How to Return Maryland License Plates When You Move Out of State

When you move out of Maryland, return your Maryland license plates to the Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA) and keep your Maryland insurance in force until the MVA has the plates and you hold the receipt. You can return them in a 24-hour tag return box, at an MVA information counter or by mail, and the receipt appears in your myMVA account.

The order matters because the MVA closes your plate record only after it receives the plates. This guide covers each way to return them, how to fill in form VR-027, how to get the receipt, when to cancel the Maryland policy and whether a refund is possible. The rules come from the MVA's page on returning plates and its tag return form.

Why do you have to return Maryland plates when you move?

The MVA lists moving out of Maryland as one of the reasons plates must be returned, along with selling, trading or junking the vehicle, canceling the insurance and no longer using the vehicle. Its page on returning Maryland license plates says returning them can help you avoid insurance penalties, fines and future fees. The MVA closes the Maryland record only after it receives the plates.

How do you return Maryland license plates?

There are three ways, and none needs an appointment:

• Tag return box. Put the plates in an envelope or secure bag with the completed form and drop it in an MVA 24-hour tag return box.
• Information counter. Hand the plates in at an MVA information counter during business hours and ask for the printed receipt, which you get on the spot.
• Mail. Package the plates securely with the form and send them to the MVA. The MVA recommends certified mail with a return receipt requested, and asks you to keep your contact information current so the receipt reaches you.

These methods cover one to four sets of plates. For more than four, the MVA says you may need in-person assistance and asks you to contact it. The MVA page and the form give the current return details, so check them before you send anything.

For most movers the choice is simple. A box or counter works while you are still in Maryland, and mail works once you have left.

What is form VR-027 and how do you fill it in?

VR-027 is the MVA's Tag Return Form. Choose "Moved to new state" as the reason for return and give your current email address, because the receipt goes to your myMVA account. The form also has a checkbox to request a printed copy of the receipt mailed to your out-of-state address.

Attach the completed form and any registration stickers to the plates. The registration card is preferred but not required.

How do you get the Maryland plate return receipt?

Through myMVA. Once the MVA receives your plates, you can download the receipt from your account, and the MVA asks you to allow 72 hours, counting business days only. At an information counter you get a printed receipt immediately.

Keep the receipt or the mailing tracking number with your moving paperwork. It is your proof that the plates are back and the Maryland registration is closed.

When should you cancel your Maryland insurance?

After the receipt. The MVA says to keep the insurance active until you have downloaded or received the receipt, and only then cancel it. For a move, that sets the order:

1. Keep the Maryland policy in force and return the plates.
2. Download the receipt from myMVA, or collect the printed one at the counter.
3. Cancel the Maryland policy.

If you are registering in New York, that registration needs a New York insurance policy, so the New York policy is separate from the Maryland one and has to be active first.

Can you get a refund for returned Maryland plates?

Sometimes, and it depends on what is left on the registration. VR-027 sets these tiers:

• Unused plates with no sticker affixed: a full refund.
• More than one year left on the registration: a 50 percent refund.
• Less than one year left: no refund.
• Substitute plates or a sticker were issued: no refund.

The Maryland Comptroller's Office prepares the refund, and the form says you should receive it within 6 weeks of returning the plates.

How do you return Maryland plates when moving to New York?

Return them the same way, then handle the New York side. New York accepts only insurance from a company licensed in New York, and you register the car within 30 days of becoming a resident. Our guide to registering an out-of-state car in New York walks through the forms, the sales tax step and inspection timing.

Once the Maryland receipt is in hand, end the Maryland policy. Keep the receipt in case anyone asks you to show the plates were returned.

Shipping your car out of Maryland

Many movers ship the car rather than drive it. Our page on Maryland to New York car shipping covers that lane, our page on car shipping in Maryland covers pickups across the state, and the car shipping calculator prices your move.

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