General Vehicle Registration

Every vehicle in Alaska is required to be registered unless specifically exempted by law.

If you are working in Alaska or establishing residency, you must apply for registration within 10 days of entering the state or taking a job within the state.

A non-resident may operate a vehicle with a current registration from another state for 60 days.

When registering, you may be required to provide the vehicle’s Title. For more information, please visit: Titles

Commercial vehicles have additional requirements in addition to those listed below, please visit: Commercial Vehicle Registration

How do I register my vehicle?

To register a vehicle in Alaska for the first time, you must submit the following:

Please Note: If an individual has purchased either a new or used vehicle from an Alaska dealer, the dealer will usually submit all of the documents to us.

If you have purchased a vehicle outside of Alaska, please visit: Vehicles Purchased Outside Alaska

When will I need to renew?

Vehicles are registered for a two year period.

Normally a vehicle is assigned an expiration date when the vehicle is first registered in Alaska and retains that month when ownership changes.

A vehicle that has been expired for less than a full year is charged the full biennial fee beginning with the month the registration expired, even if an individual has just purchased the vehicle and the previous owner let the vehicle expire, or the vehicle has been parked while it was expired.

The registration starts over when it has been expired for over an entire year or when the previous owner was exempt from registration fees (Senior Exemption, Disability Plates, etc.)

Will I need to pay Taxes?

We collect a Motor Vehicle Registration Tax (MVRT) for those municipalities and boroughs that have elected to have this form of personal property tax. The tax rates vary for each location.

What Insurance do I need?

Alaska law requires that the owner of a vehicle must maintain liability insurance in effect that provides for the following minimum amounts:

• $50,000 for bodily injury or death of any one person
• $100,000 for bodily injury or death for any accident
• $25,000 for property damage

Failure to have liability insurance in effect may result in suspension of a driver’s license. A driver is required to certify that there is a policy in effect, as required by law.