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myBMV > Military Families Military Families

Support Our Troops license plate

The BMV has provided a number of resources to assist military families in meeting the requirements of renewing driver licenses and registrations, as well as completing other transactions, while living away from the state.

Important information on this page:

A veteran may choose to have a “veteran indicator” placed on his/her driver’s license or identification card. To obtain the indicator, the applicant must be a veteran of the Armed Forces of the United States and present documentation from the Department of Defense showing proof of discharge. If the indicator is added to a newly issued or a renewed driver’s license or identification card, there is no charge. If the indicator is added to an unexpired driver’s license or identification card, there will be a $10 charge to produce the new card.

Driver's license renewal or replacement for military personnel

Customers may renew or replace his or her driver's license online if their name and residential address has remained the same since the last time you received a license. You may renew online if your previous renewal transaction was completed in a license branch. To renew or replace a license online, the customer will need to provide the name on his or her license, date of birth, legal address, and Social Security number.

Active Duty Military Personnel
If a military applicant holds an expired Indiana License, while on active duty, the applicant is exempt from the knowledge and skills test requirements regardless of the license expiration date when he or she conducts the transaction at a BMV branch.  The testing exception does not apply to drivers who have 6 or more active points on their license or are suspended. Also, transactions on myBMV.com cannot be conducted if a license is expired for more than 180 days or testing is required. 

Other exceptions to testing include:

  • Active duty military personnel whose Indiana driver’s license has been expired for more than six months and who have been returned from deployment for more than 90 days.

To renew a license in a branch, the applicant must:

Inactive Military Personnel
Indiana law allows persons in the Armed Forces of the United States, who hold an expired Indiana License and are residing outside of Indiana, a license that remains valid for 90 days after their discharge date from military service without a knowledge and/or skills test being required. This also applies to the military personnel’s spouse.

Please Note:  To qualify for the exemptions from testing and paying a delinquent fee, the applicant must apply for a renewal of the Operator License during the ninety (90) day period following the applicant's discharge.

The applicant must:

A copy of the discharge paper is imaged with the application.  Refer to Commercial Driver License for information on discharged military member with an expired CDL.

If you are temporarily living outside Indiana because you are serving in the military and your Indiana license has been lost or stolen while you are out of the state, you may attempt to renew or replace your license online or you may request a 30-day interim credential that will allow you to return to Indiana and obtain a replacement license. You may request a 30-day interim credential by submitting a completed Request for Interim/Extension License or Military Extension Letter.

Military-provided motorcycle safety courses

Indiana recognizes approved motorcycle safety courses completed in other states and all five branches of the military and allows applicants to obtain a motorcycle license or endorsement after showing proof of completing an approved safety course.

An applicant for a motorcycle endorsement must have completed an approved safety course no more than one year prior to applying for the endorsement. If your course completion card is more than one year old, you may not use that card for a waiver of the skills test.

If you are applying for a motorcycle endorsement in Indiana and have completed a motorcycle safety course in another state or through the military, you must provide a copy of the course completion card, and a copy your driver's license and motorcycle learner's permit (if you have one), to Indiana's Motorcycle Safety Program State Coordinator. You may fax the copy to 317-233-0189 or mail it to:

Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles
100 North Senate Avenue, N481 
Indianapolis, IN 46204

The phone number is:  800-497-9979

You must include your mailing address and phone number along with the copy of your course completion card.

If it is determined that the safety course you completed meets the criteria set for approved courses, you will be issued an Indiana course-completion card, dated the same as your original course completion, which will be recognized at any Indiana license branch as a waiver of the state skills test. Replacement cards are normally processed in one to three days plus mailing time. You will be notified if it is determined that the course you took does not meet Indiana standards.

Easy plate renewal

Military personnel from Indiana who live out of the state may either obtain registration in their new state of residence or renew their vehicle registrations through the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles. If you are a member of the military who lives out of Indiana but would like to renew your registration in Indiana, you may have the BMV send your registration renewal notice and your renewed material either to your home address or to the address of a friend or family member who can send the material to your current location. If you would like the BMV to send your renewal notice and renewed registration material to your home address, you will need to have a valid mail-forwarding order with your local post office so that your material will reach your current address. If you would like your renewal notice and renewed material sent to the address of a friend or family member, please ensure that the address of your friend or family member is filed with the BMV as your address of record.

If you are a member of the military from another state who is stationed in Indiana, you may renew your vehicle registrations in Indiana. Please visit a license branch with the following documents:

  • Copy of your Leave and Earnings Statement
  • Military Affidavit - State Form 46402 signed by your commanding officer
  • Valid, current military identification card

Please note that members of the military will not be charged the $5 per license plate late fee if they do not renew their registration by their renewal deadline.

Title an imported vehicle

Military and civilian employees of the U.S. government returning at the end of an assignment to extended duty outside the customs territory of the U.S. may include a conforming vehicle among their duty-free personal and household effects.

The following completed documents are necessary for titling imported vehicles for personal use:

  • Letter from the manufacturer (Ford, GM, Chrysler, etc.) that states the vehicle conforms to FMVSS (Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards).
  • Customs Entry Form - The U.S. Customs has several types of entry forms:
    • CF 368 - Collection Receipt or Informal Entry (when duty is due).
    • CF 3461 - Informal Entry (when there is no duty).
    • CF 7523 - Entry and Manifest of Merchandise Free of Duty
    • CF 3299 - Declaration for Free Entry of Unaccompanied Articles
    • CF 3311 - Declaration for Free Entry of Returned American Products
    • CF 7501 - Entry Summary
    • CF 6059B - Customs Declaration
    • NOTE: Military Personnel should have an equivalent Department of Defense (DD) Form.
  • Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTA) - NHSTA HS-7 Declaration Form (Importation of Motor Vehicle Safety, Bumper and Theft Prevention Standards). This form must be filed when motor vehicles or items of motor vehicle equipment are entered. The HS-7 can be obtained from custom brokers or ports of entry.
  • Environmental Protection Agency - EPA 3520-1 Emissions Form
  • Documents of ownership (bill of sale, transfer on title or registration, etc.)
  • Affidavit of Police Officer/Physical Inspection of an Indiana Resident's Vehicle/Watercraft - State Form 39530. A law enforcement official of any state may fill this form out.
  • Odometer Disclosure Statement - State Form 43230 containing original signatures and printed names of both the seller and the purchaser. Any version of this form that meets the Federal Odometer Statement requirements will be acceptable.
  • Application for Certificate of Title - State Form 205

Once you have all of these documents, you may apply for an Indiana title at a license branch.

License plates supporting military personnel

The special recognition license plate program allows motorists to support military personnel.

Hoosiers who purchase special recognition license plates should expect to pay the following fees:

  • Group fees determined by the organization sponsoring the license plate;
  • Administrative fee of $15, except Air Force Veteran, Army Veteran, Coast Guard Veteran, Ex-Prisoner of War, Marine Corps Veteran, Navy Veteran, Pearl Harbor Survivor, Purple Heart, and Support Our Troops plates;
  • Registration charges determined by the year and make of the vehicle and the customer's county of residence. For more information, please view registration fees.

All Indiana license plates that support military personnel are available as motorcycle plates, except the "Support Our Troops" plate.

To view more information about available military license plates, please select a plate from the list below:

Military CDL Skills Waiver Program

The BMV may waive the required drive skills test for select veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces with specific drive training and were truck drivers during their military service when they apply for an Indiana Commercial Driver's License (CDL).