Do i need an appointment to renew my registration in nj

Renew NJ Vehicle Registration

There are several ways to renew your New Jersey vehicle registration with the Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC). You can renew:

• Online.
• By mail.
• In person.

You must renew online if you are eligible. Eligible vehicle owners will have a PIN on their renewal notice.

Renew New Jersey Registration Online

To renew your registration online, visit the New Jersey MVC website and navigate to the online renewal portal.

You will need to provide:

• The PIN from your renewal notice.
• Your address (you can also update your address at this time).
• Insurance information.
• Social security number (SSN).
• Credit card information for payment.

If you want, you can choose to order a special interest license plate when you renew for an additional fee.

Your new registration will be valid immediately, but it will take between 7 and 14 days to receive your new card, sticker, and special interest license plate (if ordered) in the mail. If your current registration is unexpired, keep it in your vehicle while you wait until your new registration arrives.

If it takes longer than 2 weeks to receive your registration items OR if you’ve misplaced your renewal notice and need your PIN, call:

• (888) 486-3339 if you are in New Jersey.
• (609) 292-6500 if you are outside the state.

Renew NJ Vehicle Registration by Mail

If you don’t have the option to renew your New Jersey registration online, your renewal notice will tell you if you can renew by mail.

To renew your car registration by mail:

• Complete the form included on your renewal notice (both sides).
• Write a check for the amount owed made payable to “NJMVC.”
• Place both items in the provided envelope. Make sure the address is visible through the window of the included envelope before you seal and mail the envelope.

New Jersey Registration Renewal In Person

If your registration requires you to renew in person, you’ll have to visit your local MVC office and provide your:

• Completed Application for Vehicle Registration (BA-49).
• Your Vehicle Identification Number (VIN).
• Insurance company name and policy number.
• License plate number.
• NJ driver’s license, valid passport, or other form of primary ID.
• Power of Attorney document if renewing on behalf of someone else.
• Payment for the renewal fee. The MVC accepts:
  • Cash.
  • Money orders.
  • Checks made payable to “NJMVC.”
  • Credit/debit cards.

NJ Car Registration Renewal Fees

Your registration renewal fee will be printed on your renewal notice. You can also use the MVC registration fee calculator online to calculate costs.

This is how registration renewal fees are calculated for non-commercial vehicles (note that your total may include extra taxes and fees):

• More than 2 years old* and under 3500 pounds: $46.50.
• More than 2 years old* and 3500 pounds or heavier: $71.50.
• 2 years old or newer and under 3500 pounds: $59.50.
• 2 years old or newer and 3500 pounds or heavier: $84.
• Motorcycles: $65.

*Up until 1979. Use the MVC fee chart for a complete breakdown of registration fees of all types.

By

• Larry Higgs | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

With lines at the state Motor Vehicle Commission agencies and slower than usual postal delivery, drivers who renew their registrations online may start to worry that the new document may not arrive before the old one expires.

Plus, the MVC is still catching up on a backlog of drivers unable to visit agencies during a four-month shut down last year to prevent spread of the coronavirus, and dealing with individual location closures due to the virus. To ease the backlog, the MVC has steered more people to renewing documents online instead of waiting in line at an agency.

But what happens if you renew online, and don’t get your new vehicle registration in the mail before the old one runs out?

Technically, not having that document in your possession when stopped by police is ticket-worthy. The charge is called failure to possess documents and you can face a fine of up to $200.

Fortunately for drivers, those who completed the online registration process and haven’t received their new documents get an automatic 30-day extension of their existing registrations, thanks to an October 2017 law revision. The old registration expires as soon as the driver receives their new one.

But, how do you prove that to the police officer who’s stopped you that your registration is on its way? By printing out a copy of your receipt for renewing online and presenting it to the officer with your old registration, said William Connolly, an MVC spokesman.

“The receipt alone is not valid for driving. The expired (registration) document must be in (your) possession, too,” he said, citing the provisions of the 2017 change.

Over the last two months more than 95% of vehicle registrations have been renewed (online or by mail) without an in-person visit, up from a 69% out-of-agency average just over one year ago (in 2019), Connolly said.

Not only are police aware of this option, but some have used it while waiting for the registration to arrive.

“The process has been in place for years...I’ve used it myself, said Mark Wilson, a retired Voorhees police lieutenant and NJ Traffic Safety Officers Association operating secretary.

The association plans to send an email to remind members that the option exists, he said.

There are other circumstances that can affect when your registration will land in the mailbox. If you moved, the document will not be sent to a forwarding address and will be returned to the MVC. In that case, the MVC recommends updating your mailing address online first, before renewing the registration online.

It could still take 3-4 weeks to receive a renewed registration by mail, even if the renewal was sent by mail as opposed to being processed online, MVC officials said.

All registrations can be renewed on line except under two conditions – the registration is expired beyond the approved six-month extension period or your registration privilege has been suspended. A few special heavy-vehicle categories cannot be renewed online, Connolly said.

Both exceptions require an in-person visit to the MVC to sort out. You can make an appointment to renew your six month or more out-of-date registration in-person at a Vehicle Center. To restore a suspended registration, bring the required documents to a Regional Center.

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Larry Higgs may be reached at .

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