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Branch Emblem Plates for $10 — Any Honorably Discharged Veteran

South Dakota offers branch-emblem plates — Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine, Navy and SPACE FORCE — to any honorably discharged veteran who served on active duty, for a $10 special-plate fee ON TOP OF regular registration. No rating, no wartime service, no decoration. You need an active South Dakota driver licence or ID card. Renewal is at the standard registration rate, so the $10 is a one-off rather than annual. A $12 mailing fee applies where plates are posted.

Verified August 27, 2026

What this benefit is

South Dakota offers branch-emblem plates — Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine, Navy and SPACE FORCE — to any honorably discharged veteran who served on active duty, for a $10 special-plate fee ON TOP OF regular registration. No rating, no wartime service, no decoration. You need an active South Dakota driver licence or ID card. Renewal is at the standard registration rate, so the $10 is a one-off rather than annual. A $12 mailing fee applies where plates are posted.

What it's worth: $10 special-plate fee, plus regular registration

  • Branch emblems: AIR FORCE, ARMY, COAST GUARD, MARINE, NAVY AND SPACE FORCE, with a chosen indicator.
  • $10 SPECIAL-PLATE FEE PLUS REGULAR REGISTRATION FEES. This is unlike the award plates, where $10 replaces registration.
  • RENEWAL IS AT THE STANDARD REGISTRATION RATE, so the $10 is a one-off.
  • A $12 MAILING FEE applies where plates are posted.
  • Requires an ACTIVE South Dakota driver licence or ID card and residency.
  • Honorably discharged, having served on active duty. No rating, no wartime test, no decoration.

Who is entitled to it

  • You served in the U.S. armed forces.
  • Your discharge was honorable.
  • South Dakota 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

  1. 1Apply through the county treasurer with your DD-214.
  2. 2Have an active South Dakota driver licence or ID card — it is a condition.
  3. 3Expect $10 on top of registration, not instead of it. The award plates work the other way round.
  4. 4Collect in person if you can; posting adds a $12 mailing fee.
  5. 5If you also hold a Purple Heart or POW status, look at those plates instead — they replace the registration fee.
Form
Application through your county treasurer
File with
Your county treasurer
Documents you will need
dd214
No renewal
Once granted it does not need renewing.
Worth knowingTwo South Dakota plate schemes, two fee structures. On the award plates $10 replaces the registration fee; on these it is added to it. A veteran eligible for both should take the award plate.

Sources

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