Texas Says Goodbye To The Temporary Paper Tag On Cars In July 2025

In less than a year the Texas Department Of Motor Vehicles will no longer issue 30-day temporary paper tags for new vehicles that are purchased in the state of Texas. All new vehicles will be issued a set of metal plates at the point of purchase if it is bought from a licensed car dealer.

Paper tags will not be issued after June 30, 2025.

Last year (June 2022) Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed House Bill 718 into law. The law eliminated the need to issue temporary paper license plates for new or newly purchased vehicles in the state of Texas and metal plates will be issued once it is purchased. The new plates will come with a $10 fee and will replace the current one-trip and 30-day temporary paper license plate.

The bill was created by Rep. Craig Goldman (R-Ft. Worth) who was surprised by how quickly it moved and was supported and approved by the House and Senate. He tells KXAN,

Bills this big, that make fundamental change in this state, don’t normally pass the very first session that you file them. So, huge relief."

Many television stations have covered this story from many different angles, including KPRC in Houston. The goal of the new law is to cut down on the number of fake temporary tags that are popping up on Texas streets, especially in more populated counties of Texas. The counterfeit and copied paper tags were being placed on unregistered vehicles, or stolen vehicles to make it harder for law enforcement to track them down.

After the bill was signed into law by the governor, Adam Shaivitz, a TxDMV spokesperson told KCBD,

The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles worked with legislative offices and stakeholder communities throughout the development of House Bill 718. The department appreciates the numerous amendments and clarifications that were made to address various industry and operational needs while accomplishing the intended goal of the legislation. We are now beginning the process of planning for the successful implementation of the new regulations by the bill’s required deadlines."

The law will go into effect July 01, 2025. Texas DMV is currently working with county tax offices and local auto dealerships on a system to manage license plate inventory and how the plates are going to be managed.