How to Get Personalized License Plates in Texas (2026 Guide)
You can order personalized license plates in Texas online through MyPlates.com, the official TxDMV vendor. Most designs allow up to 7 characters. Personalized plates generally cost about $70 to $115 per year on top of your standard registration, depending on the plate design and term length. Once your message is approved, Processing takes about 3 to 4 weeks.TxDMV reviews every message before manufacturing, and orders are non-refundable, so check that your plate message is available and follows the ruless before you pay.
Personalized vs Specialty — These Get Confused Constantly
People use these terms interchangeably, but they're not the same thing, and mixing them up is the most common source of confusion when shopping for a custom plate.
- Personalized means you choose what letters and numbers appear on your license plate instead of getting one picked by the state.
- Specialty means the license plate has a special picture or design instead of the normal state design. For example, it could show a university, a military branch, a sports team, or a charity.
You can have both at the same time. For example, you can choose a specialty plate with a special design and also pick your own letters and numbers. A regular plate with your own custom text usually costs less. A specialty plate with custom text usually costs more because you're paying for both the special design and the custom message.
Messages or letters you can't have on a personalized license plate in Texas:The Rules
TxDMV reviews every personalized message before it goes into production. Messages generally can't include:
- Profanity or anything sexually suggestive words, including disguised or coded versions of words
- Words or messages about illegal activities or drugs
- Anything that makes the plate look like it belongs to the police, the government, or another official agency
- Content that's misleading or impersonates another entity
The numner of letters and numbers you can have on a personalized license plate depends on the type of license plate you choose. Most regular personalized plates let you use up to 7 characters. Some special plate designs allow fewer because the pictures on the plate leave less room for text.
Because personalized plates are custom manufactured to order, TxDMV does not offer refunds if your combination gets rejected after payment, or if you simply change your mind. Therefore, before you submit and pay, check your message carefully against the content guidelines.
Personalized plate cost in Texas
This is where a lot of guides give you a single price that doesn't hold up.The cost can be different depending on the type of license plate you choose. Here are the curent price ranges, pulled together from multiple current sources rather than one flat figure.
| Option | Typical Annual Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Specialty background only, no personalization | $30 to $50 | You get a special design, no custom text |
| State-sponsored background, personalized | $70 and up | You get Custom text on a standard state design |
| Personalized specialty plate (design + custom text) | $70 to $115 | You get both a special design and your own custom message |
| Premium Embossed personalized plate | Higher tier(costs more), plus a one-time upgrade fee if converting from flat print | See the embossed section below |
| MyPlates Select auction plates | Price varies, from moderate to five or six figures | Rare plate combinations are sold at auction and can cost a lot of money. Some have sold for as much as $115,000. |
The price of these personalized and specialty plate is an extra fee.You still have to pay your normal vehicle registration fee.Most plates can be ordered for 3 or 5 years, which is usually cheaper than paying every year.
You may have seen news stories about a Texas license plate selling for $115,000. That plate was called "12THMAN" and was sold through a special MyPlates Select auction. These auctions are only for rare and popular plate combination which are very different from ordering a normal personalized plate. Most people pay the regular personalized plate fees, not auction prices.
The Black Plate Option — What "Black Texas Plates" Actually Means
If you've searched for black Texas plates, you're most likely thinking of the Premium Embossed plate, and there's a genuinely interesting story behind why this option exists at all.
Texas switched entirely to flat, digitally printed plates back in 2009, leaving the older raised-lettering embossed style. That stayed the case for 15 years. In 2023, a new law (House Bill 3187) allowed embossed plates to come back. In August 2024, MyPlates.com started offering the new Premium Embossed plates. It was the first time Texans could order embossed plates again since 2007.
The embossed design comes in three color combinations: black and gold, black and yellow, and blue and gold, all featuring raised lettering rather than flat print. It allows up to 7 characters, same as most standard personalized plates, just with a different manufacturing style and a higher price tier.
You do not need to order a new personalized plate. If you already have a flat personalized plate, you can change it to a Premium Embossed plate by paying a one-time fee of about $75. After that, you will pay the embossed plate renewal fee. Again if you change your mind back from an embossed plate to a flat plate later, you can do that too but there is usually a one-time fee of about $50.
What do I need to do to get a custom license plate in Texas?
The process depends on the type of custom plate you want. Most personalized and specialty plates can be ordered online. Some plates, such as military, veteran, disability, or agricultural plates, require proof that you qualify for them.
Standard Personalized and Most Specialty Plates
- Go to MyPlates.com, the official TxDMV-contracted vendor for specialty and personalized plates.
- Search your desired message to check availability instantly. The site will tell you right away if your combination is taken.
- Choose your design and term length — 1, 3, or 5 years, with longer terms typically saving money per year.
- Enter your vehicle information, your VIN or current plate number, along with your registration details.
- Submit and pay. TxDMV reviews the message for content approval before it goes into manufacturing.
Plates Requiring Proof of Eligibility
Military, veteran, disability, and agricultural plates can't be ordered online the same way, since they require documentation. For these, download the appropriate form from txdmv.gov, Form VTR-999 for most specialty categories, and submit it with your proof of eligibility to your local county tax assessor-collector's office.
How long does it take to get a custom plate in Texas?
Online orders through MyPlates.com typically take about 3 to 4 weeks from approval to delivery. Eligibility-based plates processed through your county tax office can take longer, since there's a manual document review step involved that online orders skip entirely.
You can keep using your current license plate while you wait for your Personalized License Plate. Your vehicle stays registered, so you can drive it as usual until the new plate arrives.
Common Rejection Reasons
Beyond the content standards covered above, a request can also get rejected for reasons that have nothing to do with what the message on your customized plate means.Below are some of the reasons
- The exact combination is already taken. Personalized plates are unique, only one vehicle in Texas can have any given combination at a time
- The format doesn't fit the plate's character limit or layout for the specific design you selected
- The message is flagged during TxDMV's manual content review, even if it passed the initial online availability check
When you search on MyPlates.com, the website can quickly tell you if a plate is already taken. But that is not the final call. After you place your order, the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TxDMV) reviews your message. If it does not meet the rules, your request can still be rejected. Because personalized plates are made just for you and the order is treated as a custom order once you submit it, so refunds are usually not available.
Renewing or Transferring a Personalized Plate
Personalized plates are tied to you as the owner, not to a specific vehicle. That means if you sell your car or buy a new one, you keep your custom plate.
- Transferring to a new vehicle you own is typically handled for free at your county tax office
- Renewal shows up as a line item on your annual registration renewal notice, and you can pay it the same way you handle standard registration, online, by mail, or in person at your county tax office
- One notable exception: MyPlates Select auction-won plates are the only Texas specialty plates that can be fully transferred between different owners, sold, gifted, or passed to family, since those combinations are treated as a distinct kind of property
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Assuming "specialty" and "personalized" mean the same thing. One is the background design, the other is your custom text. Know which one, or which combination of both, you're actually paying for.
- Not checking availability before getting attached to a message. Popular combinations, especially short ones, get taken quickly. Check MyPlates.com first before deciding this is definitely your plate.
- Assuming a rejected order gets refunded. It doesn't. Review the content guidelines carefully before submitting payment, not after.
- Trying to order a military, veteran, or disability plate online. These require proof of eligibility and go through your county tax office, not MyPlates.com directly.
- Expecting the embossed plate to cost the same as a standard personalized plate. It's a premium tier with its own pricing, plus a one-time fee if you're upgrading from an existing flat-print plate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Your message can't include profanity, sexual references, anything implying illegal activity, or wording that could be mistaken for an official government plate. TxDMV reviews every personalized message before approving it, and rejected combinations aren't refunded. So you must think carefully before you submit.
Realistically between $70 and $115 per year for a standard personalized message on a state-sponsored background, on top of your normal registration fee. Premium designs, embossed plates, or auction-won combinations can cost you beyond that, in rare cases into the thousands.
You're most likely thinking of the Premium Embossed plate, which comes in black and gold or black and yellow combinations with raised lettering. It's ordered through MyPlates.com, the same as any other personalized plate, just under the embossed design category.
About 3 to 4 weeks for online orders once your message is approved. Specialty plates requiring proof of eligibility, like military or agricultural plates, can take longer since they're processed through your county tax office rather than online.
It depends on the specific design. Most standard personalized plates allow up to 7 characters, though some designs cap out lower depending on the artwork and available space on the plate.
MyPlates.com now offers over 500 specialty designs, covering universities, military branches, sports teams, and causes, alongside the standard state-issued background. There's no single official ranking of which design sells the most, but university and Texas-themed designs are consistently among the most requested categories.
Check availability, preview designs, and order directly through the official TxDMV plate vendor.
For informational purposes only. Always verify current pricing and availability at myplates.com or txdmv.gov. Information verified against official TxDMV and MyPlates sources as of July 2026.