Starting Oct. 1, DMV shifts to digital vehicle registration

By Submitted Story on October 1, 2026

(NC Division of Motor Vehicles)

The N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles wants to remind customers that beginning today, Thursday, Oct. 1, NCDMV will no longer issue license plate stickers or automatically provide printed registration cards. The change, directed by the N.C. General Assembly, moves the state to a digital vehicle registration system.

Though the end product customers receive is changing, the core registration process for North Carolina vehicle owners remains the same. Customers will still:

• Receive a renewal notice in the mail 90 days before their registration expires
• Need to complete necessary inspections
• Need to pay registration fees and vehicle property taxes on time to keep their registration valid
• Be able to complete those payments in the same four ways: by mail, in person at a license plate agency (LPA), online, or at a self-service kiosk.

“What is changing is the end product customers receive,” said NCDMV Commissioner Paul Tine. “The vast majority of the registration process stays exactly the same. You will still get your renewal notice, still need your inspection, still pay your fees and taxes on time, and still have the same convenient options to take care of business. Only the physical sticker and printed registration card are going away.”

At the end of each registration or renewal transaction, customers will receive a receipt that includes most of the information previously found on the printed registration card. The receipt will show fees paid, the vehicle identification number (VIN), plate number, and a barcode that inspection stations can scan the following year. It will also include a link allowing customers to download a digital copy of their registration card to save on a phone or print themselves.

Customers who prefer a printed copy of the digital registration card may obtain one instantly at any license plate agency or order one online to be mailed for a $5 fee.

Printed registration cards are no longer required by law. Law enforcement officers already use electronic verification systems to confirm a vehicle’s registration status in real time, making physical cards and stickers unnecessary for enforcement purposes.

Vehicle registration remains valid as long as fees and property taxes are paid on time. For full details, frequently asked questions, and options to access or print registration information, visit ncdmv.gov/registration.