Does Vermont require a front license plate?

Yes. Passenger vehicles are issued two plates, and when two are issued one goes on the front and one on the rear.

What does a Vermont plate number look like?

Three letters and three numbers, like ABC 123.

How long is a Vermont temporary plate good for?

Sixty days. Temporary registrations cannot be renewed or extended.

What do I do with my Vermont plates when I sell my car?

Take them off. Do not leave them on the car. You don’t have to return them to the DMV, but you can mail them in.

Can I get a VIN from a Vermont license plate?

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

Not through a public lookup. Owner details in Vermont 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.

Vermont License Plate Lookup

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

Vermont plates are three letters and three numbers, and passenger cars get two, front and back. Since 2023, Vermont no longer requires registration stickers on plates. Plates stay with the owner, so sellers take them off.

Vermont plate to VIN

A Vermont 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.

Vermont 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. The character 0 is always the number zero, never the letter O.

Vermont requires plates on the front and the rear.

Who issues plates in Vermont

Plates and registrations in Vermont come from the Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles, and people go in person to DMV offices, including the main office in Montpelier. Plate Decoder is an independent service and is not affiliated with the DMV or any other government agency.

Temporary tags in Vermont

Vermont dealers issue temporary plates for the 60 days right after the sale. A DMV temporary registration and plate is also valid for 60 days and cannot be renewed or extended.

Personalized and specialty plates

Vermont calls them vanity plates. Most allow up to seven characters, with no more than two numbers mixed with letters, and you can check availability online through myDMV.

No more plate stickers

Act 41, signed June 1, 2023, ended Vermont’s date validation stickers, so a missing sticker on a Vermont plate is normal.

What a Vermontplate 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

Vermont plate lookup questions

Does Vermont require a front license plate?: Yes. Passenger vehicles are issued two plates, and when two are issued one goes on the front and one on the rear.
What does a Vermont plate number look like?: Three letters and three numbers, like ABC 123.
How long is a Vermont temporary plate good for?: Sixty days. Temporary registrations cannot be renewed or extended.
What do I do with my Vermont plates when I sell my car?: Take them off. Do not leave them on the car. You don’t have to return them to the DMV, but you can mail them in.
Can I get a VIN from a Vermont license plate?: Yes. Enter the license plate number with Vermont 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 Vermont license plate?: Not through a public lookup. Owner details in Vermont 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.