As of July 1, 2025, Texas has officially ended the use of temporary paper license plates. Instead, metal plates are now issued immediately to new vehicle buyers at the point of sale, a move aimed at improving officer safety and reducing fraud after widespread abuse of counterfeit paper tags—over 1.8 million were in circulation by 2021.

Key Changes:

• Metal plates required at purchase, installed by the dealer on both front and rear of the vehicle.
• Four color-coded temporary metal plates introduced for specific situations:
  • Blue: Dealer/test drive use
  • Green: Out-of-state buyers (valid 60 days)
  • Purple: Provisional use when regular plates are unavailable
  • Red: Temporary registration (replaces 30-day and one-trip permits)
• Grace period: Existing paper tags remain valid for up to 60 days after July 1, depending on issue date.
• Buyers should retain their purchase receipt until the official registration sticker is received.