Temporary Registration Permit in Minnesota

Instrument 1: the nonresident buyer permit

Minnesota Statutes section 168.091, titled "60-Day Temporary Vehicle Permit," authorizes the commissioner to issue a permit, on payment of a $1 fee, to a nonresident purchasing a vehicle in Minnesota for the sole purpose of removing it from the state, in lieu of any other registration or taxation for highway use. The permit is valid 60 days from the date of sale, trade, or gift, in electronic format as determined by the commissioner, affixed to the rear where plainly visible, valid only for the vehicle issued. The $1 fee is waived if the sale, gift, or trade information is electronically transmitted to the commissioner by a dealer or deputy registrar. A registrar may issue permits to licensed dealers on payment of the proper fee per permit, and proceeds go to the highway user tax distribution fund. The DPS page adds the channel: non-residents are issued a permit to remove the vehicle to their state of residence, obtainable at any deputy registrar office.

Instrument 2: the resident buyer permit

Section 168.092, also titled "60-Day," authorizes the commissioner to issue a permit to a person purchasing a new or used motor vehicle in Minnesota, to allow a reasonable time to register the vehicle and pay the fees and taxes due on the transfer. The permit is valid 60 days, in the format prescribed by the commissioner, affixed to the rear where a license plate would normally be affixed, plainly visible, valid only for the vehicle issued, and the dealer must complete the permit in the manner prescribed by the department. No fee is stated anywhere in the section 168.092 text opened: the $1 fee belongs to section 168.091 only and never travels to the resident instrument. The DPS page adds the resident channels: a permit is issued when a vehicle has been purchased at a Minnesota licensed dealer, or when applying for a new license plate type at a deputy registrar office. The issuer and channel for a private-party resident purchase, and the trailer scope split between the gateway section and the motor-vehicle wording of 168.092, were not opened and are not stated.

Instrument 3: the display permit at expiry

Section 168.09, subdivision 7, authorizes the commissioner to issue a temporary permit in conjunction with the conclusion of a registration period or a recently expired registration, if two conditions both hold: the current registration tax and all other fees and taxes have been paid in full, and special plates have been applied for. The permit is valid 60 days, to allow a reasonable time for the new plates to be manufactured and delivered, and is issued only by the commissioner or by a deputy registrar under section 168.33. The gateway in subdivision 1 states the general rule the permits sit under: no trailer or motor vehicle may be operated until registered, the tax and fees paid, and plates displayed — except that the purchaser of a new trailer or motor vehicle may operate it without plates if a section 168.091 or 168.092 permit is displayed. The DPS page lists as related laws only sections 168.091 and 168.09 subdivision 7; section 168.092 is unlisted, and this page infers nothing from the omission.

Superseded durations and separate products

The 21-day figure for the resident instrument and the 31-day figure for the nonresident instrument, found in older statute editions and republications, are pre-amendment law and must never be published as current. A secondary summary of a 2025 bill states the nonresident change from 31 to 60 days applies to permits issued on or after October 1, 2025; the effective date is unverified at primary level and is not stated here. An older subdivision 7 with different limbs, a collector-vehicle condition, and a 21-day permit with inside-rear-window posting is likewise pre-amendment and is not carried. The fee flag stays open: a 225-day-old crawl of the DPS vehicle-fees page lists a $12 filing fee due with each application for any temporary permit, and the interaction with the $1 statutory fee is unresolved — the two are never added without a source stating both apply. Separate products not carried: IRP and IFTA trip, fuel, and hunter permits for apportioned commercial vehicles, and plate-impoundment temporary permits under section 169A.60, subdivision 5 (officer-issued, 14 days if the vehicle is registered to the violator, 45 days if registered in another's name).

Source

Sections 168.091, 168.092, and 168.09 (2026 Minnesota Statutes), opened in full 2026-10-30. DPS temporary-permits page, live-render verified 2026-10-30. Fee flag: DPS vehicle-fees page is a 225-day-old crawl; the $12 filing fee is not stated as current. Effective date of the 60-day amendment: unverified at primary level, not stated. This page explains how the process works and what the official rules say. It is general information, not legal advice. For a dispute about your specific situation, talk to your state motor vehicle agency or court.