I know a lot of you out there already have euro plates on the fronts of your cars and I'm thinking about going that direction myself so I have a few questions.

First, is it possible to get a euro style plate that is valid in the US (w/o being registered in Europe, of course)? For instance, can I get a euro style California plate that is valid?

Second, even if they are just for show, how can I go about gettin one?

 

Most are readily available on ebay - several sellers in Europe have them for sale and they are all reputable - you just have to wait a while for the overseas delivery. Mine took 4 weeks.

I'm not sure what you mean by a "...euro style California plate that is valid." All Euro plates are not valid in the U.S. to be used in place of your plate. They are purely decorative. If your state requires a front plate, then this will be in violation.

FYI: All Euro plates, that are removed from the registered vehicle, have their registration stickers removed or at least "scratched". This voids the registration and prohibits the use of the plate on another vehicle. It is very common to get a Euro plate with the registration sticker all scratched up because of this governmental requirement. It is a policy throughout the EU.

 

Secondarily, there are other vendors (some in the States) that will custom make a "euro-style" plate. It is the same size and overall design except that you can have them emboss it with whatever letters/numbers you'd like. It then looks more like a personalized plate - albeit a euro personal plate.

 

I thought all stated required front plates!!

There goes my wishful thinking for getting euro style plates (front and back) and still be able to get away with out a ticket. Oh well.

 

Only 30 states require a front plate.

 

And I'll bet California was the first to raise it's hand when the Gov't asked who wanted front plates!