If you've ever had to get Jersey plates on your vehicle, do you know what you're supposed to do with your old plates?

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Here's a pro tip for you; you aren't supposed to hold onto your old vehicle plates or toss them in the trash.

For some, this may seem like the most common sense thing in the world, but for others, what I'm about to break down for you may save you a ton of headaches in the future.

Photo by Usman Yousaf on Unsplash
Photo by Usman Yousaf on Unsplash
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Last summer, I started the process of getting my vehicle transferred to New Jersey; from my driver's license to my registration to my vehicle plates.

It was a hassle, and a project but after a couple of hours at the NJ MVC everything was taken care of.

That left me with one question though; what am I supposed to do with my old PA plates?

At first, I just drove around with them in my trunk but thanks to the New Jersey subreddit, it was brought to my attention that that's not what you're supposed to do.

I saw on there the story of one New Jersey resident who wasn't sure what they should do with their old Jersey plates which ended up getting stolen.

Whoever stole them started using the old plates, and the former owner started getting tickets for traffic citations.

What a mess!

Photo by Edgar on Unsplash
Photo by Edgar on Unsplash
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So, What Are You Supposed To Do With Your Old New Jersey Plates?

Fortunately, the NJ MVC has an answer for these types of things.

If you are a New Jersey resident who needs to get new plates for whatever reason, you simply surrender your old NJ plates to an NJ MVC location.

There are also drop boxes where you can surrender your old plates too!

What If I Have Out Of State Plates To Surrender?

This could be tricky, depending on where you moved from.

According to the NJ MVC, out-of-state plates must be surrendered to the Motor Vehicle Department of the state in which the plates were issued.

Photo by sydney Rae on Unsplash
Photo by sydney Rae on Unsplash
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So, for someone like me who moved here from Pennsylvania, it's not that big of a deal; I just need to hop over the Deleware River bridge and drop my plates off at a DMV.

But, if you move here from a much further state, it could be more of a hassle because you'll have to get those plates back to your original state.

A Look at New Jersey License Plates From Years Past

Feeling nostalgic? Let's take a look at some old New Jersey license plates. How many of these did you have?

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