"Keep Tag OK" Program Begins July 1

Beginning July 1, 2019, when you sell your car, you will keep your license plate to put on the next car you purchase.

 
If you purchase your next vehicle from a dealership, that car will still come with a paper dealer tag and you will still have 30 days to register the car with our agency. Upon title and registration you may either put your old tag on the new car or you may purchase a new tag from the Oklahoma Tax Commission (OTC) or your local tag agent.

 
If you purchase your next vehicle from anyone other than a licensed dealership, the car

will not come with a tag. There are two options for tagging the car:

 
If you do not have a tag from a previous vehicle, the car may be driven for five days without a plate. During these five days, you must have a copy of the bill of sale or the assigned title in the vehicle.

 
If you have a tag from a previous vehicle you have 30 days to transfer the tag/registration to avoid penalties. Then that plate may be placed on the newly-purchased vehicle. Additional penalties and fees will begin accruing after 30 days if you have not registered the new car.

 
All Oklahoma drivers will be required to keep their Certificate of Registration paperwork in their car at all times, beginning July 1. A Certificate of Registration is issued at the time of titling the vehicle and when renewing the vehicle's yearly registration.

 
Registration Credit

 
If your license plate has not yet expired before you put it on a new car, you will be given credit on the cost of your new registration for any time remaining. You will not be able to change the expiration date of your registration if credit is applied. There may be instances where you are registering your vehicle for only a few months and then be required to renew that registration.

 
If you own multiple vehicles, you will not be allowed to move the plate back and forth between vehicles. Even though the plate is yours and will stay in your possession, it is assigned to a specific vehicle.

 
You may transfer a vehicle and the plate to an immediate family member with a signed and notarized affidavit. This is great news for parents of teen drivers.

 
Color Capture

 
One new feature on initial title registration applications will be a question about the primary color of the vehicle. The same question will appear on OkCARS for renewals. The vehicle color will be printed on your title but you will not be required to update your title if you paint your car. 

 
Notice of Transfer

 
When selling a vehicle, owners may complete and submit a Notice of Transfer. Filing a Notice of Transfer is an optionalprocedure, performed at the discretion of the seller. It is intended only to notify OTC of the assignment of ownership. It in no way affects the responsibility of the buyer to transfer ownership of the vehicle in the manner prescribed by Oklahoma law.

 
To file the notice, complete and submit a Notice of Transfer of Ownership of a Vehicle (OTC Form 773) or the Notice of Transfer tab at the bottom of the Oklahoma title. Forms may be submitted to any tag agency or the notice may be filed at OkCARS.gov.  The filing fee is $10.00.

 
Secondary Plates

 
For individuals with specialty plates, you will no longer be required to do a separate transfer for your plate when transferring your primary plate. Specialty plates will be linked to your primary plate and will follow it when it is assigned to a different vehicle.

 
Individuals may still transfer specialty plates to other vehicles by completing and submitting a Request To Transfer A Special License Plate (OTC Form 783-A). Forms may be submitted to any tag agency or the OTC.

 
A key benefit to the #KeepTagOK project will be to law enforcement as well as to turnpike users. Under the current system, if a car buyer does not change the license plate registration with the OTC, the previous owner may receive a ticket in the mail for toll violations even though he or she was not the one driving. Proving the car and the tag are now owned by someone other than the person to whom the tag is registered can be time-consuming. Under the new rules, the license plate will stay with the driver of the vehicle rather than go with the car. Law enforcement will now have a better idea of who is behind the wheel of a car caught by a toll booth camera.

We recognize that this system is a big change for Oklahomans and we want to make it as smooth a process as possible. If you have any further questions about #KeepTagOK, visit our website at tax.ok.gov.