massachusetts 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
1ABC 23	Six characters on the red, white and blue Spirit of America plate, which has been standard since 1993.
123 AB4	One of several older layouts still on the road on the same design.

Massachusetts requires plates on the front and the rear.

Who issues plates in Massachusetts

Plates and registrations in Massachusetts come from the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles, and people go in person to RMV Service Centers, with some services at AAA locations. Plate Decoder is an independent service and is not affiliated with the RMV or any other government agency.

Temporary tags in Massachusetts

The RMV does not issue temporary plates. Dealers usually register the car electronically before you drive away, or you register it through your insurance agent.

Personalized and specialty plates

Massachusetts calls them vanity plates. On a car they must start with two letters and have two to six characters, numbers can only go at the end, and individuals order them online through myRMV.

The 7-day transfer rule

If you replace a car, you can drive the new one on your old plates for seven calendar days, as long as the old vehicle is gone, the new one has the same number of wheels, and you carry the transfer paperwork.

What a Massachusetts 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

Massachusetts plate lookup questions

Does Massachusetts require a front license plate?: Yes, on current plates. Massachusetts requires plates on the front and rear of passenger vehicles.
Does Massachusetts issue temporary plates?: No. Dealers register the car electronically, or you register it through your insurance agent before driving it.
What is the Massachusetts 7-day rule?: After you get rid of your old car, you can drive a replacement of the same type on your old plates for seven calendar days while you transfer the registration.
Do Massachusetts plates stay with the car?: No. Plates belong to the owner, who can transfer them to a replacement vehicle or cancel the registration.
Can I get a VIN from a Massachusetts license plate?: Yes. Enter the license plate number with Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts license plate?: Not through a public lookup. Owner details in Massachusetts 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.