How to Cancel a Louisiana License Plate When Moving Out of State

When you move out of Louisiana and register your car in another state, cancel the Louisiana license plate with the Office of Motor Vehicles (OMV) before you cancel the Louisiana insurance. You can cancel it online, by mail or at any OMV office. A plate canceled online does not have to be turned in, but it must come off the car and be destroyed.

The order matters because Louisiana tracks insurance on every plate it has issued. This guide covers each way to cancel, what to do with the plate afterward, and how to respond if the OMV has already sent you an insurance cancellation notice.

Why Do You Have to Cancel the Plate Before the Insurance?

Louisiana law requires every vehicle registered in the state to carry liability insurance, and the OMV says plainly that plates must be canceled before the liability insurance is canceled. While the plate is active, the car still counts as a Louisiana-registered vehicle, so a policy that ends first looks like a lapse.

For a move, that sets the sequence:

1. Buy insurance in your new state and register the car there.
2. Cancel the Louisiana plate.
3. Cancel the Louisiana policy.

Keep the Louisiana plate and policy in force while the car is on its way, and until the new state has registered it.

How Do You Cancel a Louisiana Plate Online?

Through the OMV's Cancel Plate online service. The form asks for:

• the vehicle identification number (VIN)
• the Louisiana license plate number
• the registered owner's name
• the registered owner's five-digit ZIP code
• your driver's license number, which is optional
• an email address, which is optional

If you give an email address, the OMV sends a receipt once the cancellation is done. Keep it with your moving paperwork. The service says your record can take up to 24 hours to update, so cancel at least a day before you end the Louisiana policy.

What Do You Do With a Plate Canceled Online?

Take it off the car and destroy it. The OMV says a plate canceled through the online service does not need to be turned in, but it must be removed from the vehicle and destroyed. Do not leave it on the car once your new state's plates arrive, and do not keep it as a spare.

Can You Return a Louisiana Plate by Mail or at an OMV Office?

Yes. The OMV accepts plates at any of its offices and through the mail. Its mailing and delivery page gives the OMV postal address as P.O. Box 64886, Baton Rouge, LA 70896. Either way, the plate itself goes back to the OMV, so you do not destroy it.

Online is usually easiest for a mover, because the car may already be on a truck or in another state. If you return the plate by mail or in person, keep a note of the date you sent or handed it in.

What If You Already Received an Insurance Cancellation Notice?

Respond with proof of compliance. When the Louisiana policy ends while the plate is still active, the OMV sends a notice. Its cancellations page lists the proofs it accepts, sent by fax, by mail or through its online contact form:

• proof of insurance with a company authorized to write in Louisiana
• canceling the plate online or surrendering it by mail
• proof of the date the vehicle was disposed of, showing the VIN, which includes an out-of-state registration as well as a bill of sale, a trade-in or lease return document, a total loss statement from the insurer, proof of repossession, or a junk or salvage receipt

For a mover, the new state's registration is usually the proof to send. Under OMV's reinstatement policy on insurance violations, a registration in another state dated within 10 days of the insurance cancellation date places the car in compliance without a reinstatement fee. The same policy says that if acceptable proof does not reach the OMV within 10 days of the notice date, your driving and registering privileges are blocked. Answer the notice as soon as it arrives.

What Do Insurance Cancellation Fees Cost in Louisiana?

If the car was not insured, or not disposed of in time, the OMV also charges a fee based on the number of days without insurance:

• 2 to 30 days: $125
• 31 to 90 days: $275
• 91 days and above: $525

Fees for insurance cancellations are capped at $850 plus a $25 administrative fee per cancellation when paid on the same day, and the cap is $250 for people 65 or older. Neither cap applies once the debt has gone to the Office of Debt Recovery, which adds a 15 percent fee to delinquent debts. The OMV takes payment by phone with a debit or credit card, by mail with a money order, certified funds or a cashier's check, or through its online payment cart, and its reinstatement inquiry shows any outstanding flags on your license.

How Do You Cancel a Louisiana Plate When Moving to New York?

Follow the same order, with New York's rules on the other side. New York accepts only insurance from a company licensed in New York, so buy that policy first, then register the car within 30 days of becoming a resident. Our guide to registering an out-of-state car in New York walks through Form MV-82, the sales tax form and inspection timing.

Once New York has registered the car, cancel the Louisiana plate online and destroy it, then end the Louisiana policy. If a notice still arrives, the New York registration is the proof to send.

Shipping Your Car Out of Louisiana

Many movers ship the car rather than drive it, which means the plate stays on the car while it travels. Leave the plate and insurance in place until the new registration is done. Our page on Louisiana to New York car shipping covers that lane, our page on car shipping in Louisiana covers pickups across the state, and the car shipping calculator prices your move.

Frequently Asked Questions