$17 Once, Then Never Again — and Twenty Designations to Choose From
New Mexico's Armed Forces Veteran plate costs $17 to issue ($9 for a motorcycle) and NO ADDED FEE AT REGULAR REGISTRATION RENEWAL. So it is a one-off charge, not an annual specialty surcharge — which over ten years is the difference between $17 and a couple of hundred. More than twenty designation decals are available, including Medal of Honor, Silver Star and Vietnam Veteran, and there is a Woman Veteran variant. Retired National Guard and reserve members qualify alongside honorably discharged veterans.
Verified August 27, 2026
What this benefit is
New Mexico's Armed Forces Veteran plate costs $17 to issue ($9 for a motorcycle) and NO ADDED FEE AT REGULAR REGISTRATION RENEWAL. So it is a one-off charge, not an annual specialty surcharge — which over ten years is the difference between $17 and a couple of hundred. More than twenty designation decals are available, including Medal of Honor, Silver Star and Vietnam Veteran, and there is a Woman Veteran variant. Retired National Guard and reserve members qualify alongside honorably discharged veterans.
What it's worth: $17 once ($9 for a motorcycle), with no added fee at renewal
- $17.00 INITIAL plate fee; $9.00 for motorcycles.
- NO ADDED FEE UPON REGULAR REGISTRATION RENEWAL. It is a one-off charge, not an annual surcharge.
- MORE THAN TWENTY designation decals available, including Medal of Honor, Silver Star and Vietnam Veteran.
- A WOMAN VETERAN variant is available.
- Honorably discharged veterans, and RETIRED National Guard or military reserve members, qualify.
- This is separate from the free plate for veterans rated 50% or more.
Who is entitled to it
- You served in the U.S. armed forces.
- Your discharge was honorable.
- New Mexico vehicle registration.
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 an MVD office with your DD-214 or retirement paperwork.
- 2Ask for the decal list before choosing — there are more than twenty and they are not all obvious.
- 3If you are rated 50% or more, ask about the free plate instead. That one waives registration too.
- 4Retired Guard and reserve members qualify; bring the retirement documentation rather than a DD-214 if that is what you have.
- 5Female veterans may prefer the Woman Veteran variant, which is a separate design.
- Form
- Application at a Motor Vehicle Division office
- File with
- New Mexico Motor Vehicle Division
- Documents you will need
- dd214
- No renewal
- Once granted it does not need renewing.
Sources
- authority · published policyNew Mexico MVD — military and veteran plates
- operating · published policyNew Mexico Department of Veterans Services — benefits
This finder provides an informational match, not a government eligibility determination. The responsible agency decides your application.