Driving in to work today I noticed a car with “License Plate Applied For” on what appeared to be a metal plate (w/ painted or stamped letters) where the rear license plate frame is. That was all that was on it- no date, state of issue, expiration, etc… Is this a new trend in temporary tags or was the person breaking the law?
What state are you in? I’ve seen temp tags in my area (DC/VA/MD), but they’re just cardboard with a reserved serial number in large block letters. They’re usually issued by car dealerships (as authorized by the state) until the metal plates come in.
Of course, this is just a scheme so they can sock you for a few extra bucks. In Virginia, the plate is assigned to the owner, not the car. So it’s permissable to take your old plates and put them on your new car, then go to Virginia DMV and inform them that the new car is now wearing the plates. Don’t let the dealership say they’ll order them for you! They’ll charge you far more than DMV will. Also, if you get a @!#?@!-ed up dealership like I did last time (won’t mention the name, but it rhymes with “Frosenthal Smazda”), they might not get the plates to you until the last minute. I had to call incessantly until 2 days before my temp tags expired. Then, the stupid receptionist said she called and left a message that they were in. Bull-@!#?.
AWB, I’m in the DC area too- I saw these plates on I-95 around Springfield, VA. I’m know that DC and MD issue the dated cardboard tags, pretty sure VA does as well. With those you can at least identify the car (“DC temp tags, expire xx/xx/xxxx”). This had no identification, simply “License Plate Applied For” on the rear, no front tag.