Request a Mississippi Replacement Tag or Decal

Mississippi missing tags decals and registration receipts: Identify which document or identifier is missing

Mississippi uses a license tag, an expiration decal, and a registration record for different parts of the vehicle transaction. A missing ownership certificate is another matter entirely. Before contacting the county, determine whether the metal tag disappeared, only the decal is missing, the receipt cannot be found, or a recently ordered item never arrived. The DOR vehicle services directory separates registration and title services so the request can be routed correctly.

Use the county Tax Collector that maintains the registration. The registration page explains the county basis for ordinary vehicles and the separate office rules for certain heavy interstate operations. Supply the VIN, owner name, vehicle year and make, plate number if available, and a current delivery address. Describe the facts of the loss instead of requesting a generic duplicate that could refer to several different records.

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Mississippi missing tags decals and registration receipts: Use the official tag and decal affidavit

The Application for Replacement Tag and/or Decal, Form 76-903, is also titled Affidavit for Support of Credit. Its checkboxes distinguish a replacement decal, replacement license tag, certificate of credit, and immediate credit toward another tag. Select the replacement item that was actually lost or damaged. A credit request belongs to a different transaction even though the same form accommodates both purposes.

The form asks for the vehicle description, VIN, old tag and decal numbers, expiration, registered owner's information, and the date the item was lost, stolen, or destroyed. It also contains a taxpayer certification and notary section. Follow the form's instruction to use the official version through the county rather than a homemade substitute or altered copy. Leaving the identifying fields blank can make it difficult to cancel the correct item in the state record.

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Mississippi missing tags decals and registration receipts: Document loss or theft with law enforcement

For a lost or stolen identifier, Form 76-903 includes the law-enforcement agency, case number or attached report, and entries for reporting systems. DOR's stolen-tag instructions direct the owner to have the law-enforcement portion completed before the Tax Collector issues the substitute. Contact the local agency with the old plate information and the circumstances. Do not invent a theft report for a mailing delay that the county has not yet investigated.

The affidavit states that a recovered tag or decal must be surrendered immediately and cannot be displayed again. Keep a copy of the report information and county replacement receipt so you can explain why the old identifier is no longer the one assigned for current use. If a later notice involves that former number, the report and replacement date help distinguish events before and after the loss was recorded.

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Mississippi missing tags decals and registration receipts: Confirm the charge for the requested replacement

The state lists $10 for a substitute tag and decal and $2.50 for a replacement decal alone. Those amounts correspond to the item being issued. Ask the county to explain any additional amount if renewal, unpaid taxes, or another transaction must be completed at the same time. A missing decal does not automatically mean that the annual registration fee must be paid again, but the county must confirm whether the original renewal was completed.

The vehicle ad valorem page describes taxes collected with registration, which are different from the replacement charge. If the registration is expired, replacing the physical identifier does not eliminate the renewal issue. Tell the county about both the loss and the expiration so staff can determine the combined steps. Keep the itemized payment record to show which charges addressed renewal and which addressed the substitute tag or decal.

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Mississippi missing tags decals and registration receipts: Investigate non-delivery before ordering again

When a renewal was paid online but the decal has not arrived, return to the transaction confirmation and identify the county service used. The official renewal directory links to both state e-Services and county-run options. Contact the responsible county with the confirmation number, payment date, and vehicle details. A second online payment may not resolve an incorrect address or an original transaction that never reached completion.

DOR directs vehicle registration address changes to the Tax Collector. Correct that record before a replacement is mailed, and confirm the address printed on the new receipt. If the item was sent to an old address, explain that fact rather than reporting a theft without evidence. The Motor Vehicle Services contact page provides state assistance if the county identifies a state-record or issuance question it cannot resolve directly.

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Mississippi missing tags decals and registration receipts: Keep specialty and disability items separate

Tell the county whether the missing tag belongs to a distinctive design or personalized combination. The general plate page and specialty catalog identify the state's plate programs. Replacement can require the county to check the existing program and combination rather than issue an unrelated standard tag. Confirm how the new identifier affects the old registration record before assuming a lost personalized plate can be recreated by placing a fresh ordinary order.

A disability parking placard is a separate authorization from the vehicle's registration decal. The Disabled Parking Application has its own certification and county sections for plates and placards. Specify which item is missing and ask the county what evidence is needed for that request. A replacement vehicle tag does not automatically replace a lost placard, and possession of a placard does not establish that the car's annual registration is current.

The official form directory is useful when the county identifies an additional document, but select it by the full name and purpose. A disability form, a title application, and a support-of-credit affidavit can all contain vehicle details without being interchangeable. Keep the previous registration and any eligibility documents together so the county can match the correct authorization to the replacement request.

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Mississippi missing tags decals and registration receipts: Request a missing registration receipt from the county

If the metal tag and decal are intact but the registration receipt was lost, contact the Tax Collector for the record associated with the vehicle. Provide identification and ownership information requested by the office. Ask whether the county can issue a copy and what its process or charge is rather than assuming the tag-replacement fee applies. The state FAQ does not present an ordinary lost-receipt request as the same transaction as replacing a plate.

If the receipt concerns a vehicle already sold, supply the sale and tag-surrender details as well. Mississippi requires surrender when the owner or vehicle changes and permits qualifying unused credit rather than transfer of the old metal tag. The credit selections on Form 76-903 address that situation. Do not order a replacement tag merely to preserve an old registration that should have been closed after the sale.

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Mississippi missing tags decals and registration receipts: Use the title procedure for a lost ownership certificate

The Mississippi title page directs lost, stolen, or damaged certificate requests to Form 78-006 with the listed $9 charge. The replacement-title instructions require the appropriate owner or lienholder signatures and address where the certificate can be delivered. A vehicle with an electronic lien record may require lender action rather than an ordinary owner request for an unrestricted paper title. Verify that a Mississippi certificate previously existed before using that application.

After receiving the requested replacement, compare the VIN, owner, plate number, and expiration with the county's record. Retain current insurance evidence for the separate liability requirement and keep the replacement receipt with the vehicle documents. If a recovered old item or a notice linked to it appears later, refer to the replacement paperwork and follow the county's surrender or correction instructions. That closes the record loop rather than leaving two competing identifiers in use.

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Mississippi missing tags decals and registration receipts: Common questions

Which Mississippi form requests a replacement vehicle tag or decal?
Form 76-903 combines replacement selections with separate registration-credit options, and the taxpayer must complete the section matching the actual request.

What does Mississippi charge for a substitute tag and decal?
DOR lists $10 for the tag-and-decal replacement, while a decal-only replacement is listed at $2.50.

Does a stolen Mississippi tag require law-enforcement documentation?
The state directs completion of the form’s law-enforcement portion, which records the agency and report or case information.

Should I make another Mississippi renewal payment if the decal never arrived?
First have the county trace the original transaction and mailing address using the confirmation and payment details.

Is a lost Mississippi registration receipt handled like a lost title?
Ask the county for the registration record; a lost ownership certificate uses the separate DOR replacement-title application.

Can I display my old Mississippi tag after receiving its replacement?
The affidavit requires a recovered old tag or decal to be surrendered to the Tax Collector and prohibits using it again.

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More Mississippi DMV guides

The other Mississippi DMV guides, 52 of them:

Police reports in the largest Mississippi counties, each with the local court and office that holds the file: Harrison, Hinds, DeSoto, Rankin, Jackson and Madison.