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Two Plates for a Family That Lost Someone — and the Second One Is the Forgotten One

The gold star plate goes to the family of a member who died on active duty during a time of military conflict. The military sacrifice plate goes to the family of a member who died OUTSIDE a combat zone while serving honorably. Both carry no additional plate fee, both may be personalised at no charge, and both are approved by the state veterans department before the transport department will issue them.

Verified August 23, 2026

What this benefit is

What it's worth: No additional plate fee and no personalisation fee on either plate — ordinary registration fees still apply

The state veterans department states that the gold star plate may be issued to a surviving spouse, parent — including stepmother, stepfather, parent through adoption and a foster parent who stands or stood in loco parentis — grandparent, child including stepchild and child through adoption, and sibling including half-brother and half-sister.
The gold star route requires that the member of the armed forces died while serving on active duty during a time of military conflict.
The department states one set of plates may be issued to an eligible family member at no additional fee for the gold star plate, and that all other vehicle registration fees do apply.
The department states the gold star plate may be personalised at no additional fee, citing N.D.C.C. §39-04-10.3.
The gold star application is form SFN 59183, obtained from the transport department.
The military sacrifice plate reaches immediate family members of an individual who died OUTSIDE a combat zone while serving honorably as an active or reserve member of the armed forces, and the department lists spouses, parents and stepparents, siblings, children and grandparents.
The military sacrifice application is form SFN 62631.
The department states there is no additional fee for the military sacrifice plate and that personalisation is available at no extra cost.
The department states that the personalisation fee is waived for a gold star plate, a military sacrifice plate or a prisoner of war plate.
Both applications go first to the state veterans department in Fargo with documentation of the death and proof of the family relationship, and the department signs and returns the approved application for the applicant to submit to the transport department with payment.
Acceptable relationship proof named by the department includes an obituary, birth certificates and a marriage licence.

Who is entitled to it

You are a surviving family member.
Your home is 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

1Work out which plate fits the death before you fill anything in. A death on active duty during a time of military conflict points to the gold star plate; a death outside a combat zone while serving honorably points to the military sacrifice plate.
2If you were turned down for the gold star plate, ask directly about the military sacrifice plate. It exists precisely for the deaths the gold star plate does not reach, and it is the one families are least often told about.
3Send the application to the state veterans department in Fargo, not to the transport department. The veterans department verifies eligibility, signs the form and mails it back to you.
4Gather two kinds of proof: documentation that the member died in service, and documentation of your relationship to them. An obituary, a birth certificate or a marriage licence are named as acceptable.
5Take the signed application to the transport department with your registration payment. The plate itself carries no additional charge, but the ordinary registration fees are still due.
6Ask for personalisation if you want it. It is free on both of these plates and on the prisoner of war plate, which is unusual — personalisation is normally an extra charge.
7Note the scope of the relationship list on the gold star route. It reaches grandparents, siblings and foster parents who stood in loco parentis, which is wider than most families assume.

Form: SFN 59183 for the gold star plate, SFN 62631 for the military sacrifice plate
File with: The state veterans department first, then the transport department
Annual: Claimed once a year.

CorrectionThe plate is free; the registration is not. The department is explicit that no additional fee is charged for the distinctive plate itself while all other vehicle registration fees apply. A family expecting a free registration will be surprised at the counter.

Worth knowingTwo plates, two forms, two definitions of the death. Gold star turns on a death during a time of military conflict; military sacrifice turns on a death outside a combat zone while serving honorably. The distinction is doing real work, and it is worth asking the veterans department which one your case falls under rather than guessing.

Known gapThe statute text of §39-04-10.14 sits in a chapter PDF on the legislature’s site that could not be extracted this session. Every figure and eligibility statement here comes from the administering veterans department’s own pages, which is why this record is tier B rather than tier A.

Sources

authority · published policyState Department of Veterans Affairs — gold star licence plates (N.D.C.C. §39-04-10.14)
authority · published policyState Department of Veterans Affairs — military sacrifice licence plates
operating · published policyDepartment of Transportation — application for gold star plate, SFN 59183

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