{"id":23509,"date":"2023-12-22T18:42:29","date_gmt":"2023-12-22T18:42:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.etags.com\/blog\/?p=23509"},"modified":"2026-01-21T08:06:29","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T08:06:29","slug":"driving-an-unregistered-vehicle-in-florida-is-a-crime-register-online","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.etags.com\/blog\/driving-an-unregistered-vehicle-in-florida-is-a-crime-register-online\/","title":{"rendered":"Driving An Unregistered Vehicle In Florida Is A Crime, Register Online"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In Florida, as like in any other state, driving a vehicle whether a pickup truck, passenger car, motorcycle, trailers, SUV, and the like, requires you to have a registration.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Plate, sticker, and certificate<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>This registration, also called a tag in FL, includes three items. A FL license plate to place at the rear of your vehicle, a decal sticker you must stick on the upper right of your license plate, and a paper registration certificate. In Florida, you can register your vehicle one year or two years at a time.<\/p>\n<p>It expires at midnight on your birthday. According to the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability, Florida has 18 million licensed drivers and over\u00a023 million registered motor vehicles, motorcycles, mobile homes, travel trailers, and vessels.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Register online, even if you need to transfer title<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>If you buy a car directly from a dealership, they\u2019ll give you a temporary FL license plate typically made out of paper. Then they\u2019ll deliver the metal license plate, typically within a month. But if you buy from a private party, he or she will keep their own license plates and you\u2019ll have to get your own. You can register your vehicle for license plates and sticker with a tag agency, or just apply online from your computer or cellphone.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.etags.com\/app\/us?utm_source=blog_article\">With eTags, registering your car is convenient<\/a> and quick. Just answer a few questions about the make and model, submit your shipping address and that\u2019s all. If you bought from a private seller, that means you\u2019ll probably have to transfer the title in your name. The title of the car is about ownership, registration is about being allowed to legally drive it. With eTags, you can do both processes at the same time, even if the title comes from another state.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Unregistered vehicle results in a $500 fine plus 60 days in jail<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The registration allows you to drive legally, but you must also carry auto insurance. If you\u2019re caught with driving an unregistered vehicle, you\u2019re committing a criminal offense. A second-degree misdemeanor, equal to petit-theft, simple assault, driving without a driver\u2019s license and the like.<\/p>\n<p>If a police officer pulls you over and discovers your vehicle is not registered, you could be looking at a fine of up to $500 plus 60 days in jail. Law enforcement can stop you for speeding, running a red light, distracted driving, or other moving violation, but when they run your license plates, that\u2019s when they can discover you don\u2019t hold a registration.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Expired car registration in Florida<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>If you\u2019re caught driving with an expired car registration, you can get away with just a citation generally. Probably less than a $100 fine if it\u2019s the first time you\u2019re caught. But if you\u2019re caught a second time or more, you\u2019ll face second-degree misdemeanor charges. More than 60 days expired results of jail time for up to two months. You may also be faced with 6 months of probation and. Higher auto insurance costs.<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.etags.com\/blog\/your-ev-car-registration-in-florida-may-cost-you-an-extra-200-year\/\">SEE ALSO: FL ELECTRIC VEHICLE REGISTRATION MAY COST YOU AN EXTRA $200\/YEAR<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In the case of driving an unregistered vehicle (unlike just an expired tag) will most likely require to show up in court where you\u2019ll have to plead guilty or not guilty. If you end having to do some jail time, know that the conviction means you\u2019ll have a permanent record.<\/p>\n<p>Drive safe, keep up to date with your car\u2019s registration paperwork and plate!<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In Florida, as like in any other state, driving a vehicle whether a pickup truck, passenger car, motorcycle, trailers, SUV, and the like, requires you to have a registration. Plate,&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1592,5,433,1588,2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-23509","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-car-buying","7":"category-florida","8":"category-laws","9":"category-motorcycle","10":"category-vehicle-registration"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.5 (Yoast SEO v27.5) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Driving An Unregistered Vehicle In Florida Is A Crime, Register Online | eTags<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.etags.com\/blog\/driving-an-unregistered-vehicle-in-florida-is-a-crime-register-online\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Driving An Unregistered Vehicle In Florida Is A Crime, Register Online\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In Florida, as like in any other state, driving a vehicle whether a pickup truck, passenger car, motorcycle, trailers, SUV, and the like, requires you to have a registration. 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