Does Minnesota require a front license plate?

Yes. Passenger cars must display one plate on the front and one on the rear.

What does a Minnesota plate number look like?

Three letters and three numbers, like ABC-123. Plates issued from 2008 to 2017 read 123-ABC.

Do Minnesota plates stay with the car when it’s sold?

Regular plates do. Special and personalized plates go to the buyer too, unless the seller chooses to keep them and follows DVS rules to do so.

What are tabs in Minnesota?

Tabs are the registration stickers on your plate. The Department of Public Safety uses the word too.

Can I get a VIN from a Minnesota license plate?

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

Not through a public lookup. Owner details in Minnesota 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.

Minnesota License Plate Lookup

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

Minnesota plates are handled by Driver and Vehicle Services, but most people visit a deputy registrar office, run as an independent business. Standard plates have three letters and three numbers, and they go on the front and the back. Minnesotans call the registration stickers tabs.

Minnesota plate to VIN

A Minnesota 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.

Minnesota 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
ABC-123	Three letters and three numbers, issued on the standard plate since 2017.
123-ABC	Three numbers and three letters, issued from 2008 to 2017.

Minnesota requires plates on the front and the rear.

Who issues plates in Minnesota

Plates and registrations in Minnesota come from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Driver and Vehicle Services, and people go in person to deputy registrar offices, which are independent businesses that handle titles and registrations on behalf of the state. Plate Decoder is an independent service and is not affiliated with the DVS or any other government agency.

Temporary tags in Minnesota

Minnesota dealers can issue temporary permits to buyers. The permit is valid for 60 days and goes on the rear of the car where the plate would be.

Personalized and specialty plates

Personalized plates on passenger cars can have up to seven characters, including spaces, and must include at least one letter. DVS has an online personalized plate search to check whether a combination is available.

New plates every seven years

State law requires passenger car plates to be replaced once they are seven years old, at the next registration renewal. Check the plate’s age when you buy a used car.

What a Minnesotaplate 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

Minnesota plate lookup questions

Does Minnesota require a front license plate?: Yes. Passenger cars must display one plate on the front and one on the rear.
What does a Minnesota plate number look like?: Three letters and three numbers, like ABC-123. Plates issued from 2008 to 2017 read 123-ABC.
Do Minnesota plates stay with the car when it’s sold?: Regular plates do. Special and personalized plates go to the buyer too, unless the seller chooses to keep them and follows DVS rules to do so.
What are tabs in Minnesota?: Tabs are the registration stickers on your plate. The Department of Public Safety uses the word too.
Can I get a VIN from a Minnesota license plate?: Yes. Enter the license plate number with Minnesota 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 Minnesota license plate?: Not through a public lookup. Owner details in Minnesota 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.