Written by Deborah Marie Wedemeyer
I’m Deborah at Testarossa Motors in League City. If you bought a car in Texas a few years ago, you probably left with a paper tag in the back window. That’s over. Here’s how plates work now when you buy from a Texas dealer.
Paper temporary tags ended July 1, 2025
Under House Bill 718, Texas dealers stopped printing paper buyer’s tags on July 1, 2025. Dealers now put metal license plates on the vehicle at the time of sale.
What most buyers get: a general issue plate
If you’re titling and registering the car in Texas, you’ll usually leave with a standard black-and-white general issue plate, registered in your name and mounted front and rear. Keep the Buyer’s Receipt in the car until your registration is complete and you’ve put the windshield sticker on.
Already have plates? Keeping specialty or personalized plates
If you trade in a car with specialty or personalized plates, those plates stay yours, and you can move them to the car you buy if they fit that vehicle class. Ask us at the sale.
The $10 plate fee
Texas rules set a $10 fee for a dealer-issued buyer’s plate. The dealer collects it and sends it to the county with your title application. Vehicles exempt from registration fees don’t pay it.
Buying from out of state?
If you live outside Texas, the dealer issues an out-of-state buyer plate instead. TxDMV says it’s valid for 60 days, so you have time to register the car at home.
What about dealer plates?
Dealer temporary plates are for dealer business only, like test drives or moving cars. They aren’t used to deliver a car to a buyer.
Buying from a private seller instead?
Private sellers don’t issue plates. The seller keeps their plates, and you file the title and registration at your county tax office yourself. See our title transfer guide and private seller comparison.
Do I need a temp tag when I buy a used car in Texas?
No. Texas dealers stopped issuing paper temp tags on July 1, 2025, so a used car bought from a Texas dealer today leaves the lot with metal license plates instead of a paper tag. Testarossa Motors in League City puts metal license plates on the front and rear of the car at the sale and gives you a Buyer’s Receipt. The only thing that comes later is the windshield registration sticker, which is issued once the title and registration are processed. Until the sticker arrives, TxDMV says to keep the Buyer’s Receipt in the vehicle, and you should also keep your proof of insurance in the car. If you are worried about the timing, call Testarossa Motors at (281) 332-6568 with your VIN and purchase date, and the staff will check the status of your title and registration for you.
If you still have an old paper temp tag, it is no longer valid. Contact the dealer who sold you the car or your county tax office right away.
Sources: TxDMV, HB 718 buyer tags and plates; 43 Tex. Admin. Code §215.144; TxDMV FAQs.
How long does a Texas dealer have to file my title and registration?
A Texas dealer must file your title and registration application within 30 days of the sale date, or 45 days if the dealer financed the sale, and 60 days for active-duty military buyers, under Texas Administrative Code rule 43 TAC §215.144 and Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TxDMV) guidance. That deadline covers the dealer’s filing, not the day your registration sticker reaches you. After the dealer files, the county tax office processes the registration, and the windshield sticker may be mailed, delivered or picked up depending on the county or dealer. During that time, keep your metal plates mounted on the front and rear of the car and keep the Buyer’s Receipt and proof of insurance in the vehicle. When you buy from Testarossa Motors in League City, the staff file your title and registration paperwork, and you can call (281) 332-6568 with your VIN and purchase date to check where it stands.
Why is my Texas registration sticker taking so long to arrive?
Texas registration stickers are taking much longer than advertised in practice, often 90 days or more, because Texas is still new to the registration and plate system it started on July 1, 2025. That wait is a real-world delay Texas is experiencing, not a legal deadline and not a guarantee of when a sticker will arrive. The dealer’s legal filing deadline is separate and still applies: 30 days from the sale, 45 days for a dealer-financed sale and 60 days for active-duty military buyers. While you wait for the sticker, the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TxDMV) says to keep the Buyer’s Receipt in the vehicle until registration is complete and the sticker is on the windshield. Keep proof of insurance in the car as well, and keep your metal plates mounted front and rear. Buyers at Testarossa Motors in League City can call (281) 332-6568 with their VIN and purchase date to check on a sticker.
FAQ
No, not since July 1, 2025. You get metal plates at the sale.
$10, collected by the dealer.
Your Buyer’s Receipt, until registration is done and the sticker is on.
Call (281) 332-6568.
No. Texas dealers stopped issuing paper temp tags on July 1, 2025, and an old paper tag is no longer valid. If you still have one, contact the dealer who sold you the car or your county tax office right away. Buyers at Testarossa Motors leave with metal plates.