Purple Heart, Medal of Honor, Ex-POW and Pearl Harbor Plates — Registration Free
29-A M.R.S. §524 issues the registration certificate AND plates at NO FEE to Purple Heart recipients — up to TWO vehicles — and to Medal of Honor recipients, former prisoners of war and Pearl Harbor survivors. Municipal excise tax under 36 M.R.S. §1482 is still payable, so the town bill does not disappear.
Verified August 27, 2026
What this benefit is
29-A M.R.S. §524 issues the registration certificate AND plates at NO FEE to Purple Heart recipients — up to TWO vehicles — and to Medal of Honor recipients, former prisoners of war and Pearl Harbor survivors. Municipal excise tax under 36 M.R.S. §1482 is still payable, so the town bill does not disappear.
What it's worth: Registration certificate and plates at no fee — municipal excise tax still payable
- Both the registration certificate AND the plates are issued at no fee. It is free registration, not merely a free plate.
- Purple Heart recipients may have it on UP TO TWO vehicles. The other categories are not stated as two.
- It also covers Medal of Honor recipients, former prisoners of war and Pearl Harbor survivors.
- MUNICIPAL EXCISE TAX under 36 M.R.S. §1482 is still payable. In Maine that is the larger of the two bills, so this does not make the vehicle free to keep on the road.
- It applies to automobiles or trucks registered at not more than the stated weight limit.
- No disability rating is involved on any of these routes.
- The rule above tests the Purple Heart route; the other three are not testable against Maine's current questions but qualify equally.
Who is entitled to it
- You served in the U.S. armed forces.
- You were awarded the Purple Heart.
- You register a vehicle in Maine.
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
- 1Apply at the Bureau of Motor Vehicles with proof of the award or status.
- 2Purple Heart recipients: ask for both vehicles. Up to two are covered.
- 3Budget for the municipal excise tax. That is not waived and in Maine it is usually the bigger number.
- 4Medal of Honor recipients, former prisoners of war and Pearl Harbor survivors qualify on the same terms — apply even though this page cannot test those routes.
- Form
- BMV registration with proof of the award
- File with
- Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles
- Documents you will need
- dd214
- Annual
- Claimed once a year.
Sources
- authority · statute29-A M.R.S. §524
- operating · published policyMaine Bureau of Motor Vehicles
This finder provides an informational match, not a government eligibility determination. The responsible agency decides your application.