You just realized your car registration is about to expire or worse yet, it already did. With a stay at home order in place, what does that mean for getting your car registered? Luckily, you don't have to worry about it yet.

On Tuesday, April 14, Governor Janet Mills extended Maine's civil state of emergency until May 15. As of this writing, the stay at home order is still set to expire on April 30. The state of emergency grants the Governor the power to do many things, including extending that stay at home order if it's deemed necessary.

If you car registration is about to expire or already has, no worries. The Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles has extended registrations as long as the state of emergency is in place. Even if your sticker says "MAR 20" you're still good as long as the order is in place.

So when is your new registration due date? Any registration will not be considered expired until after 30 days from the date the state of emergency is lifted. So as of today, with the state of emergency in effect until May 15, your registration is good until June 14. Keep in mind, this is 30 days after the state of emergency is lifted, not the stay at home order. They are two different things.

If the state of emergency gets extended again, then so does your registration deadline to 30 days beyond that.

Here's the official language from the Bureau of Motor Vehicles website:

Please be aware that during this time of civil emergency, all Bureau of Motor Vehicle services will be delayed.

Motor vehicle and trailer registrations, including all temporary registrations and any fuel use decals that expire during the state of emergency will be extended.

This applies to registrations issued by municipalities or the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, and also to temporary registrations issued by dealers.  The State of Maine recognizes the need of individuals, families, and businesses for transportation, work and commerce during the emergency.  These registrations can be renewed after the emergency ends.

Registrations issued by a municipality, including temporary registrations, are deemed extended until 30 days following the termination of the state of emergency  pursuant to P.L. 2019, ch. 617, F-1 , emergency laws approved by the Governor on March 18, 2020.

Other registrations, including temporary registrations, will be extended until 30 days following the termination of the state of emergency pursuant to the emergency provision of 29-A MRSA 405(4).

Please call the central office of the Department of the Secretary of State at 207-626-8400 if you have an emergency related to BMV that is not addressed by these registration extensions.

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