How long to get your initial registration/plates?

I'd check with your dealer first.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(MikeSF @ May 15 2006, 06:35 PM) [snapback]256024[/snapback]</div>

I hope you're already aware that if your car is registered in the San Francisco Bay Area you cannot apply for the California Clean Air Vehicle stickers until you have a hybrid-account FasTrak transponder, whether you ever cross the bridges or not. You will need to enclose the original FasTrak paperwork with your stickers application. And you can apply for that transponder the minute you've bought your car.

This very long thread contains lots of observations from priuschat members about discovering your plate number and applying for the Clean Air Vehicle stickers. It's up to 15 pages now, so maybe just read the last 5 pages or so.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(MikeSF @ May 15 2006, 06:35 PM) [snapback]256024[/snapback]</div>

You can call DMV to get the license plate number. Number on this thread.

http://priuschat.com/index.php?showtopic=18613

My experience with DMV was very positive when calling.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(j24816 @ May 15 2006, 08:37 PM) [snapback]256095[/snapback]</div>

Actually this may or may not work. The DMV phone line had no record of my vehicle or plates for over a month past when I had the dealer run a DMV report and get me my plate number.

The BEST way to get your plate number is to go back to your dealership and convince them to run a DMV report. The day your plates are assigned they show up on that system...well before you can find them out by calling the DMV.

I received my HOV stickers 2 weeks before I received my actual plates!

 

The BEST way to get your plate number is to go back to your dealership and convince them to run a DMV report.

Agree.


The DMV phone line had no record of my vehicle or plates for over a month past when I had the dealer run a DMV report and get me my plate number.

Guess I was fortunate with getting plate info from DMV. Actually I received my plates 4.5 weeks after buying car. Still waiting for stickers.

 

It took almost 2 months from the date of purchase for my plates to arrive. I got my HOV stickers a day or two later. When I filled out the HOV sticker application, I filled in my VIN but wrote "New Vehicle" in the license plate # section. I mailed out the HOV application earlier in the same day I purchased my Prius (my salesguy had given me the VIN over the phone the day before pick-up so I could send in the application and get my insurance info changed quickly as well).

 

You can order your HOV stickers without your plates. Just write "new vehicle" in the boxes where the plate number is supposed to go and just write your VIN number in. I did mine that was and it took about 4 weeks.

My plates arrived about 2 or 3 weeks later.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(MikeSF @ May 15 2006, 06:35 PM) [snapback]256024[/snapback]</div>

When I got my Prius in Sept 2005, it took a whole 10 weeks to get my plates!! That's the longest I had to wait. My HOV sticker took 4 weeks. That the 2nd set - the 1st was for my Civic Hybrid which I got in Aug 2005 - when they first issued it and it took 3 weeks. Note, in both cases, I never swapped my transponder. All I did was enclosed a copy of my latest FastTrak bill with the transponder serial number highlited.

 

Took me 6 weeks in southern Cal. I thought you had to wait for the plate to get the freeway sticker. I saw so many cars without plates and with the stickers that I finally mailed it in anyway. The plates and stickers came about 1 week apart.

 

Took me about six weeks to get the registration paper, and the plate comes in one week after. However, I'm still waiting for the sticker. One thing I found useful to check the registration status other than DMV is: www.carfax.com. You could type in your vin number for free, and if it has one or more records, you know it's already in DMV computer. Good luck

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(J.Wilkie @ May 16 2006, 12:42 PM) [snapback]256438[/snapback]</div>

That procedure very definitely did not work for many of us, as detailed in the message thread I noted earlier and in other threads. I had my application returned to me with instructions to re-apply when I received my plate number. It appears either that DMV has changed its procedures or that different DMV clerks opening the mail have worked out their own individual procedures that are inconsistent with each other.

A new-vehicle owner doesn't actually need the plates, just the plate number.

 

My reg. took 2 months. Remember, people buy more cars in spring...

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(MikeSF @ May 15 2006, 06:35 PM) [snapback]256024[/snapback]</div>

They have 90 days to get you your plates.

 

Took 7 weeks for me to get plates and reg. Still no HOV sticker, 3 weeks after resending app with plate info.

 

My guess is that it varies from State to State. I had my VIN and Credit Union Paper work etc and I walked in and got the registration and plates right there and then.