I live in Florida (no front plate required) and have my British tag in front. In today's mail I just got my new state tag for the rear. I took off the old plate and frame and polished/waxed the newly exposed paint. Before installing the new tag I remembered that I had a proper British rear plate so I installed it for kicks. Well it really looks good. :smile: How long can I get away with it? Can my state tag, as long as it's visible from the rear (in the window) keep me out of trouble? I know I'm being silly, but I can't tell you how many times I've seen cars with a lost tag sign, or the tag is in the window. And dealers use a magnet. Is there any other solution other than sticking that ugly FL plate on there?

 

Legally you should know the law and try to comply.

If you have a car show or rally you could cheat and display your FL plate in your window.

Daily driving with euro plates front and rear will likely get you in trouble.
In my area I do not see any cars with euro plates in the rear, ever.

 

I remember seeing something when I was living down in Florida about the people who drive around with the "lost tag" signs. It's illegal and those that do it are normally ticketed when caught.

Using the Euro tag in the front in the US is one thing especially if you live in Florida, but putting it in back is asking for trouble.

There is one exception and I've seen it a few times here in DC. You can in fact drive with Euro tags legally in the US... If your car is legally registered in another country... I've seen a few NATO tags and a set of US Forces Korea tags, but as far as I know that's the only way you can do it.

 

I have both the front and rear tags off of my 68 MGB from when I lived in England, and I also have a GB sticker. I currently have the front tag on my MINI, and have been tempted to put the rear plate and the GB sticker on the rear to see how long I could get away with it...

 

Up here the mounties will pull you over,ask a few polite questions,then ship your a$$ back to where ever those plates are from.

 

One of our club members here in Miami drives a beautiful classic Mini and he has both British license plates front and back and the Florida tag in the rear window. He hasn't had a problem yet.

 

I think the real trick here is getting a light on the US plate. If it's lit...and for arguments sake lets say the Euro Plate isn't...would the Police have a legitimate complaint?

Peter...who knows the sting of citations for improper display of license tag...in Denver

 

Quite possibly, you would be displaying two tags and that could be an issue.

While Florida only requires the rear tag, I also know that they frown on anything other than the novelty tags in the front of the vehicle. There was a crackdown in Florida a few years ago, it was fashionable for transplanted northerners to put their old tag from their original state of residence on the front of the car and their legal FL tag on the rear. It's a ticketable offense down there.

 

Sounds like you would have a problem in CA.

Here's an excerpt from the DMV website, Vehicle Code 4462:

Presentation of Evidence of Registration:
Vehicle Identification Documents: Unlawful Use or Possession
4462.
...(b) No person shall display upon a vehicle, nor present to any peace officer, any registration card, identification card, temporary receipt, license plate, device issued pursuant to Section 4853, or permit not issued for that vehicle or not otherwise lawfully used thereon under this code.

here's the link:http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d03/vc4462.htm

 

I would bet there's a version of that for every state. All that says is you shouldn't present registration for a vehicle that isn't actually for that vehicle..

 

There is only one way I know of... Join the Military! Do an oversea tour and then "import" your MINI back to the states. You will have one year to display the euro tags before you must get a state tag. I know a guy that did this with his right hand drive BMW in the DC area.

I think diplomats can run Euro tags too, but must get a US diplomat tag eventually.

I'm with you on the Florida tag deal! I hate the new tags. I got the Florida "United We Stand" plate:

 

Ever since this thread started I have been on the lookout for europlates in the rear and I found my first one on a BMW. It had europlates front and back and no other visible tags. Asking for trouble obviously since my state requires other stuff like safety check and out of state sticker on the bumper in addition to a valid out of state license plate.

I guess this BMW was just recently arrived from europe or new zealand or something.

 

Oh, that was back in 1996 - BTW. How that guy got a right hand drive car in the states was more of a mystery to me than running the euro plates in the DC area.

 

I currently live in Germany in which I do have the European spec plates. WHen I return to the states I will have to ship with 1 plate on the car. Once registered I plan to personalize my plate with the same tag as my European spec plate. Use the European spec in the rear and hopefully get away without a front tag.