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The Gold Star Plate Reaches Further Than Any Other — And It Is Not Free

The Gold Star plate goes to an immediate family member of a member of the armed forces who lost his life in the circumstances the policy lists, and the definition of immediate family is the widest in the state’s plate rules: a widow or widower remarried or not, parents and step-parents, adoptive and foster parents who stood in place of a parent, grandparents, each child, step-child and adopted child, and each brother, half-brother, sister and half-sister. Regular registration and renewal fees apply.

Verified August 23, 2026

What this benefit is

The Gold Star plate goes to an immediate family member of a member of the armed forces who lost his life in the circumstances the policy lists, and the definition of immediate family is the widest in the state’s plate rules: a widow or widower remarried or not, parents and step-parents, adoptive and foster parents who stood in place of a parent, grandparents, each child, step-child and adopted child, and each brother, half-brother, sister and half-sister. Regular registration and renewal fees apply.

What it's worth: Recognition plate; regular registration and renewal fees apply, plus $8.00 handling and $3.50 on initial issuance

  • This is a recognition plate, not a fee waiver. The policy states in terms that regular registration and renewal fees apply.
  • The fees quoted are those in the Office of Motor Vehicles policy as revised 1 December 2012 and are the only figures the policy gives.

Who is entitled to it

  • The plate is issued to the immediate family of a member who lost his life.
  • You live in this state.

Not sure whether that describes you?

Answer a few questions about this benefit specifically — we only ask what this one actually depends on, and we stop as soon as we know.

How to claim it

  1. 1Check the death circumstances against the policy before applying. It covers a loss of life during the First or Second World War or any later period of armed hostilities the United States was engaged in before 1 July 1958; and after 30 June 1958, a death while engaged in action against an enemy, in military operations involving conflict with an opposing foreign force, or while serving with friendly forces in an armed conflict where the United States is not a belligerent; and after 28 March 1973, a death from a recognised international terrorist attack, or from military operations outside the United States as part of a peacekeeping force.
  2. 2Read the immediate family list before assuming you are outside it. It reaches a widow or widower remarried or not, a mother, father, step-mother, step-father, mother or father through adoption, foster parents who stood in place of a parent, grandparents, each child, step-child and adopted child, and each brother, half-brother, sister and half-sister.
  3. 3Complete Certification Form DPSMV1912 attesting to your eligibility as a qualified immediate family member.
  4. 4Attach a copy of the death certificate of the armed forces member.
  5. 5Attach a photocopy of the vehicle registration certificate if the vehicle is already registered in your name. If it is not, send everything needed to title the vehicle along with the plate request.
  6. 6Post the first request. The policy routes initial requests to the Specialized Vehicle Unit by post; every later transaction can be done at any motor vehicle office or public tag agent.
  7. 7Budget the charges: regular registration and renewal fees, an $8.00 handling fee on every transaction except renewals, a $3.50 administrative handling fee on initial issuance only, and $3.00 to move the plate to another vehicle in your name.
  8. 8The plate can move between your own vehicles but never between owners — it cannot be passed on with a sold car.
Form
Certification Form DPSMV1912, with the death certificate
File with
Office of Motor Vehicles, Specialized Vehicle Unit, P.O. Box 64886, Baton Rouge — initial requests by post
Documents you will need
dd214
Annual
Claimed once a year.
CorrectionRemarriage does not end this one. The policy’s definition of immediate family says "a widow or widower, remarried or not" in terms — which is the opposite of the rule that governs most surviving-spouse benefits, and worth knowing before a remarried widow assumes the door is shut.
CorrectionThis plate is not free. Regular registration and renewal fees apply and the handling charges sit on top. That distinguishes it from the disabled veteran plate, which the same set of policies describes as a free lifetime plate.
Worth knowingThis finder asks how you are related to the person who served and offers surviving spouse or dependant. A bereaved parent, grandparent or sibling is squarely inside this policy without being inside that list, and should apply on the policy rather than on this record.
Known gapThe statute behind the policy, La. R.S. 47:463.137, could not be read: the Legislature’s statute server did not resolve from this network this session. The policy is the operating instrument the counter applies, and it is cited here as authority for that reason.

Sources

This finder provides an informational match, not a government eligibility determination. The responsible agency decides your application.