Vehicle Registration Tabs In Minnesota: What To Know

William Bornhoft
·4 min read

TWIN CITIES, MN — Minnesotans who mailed in their registration renewal, have not received their tabs due to processing delays and contacted the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Driver and Vehicle Services division about the issue will receive a verification letter via email to use as proof of registration renewal until their tabs arrive.

DPS-DVS also notified law enforcement that some Minnesotans will not receive their registration stickers before they are required to display the tabs on their license plates.

Minnesota law requires drivers to renew vehicle registration by the last day of the expiration month and display the new tabs by the tenth day of the month following the expiration month.

"We know this delay has caused anxiety for some, and we hope that this letter and law enforcement notification will ease the worries of those affected," Minnesota Department of Public Safety Driver and Vehicle Services Director Emma Corrie said in a news release.

"Processing these renewals and getting tabs to customers is a priority, and we’ve dedicated additional staff to process these as quickly as possible. In the meantime, this letter will provide peace of mind to many who are worried about driving without their updated tabs."

What Happened

DPS-DVS is experiencing processing delays for some vehicle registration renewals that were submitted by mail in recent weeks. When a mailed-in renewal includes payment for the wrong amount, requires an address change or is missing information, the renewal requires additional processing. During the stay at home order, DVS staff was unable to process these particular renewals because staff was telecommuting and did not have access to the mailed-in documents.

Who’s Affected

There are approximately 7,700 mailed-in registration renewals dating back to May 11 that require additional processing. DPS-DVS is sending emails with the verification letter attached to Minnesotans who mailed in their registration renewals and reported that they have not received their tabs using the Report Registration Tabs Not Received contact form.

The majority of mailed-in registration renewals are not affected. Since January, DPS-DVS has processed approximately 94,000 mailed-in registrations each month. DPS-DVS processed approximately 54,000 mailed-in registrations per month last year.

Anyone who mailed in their registration renewal more than two weeks ago and has not received their tabs should contact DPS-DVS using the Report Registration Tabs Not Received to receive a verification letter.

What’s Next

Affected Minnesotans who reported they have not received their tabs should receive their verification letter via email and can carry that letter with them in their vehicle. They should present the letter to law enforcement officers in the event they are stopped for expired tabs. The verification letters expire Aug. 31.

DPS-DVS expects to mail all delayed registration tabs within four to six weeks. There are 21 DPS-DVS employees dedicated to the mailed-in registrations that required additional processing. These types of renewals typically require only 2-3 employees to process.

Renewal Options

Minnesotans who need to renew their vehicle registration have several options:

  • Visit an open deputy registrar office to renew in person. The majority of offices are open and are listed on the DVS locations page.

  • Renew vehicle registration for a car, pickup under 1 ton or SUV online at drive.mn.gov.

  • Mail the vehicle registration by sending the bottom half of the renewal notice with a check or money order for the total amount shown on the renewal notice made payable to DVS Renewal to: DVS Renewal PO Box 64587 St. Paul, MN 55164-0587

  • DPS-DVS processes mailed-in renewals within one to five business days after receipt and tabs should arrive within 21 days.

This article originally appeared on the Eagan Patch