Renew Car Registration

All motor vehicles in the state of Alabama must have a valid registration to be driven. Your car registration must be renewed every year, and the state uses a special registration and renewal program based on the first letter of the last name of the legal car owner. You must renew car registrations in the correct renewal month. Renewing car registration can only be done from January through November, and during your renewal month. Check the renewal notice you receive in the mail or your local tag agency office for the renewal schedule.

All motor vehicles in the state of Alabama must have a valid registration to be driven. Your car registration must be renewed every year, and the states uses a special registration and renewal program based on the first letter of the last name of the legal car owner. Keep in mind that you must renew car registrations in the correct renewal month.

Do take note that not all counties mail renewal notices. For cars that are leased or commercial vehicles, the renewal months are October and November.

You may renew your car registration, also called your car tag renewal in multiple ways, including:

• In person
• By phone
• Online (in certain counties)
• By mail

If you need to renew expired car registration, you must check with your local tag office to see if you can renew your license plate online or you must renew in person. There is usually an additional fee of $15 for renewing car registrations after your renewal month. Also note that you may be responsible for paying any old taxes on the value of the car.

How to Renew Car Registration in Person

You can easily renew your vehicle registration in person by going in to your local county car tag agency or license plate issuing office. When visiting your county tag office, be sure that you are renewing in the correct reregistration month, and you have the following documents with you for each owner of record on the vehicle title:

• A valid Alabama drivers license (or state-issued identification card)
• Proof of car insurance
• Your mailed courtesy renewal card (if available)
• Your method of payment (cash, check or credit card)

How to Renew Car Registration by Phone

You may be able to renew car registration by phone when you call your local vehicle tag agency office. Most counties allow you to renew your vehicle registration up until the last business day of your renewal month. To renew vehicle registration by phone, you will need:

• A valid Alabama drivers license (or state-issued identification card) for all registered owners of the car
• Proof of car insurance (which will need to be faxed, emailed or mailed)
• Your mailed courtesy renewal card (if available) or your tag number
• Your valid credit card information

How to Renew Car Registration Online

Not all counties in Alabama provide online vehicle registration renewal services. To check if you can renew your car registration online, visit the “E-services” section of Alabama’s Department of Revenue website. You may also renew your vehicle registration by mail through sending your registration documents to your county license plate registration office in which you reside. To renew your car registration online, you will need to have the following documents:

• Proof of vehicle insurance (which will need to be faxed, emailed or mailed)
• Your mailed courtesy renewal card (if available) and your tag number (or
• Your valid credit card information

Note that if you want to change your car license plate to or from a personalized plate, you must do this in person.

How to Renew Car Registration by Mail

If you would like to mail in your vehicle registration renewal, you must have your courtesy renewal card to mail in. This must be signed by the owner of the car and mailed in to your local county vehicle registration office by the 20^th day of your renewal month with the following:

• Your mailed courtesy renewal card signed by the owner of the car
• The Alabama drivers license number and expiration date of the owner of the car
• Your check, cashier’s check or money order

The Alabama state address for vehicle registrations is:

P.O. Box 327630 Montgomery, AL 36132-7630