Custom and Personalized License Plates in Louisiana
Louisiana calls its custom plate program the personalized, or prestige, plate, and the process runs through a two-week online reservation followed by a mailed application rather than a single online checkout.
Reserving and Applying for a Personalized Plate
Louisiana's process runs through an online reservation followed by a mailed application.
What is a Louisiana personalized prestige plate?
A personalized plate keeps the standard Louisiana plate background but lets the owner choose a custom combination of up to seven letters, numbers, and limited symbols, subject to OMV review and approval.
How do I check if my desired combination is available?
Use the Personalized Plate Inquiry tool on the Louisiana ExpressLane portal to search for your desired combination. If it is available, the system reserves it for exactly two weeks while you complete the paperwork.
How do I apply once I have a reservation?
Download and complete Form DPSMV 1619, the Request for Personalized Prestige License Plate. Attach a photocopy of your current vehicle registration and proof of active Louisiana auto insurance, then mail the completed form along with payment to the OMV Specialized Vehicle Unit in Baton Rouge before the two week reservation expires.
Can I pay for a personalized plate online?
No, not for the initial order. Louisiana does not accept online credit card payment for a first time personalized plate request, so applicants mail a check or money order along with their paperwork instead.
What happens if my requested combination gets taken during the two week hold?
Once ExpressLane reserves a combination for you, it is held exclusively for that two week window, so another applicant cannot claim it during that time. If your paperwork and payment do not arrive before the reservation expires, however, the combination becomes available again to the next requester.
Cost and Content Rules
Here is what a personalized plate costs and what the OMV will and will not approve.
What does a personalized plate cost?
The personalization fee is $25 per year on top of standard registration, plus a one time $3.50 administrative fee and an $8 handling fee. Replacing a lost, stolen, or damaged personalized plate costs an additional $10.
What content is not allowed on a personalized plate?
The OMV rejects requests with ethnic, racial, vulgar, or indecent connotations, along with combinations that substitute the number one for the letter I or the number zero for the letter O. Periods and hyphens each count as a character space toward the seven character limit, and amateur radio call signs are excluded since they follow a separate program.
Eligibility and Timing
A few practical questions come up once your combination is reserved.
What vehicles are eligible for a personalized plate?
Personalized plates are available for automobiles, motorcycles, mobile homes, and trucks up to 10,000 pounds, covering most vehicles an everyday Louisiana driver would register.
How long does the whole process take?
After OMV review, which typically takes a few weeks, approved plates take additional time to manufacture and ship. Applying well ahead of any date you want the new plate in hand, such as a birthday or an anniversary, helps avoid a last minute scramble.
Can I request a personalized version of a specialty plate?
In some cases, yes. Certain specialty plate categories allow an added personalization option for an extra fee, letting a driver combine a cause based design with a custom combination, though availability depends on the specific specialty plate chosen.
Can I preview what my personalized plate will look like before ordering?
The OMV's online tools let you confirm the character combination itself, but they do not always generate a full visual preview of the finished plate. Reviewing the standard plate background for your chosen category is the best way to picture how your combination will appear.
What do I do with my old plate once the new one arrives?
Surrender your old plate at an OMV office or public tag agent when you pick up or install your new personalized plate, since Louisiana requires the previous plate to be turned in as part of completing the swap.
Can I renew a personalized plate with the same combination indefinitely?
Yes, as long as you continue paying the annual personalization fee alongside your standard registration renewal. There is no limit on how long you can keep a given combination once it is issued to you.
What happens if I sell my vehicle but want to keep my personalized combination?
Contact the OMV before or shortly after the sale to discuss moving your personalized combination to a replacement vehicle rather than letting it lapse with the old registration, since Louisiana's transfer rules for personalized plates differ from a standard plate transfer.
Are there seasonal or theme based personalized plate options?
Louisiana's personalized program is separate from its seasonal or theme based specialty plates. A personalized combination can be added to many specialty plate backgrounds for an additional fee, effectively combining the two programs on a single plate.
Can I gift a personalized plate reservation to someone else?
The reservation itself is tied to the vehicle and applicant information submitted through ExpressLane, so a combination cannot simply be handed off to another person's account. The intended recipient would need to search and reserve the same combination under their own registration details.
Sources referenced: Service Oklahoma (oklahoma.gov), Oklahoma Statutes Title 47, Oklahoma Administrative Code Title 260 Chapter 135, federal Driver's Privacy Protection Act (18 U.S.C. 2721-2725).