The short version
- A passenger registration costs $60 and lasts two years. Electric cars pay the same, while vanity plates renew every year.
- Unpaid excise tax, parking tickets or E-ZPass violations block your renewal, and clearing an excise hold adds a $20 release fee.
- Renew online within six months of your expiration date, or in person at an RMV Service Center or AAA branch to leave with your decals.
Massachusetts registrations are handled by the Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV). Your city or town bills the motor vehicle excise tax separately each year, and an unpaid bill can stop your renewal.
Not renewing?
- Just bought a car? That’s a new registration, which needs an application stamped by a Massachusetts insurance agent. Our guide to Massachusetts temporary plates covers your options before it’s registered.
- New to Massachusetts? There’s no grace period: you register your car as soon as you become a resident, then get it inspected within seven days. You’ll also need to transfer your out-of-state license to Massachusetts.
- Sold the car or moved away? Cancel your registration online instead. It’s free, the RMV doesn’t need your plates back, and your cancellation receipt goes to your insurer.
How Often You Renew a Massachusetts Registration
A standard passenger plate renews every two years, while a personalized plate renews every year. Our guide to Massachusetts personalized plates covers ordering one.
- Renewing early: You can renew online within six months of your expiration date.
- Renewing late: The RMV doesn’t list a late fee, but don’t drive on an expired registration. If yours has expired, renewing in person gets you the registration and decals the same day.
What Can Stop a Massachusetts Registration Renewal
The RMV won’t renew a registration that’s suspended, revoked or marked for non-renewal, or one without active insurance.
Unpaid Excise Tax
Your city or town bills the excise every year at $25 per $1,000 of your car’s value, with 30 days to pay. After that, a demand notice adds a fee of up to $30 plus 12% interest, and after a final notice, the town can have the RMV block your renewal.
How to Clear an Excise Non-Renewal
Pay the full bill, including penalties and a $20 release fee, to your town’s tax collector or its deputy collector. Keep the receipt. Collectors report releases to the RMV electronically but only periodically, so a release can take a while to show up.
Parking Tickets and E-ZPass Violations
Unpaid parking tickets and E-ZPass toll violations can get your registration marked the same way. Pay them off before you renew.
Insurance and Inspection
If the online system says your renewal needs an insurance stamp, call your insurance company first so it can update your policy on file with the RMV. Inspection isn’t on the renewal checklist, though every car still needs a safety inspection each year.
How to Renew Your Massachusetts Registration
Renew Online Through myRMV
Who Can Renew Online
You can renew a passenger plate online if you have:
- An email address or a phone that receives texts
- A credit or debit card, or a checking account
- No unpaid tickets, excise tax or E-ZPass violations
- An active insurance policy and your plate number
Steps to Renew Online
- Log in to myRMV with a MyMassGov account and verify your identity with your Massachusetts license or ID number, date of birth and the last four digits of your Social Security number.
- Choose your vehicle and confirm your mailing address, since your registration and decals are mailed there. If you’ve moved, our guide to a Massachusetts change of address covers updating it first.
- Pay, then print the confirmation page. Allow at least 14 business days for your registration and decals to arrive.
Renew by Mail
Send your completed renewal application and payment to Registry of Motor Vehicles, Attention: Mail-In Registration Department, PO Box 55891, Boston, MA 02205-5891. Allow at least 14 business days for them to arrive.
Renew at an RMV Service Center or AAA
RMV Service Centers take walk-ins, but customers with appointments are served first, and our guide to Massachusetts RMV appointments explains booking. AAA members can renew most registrations at a AAA branch instead, with an online reservation made up to two weeks ahead. Either way, you’ll leave with your registration and decals.
Massachusetts Registration Renewal Fees
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Passenger registration, two years | $60 |
| Electric car registration, two years | $60 |
| Personalized passenger plate, one year | $30 registration + $50 special plate fee |
| Late renewal fee | None listed |
| Clearing an excise non-renewal | $20, plus the unpaid bill and penalties |
| Duplicate registration | $25 |
| Annual inspection, paid to the station | $35 |
| Example: 2024 sedan with a $30,000 list price, renewed in 2026 | $60 renewal, plus a $300 excise bill from your town |
Massachusetts doesn’t charge electric cars an extra fee.
How the Excise Tax Is Calculated
The excise isn’t part of the renewal. A car’s taxable value is a share of the manufacturer’s list price: 90% in its model year, then 60%, 40% and 25%, and 10% from the fifth year on, with a $5 minimum bill. The example’s 2024 sedan is in its third year in 2026, so it’s taxed on 40% of $30,000, or $12,000, at $25 per $1,000.
Frequently Asked Questions
$60 for two years for a standard passenger plate, whether the car runs on gas or electricity. Your town bills the excise separately.
Not once your registration has been marked for non-renewal. Pay what you owe, including any penalties and the $20 excise release fee, and keep the receipt until the release reaches the RMV.
Your town sends a final notice before it asks the RMV to block your renewal, and online renewal won’t go through while you have unpaid tickets, excise tax or E-ZPass violations.
No. The RMV doesn’t list a grace period, so renew before your expiration date. If it has already expired, renew in person and you’ll leave with your new decals.
No. Inspection isn’t part of the RMV’s renewal checklist, but you still need to pass one every year.
No. AAA’s RMV services are for members, who book a reservation online. Everyone else can renew online, by mail or at an RMV Service Center.
Conclusion
Most Massachusetts registration renewals take a few minutes online, as long as nothing on your record stands in the way. Before yours comes due, check for unpaid excise bills, parking tickets and E-ZPass violations, and clear any non-renewal mark with your town’s collector first. A standard registration costs $60 for two years, with the excise billed separately by your town. If your registration has already expired, renewing at an RMV Service Center or AAA branch gets you new decals on the spot.
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