Massachusetts dealer plates and the 20-day temporary registration, explained

"Can I drive it home today?" Every customer asks it, and in Massachusetts the answer used to be awkward. It's better now — the RMV issues a real temporary registration — but there are four different paths depending on the buyer, and mixing them up means someone drives off illegally. Here's the map.

The 20-day temporary registration (the normal path)

The MassRMV now lets dealers issue a temporary registration valid for 20 days. You print the temporary paper registration, the buyer puts it in a plastic sleeve on the back of the vehicle, and they drive off the lot the same day while the RMV mails the permanent metal plates to their home.

• Fee: $20.
• Issued by an authorized dealer through the RMV's Business-to-Business (B2B) services, or as a walk-in.
• Bridges the gap so a buyer with no plates to transfer can still leave legally.

This is the one that solves the old problem — a cash buyer who sold their last car (or never had one) can now drive home the day of the sale.

The 7-day plate-transfer grace period (MA resident with existing plates)

If your buyer is a Massachusetts resident who already has active plates and has lost possession of the old vehicle (traded it to you or sold it), they get a 7-day grace period: pull the old plates, put them on the new car, and drive — as long as they carry the transfer paperwork. The new registration gets filed within those 7 days.

The non-resident short-term registration (out-of-state buyer)

Selling to someone who'll register the car in another state? The RMV's Non-Resident Short-Term Registration gets them home: for a $20 fee you issue a 20-day temporary plate so they can legally drive the vehicle back to their home state and register it there.

Dealer plates are a different thing

Don't confuse any of the above with dealer plates. Dealer plates are issued by the RMV to your licensed dealership for your use — moving inventory, test drives, dealer errands — not for handing to a customer on a sale. A customer leaves on a temporary registration or transferred plates, never on your dealer plate.

The desk cheat-sheet

| Buyer situation | What gets them home | |---|---| | MA buyer, no plates to transfer | 20-day temporary registration ($20) | | MA buyer, has plates, sold/traded old car | 7-day plate transfer | | Out-of-state buyer | Non-resident short-term registration ($20, 20 days) | | You (moving inventory / test drives) | Dealer plates |

Get the customer registered at the point of sale and there's no awkward "leave it here overnight" conversation. The registration ties back to the RMV-1 and the rest of the MA paperwork — handle them together and the car leaves clean.