Hawaii Personalized License Plates
Hawaii calls personalized plates "special number plates," and unlike most states there is no statewide DMV: each county issues its own. The City and County of Honolulu (Oahu) takes applications only online, while Maui, Hawaii (Big Island), and Kauai counties handle them through their motor vehicle offices. The rules are similar everywhere: up to six characters, a $60 fee, and a wait of a few months. Kauai also offers an online lookup to check whether a combination is free.
Already have a plate in mind? Check it against the official Hawaii availability tool.
Get Hawaii plate ideas
Describe yourself — name, job, hobbies — and we'll suggest personalized plate ideas you can preview on a Hawaii plate. Keep it to six characters for Hawaii.
Process:
Honolulu (Oahu): applications are accepted only online through the city's personalized plate portal. Here's how it works:
- Check availability: the portal searches combinations of up to six letters and numbers in real time.
- Confirm eligibility: the vehicle must be currently registered in the City and County of Honolulu, or you can buy the plate as a gift for someone whose vehicle is. You need an email address.
- Reserve and pay: complete the form with a mailing address and pay the $60 fee by credit or debit card.
- Wait for review: every request gets a first-round review, and questionable combinations are flagged for a closer look.
- Pick up your plates: allow 60 to 90 days for the plates to be made, then collect them and turn in your old plates.
Maui, Hawaii, and Kauai counties: submit a special plate application at a county motor vehicle registration and licensing office. The registered owner completes and signs the form and pays the $60 fee. Maui County notifies you by mail within about three months when the plates are ready for pickup. If two people apply for the same combination, the application processed first wins.
Rules:
- Up to six letters and numbers. A space counts as one character, and one hyphen is allowed on top of the six. No other punctuation.
- Combinations that look like a regular issued plate (for example three letters followed by three numbers) are rejected, as are misleading or publicly objectionable messages.
- Honolulu specifically bans anything sexual, obscene, profane, or vulgar, or relating to excretory functions or intimate body parts.
- Only standard-issue plates can be personalized. Electric vehicle, organizational, veteran, and other specialty designs cannot carry a custom combination in Honolulu.
Fees:
| County | Initial Fee | Renewal Fee | Other Fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Honolulu | $60 (not refundable) | $60 per year | $5.50 plate replacement |
| Maui | $60 (not prorated) | $60 per year | Organization plates $25 per year |
| Hawaii & Kauai | $60 | $60 per year | Confirm with the county office |
Important notes for Hawaii residents:
- The $60 is an annual fee added to your registration renewal every year, not a one-time charge.
- Because plates are issued per county, a combination taken on Oahu may still be free on Maui, and vice versa.
- Honolulu lets you transfer a personalized plate to another vehicle you own, and retiring owners may keep the front plate as a keepsake. See the city's transfer page.
- Six characters is one fewer than most mainland states allow, so seven-letter ideas from our generator need trimming.