Thanks to a bill passed into law by Governor Phil Murphy in November 2021, New Jersey residents will no longer have to legally carry a paper hard copy of their vehicle registration card.
As of March 24, 2023, New Jersey drivers can now just whip out their cell phones and show any law enforcement officer their electronic proof of registration. Because of this new law, NJ residents will not be fined nor their vehicles will be impounded if they get caught driving without a physical DMV proof of registration card.
How to get electronic proof of vehicle registration
First, to receive the digital PDF version of your vehicle registration card, you need to either go through the online registration renewal or replacement process.
To renew your vehicle registration online, you will first need to have a PIN (Plate Identification Number). This PIN is sent to your address by NJ MVC three months before your active registration expires. In case you do not have that PIN yet, you can get your digital registration through the replacement process.
- On your web browser, head over to state.nj.us/mvc/vehicles/regreplace.htm.
- Select “Replace your vehicle registration online.”
- Click “Order Duplicate Vehicle Registration.”
- On this page, type your license and your vehicle’s information.
- Continue to make the payment.
Once you have completed the payment of your new registration, you will receive an email with a PDF file. This file is your legal electronic registration card which should look similar to the sample card provided by NJ MVC.
NJ MVC will still mail you a physical card when you request a registration replacement or fill out the yearly renewal form.