The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) has provided new options for customers to replace illegible registration plates, making the process easier and more convenient.

If you have a registration plate that is deemed illegible by law enforcement or a certified safety inspector, you can now get it replaced free of charge. All you need to do is bring the MV-46 form, Application for Replacement of Illegible Registration Plate, to an Online Messenger (OLM) location. The OLM will then process the replacement using their inventory of plates, at no cost to you. It’s important to note that the replacement plate will be of the same type as the original, based on the availability in the OLM plate inventory.

To initiate the replacement process, the OLM will need to confirm that the illegible plate has been signed off or verified by law enforcement or a certified safety inspector on the MV-46 form. Once this is confirmed, the OLM will proceed with processing the replacement in the system using the Reissue Materials transaction and reason code G "General Tag Reissuance". Any illegible plates that are replaced by the OLM must be submitted to PennDOT for proper destruction.

However, if your registration plate is not available in the OLM inventory, such as a military plate or a personalized registration plate, the replacement process will involve submitting an application to PennDOT for further processing.

It’s important to be aware that if your registration plate has been redesigned, it will be replaced with the current design. For example, if you have an illegible Conserve Wild Resources registration plate with the owl design, it will be replaced with the current otter plate. Similarly, if your plate is no longer issued, it will be replaced with a standard registration plate.

One key point to remember is that OLMs are not authorized to charge for the replacement registration plate. However, if you require other services in addition to the plate replacement, standard fees may apply.

In accordance with Section § 1902 (10) of the vehicle code, no fee shall be charged for the reissuance of a registration plate that has been determined to be illegible by an authorized representative of the department or law enforcement.