How Do Temporary Registration Permits Work in Illinois?
Illinois has four separate temporary driving permissions, and they must not be merged: the 90-day TRP, the 60-day private purchase display rule, the 7-day intrastate permit, and the non-resident drive-away permit.
The Illinois rule in one table
| TRP | Issued to new purchasers who filed a valid registration application but have not yet received plates. Good 90 days. Remove when plates arrive | | TRP issuers | Secretary of State facilities, licensed vehicle dealers, remittance agents, and currency exchanges | | TRP form | Polymer plate, yellow background, black letters, affixed on the rear plate bracket | | Private purchase display | Signed and verified duplicate or copy of the title and registration application, inside the right lower windshield corner. Valid 60 days or until plates arrive, whichever shorter | | Private purchase display, excluded | Purchases from a dealer, or non-dealer purchases handled by a licensed remittance agent or currency exchange with TRPs available | | Intrastate permit | Nonregistered first or second division vehicle within Illinois, maximum 7 days, fee 10 dollars | | Drive-away permit | Non-resident drive-away, transit out of Illinois within a 10-day purpose window, fee 10 dollars |
What makes Illinois different
Illinois is the four permissions, four clocks state, and merging any two is the error this guide exists to prevent. The TRP itself is the 90-day polymer plate, issued by Secretary of State facilities, dealers, remittance agents, and currency exchanges to new purchasers who filed a valid registration application but have not yet received plates, and law enforcement can access the vehicle information immediately upon issuance.
The parallel private purchase mechanism is not a TRP at all. Under 92 Illinois Administrative Code 1010.410, a non-dealer purchase without remittance-agent handling may operate pending plates by displaying a duplicate or copy of the title and registration application on the inside right lower windshield corner, signed and verified, with a statement above the signature that the document is a duplicate or copy and the original and fee were mailed on the date indicated. Notarization is not required. It is valid 60 days or until plates arrive, whichever is shorter, and it does not apply if the vehicle was bought from a dealer or the non-dealer purchase was handled by a licensed remittance agent or currency exchange with TRPs available. Separately, the 7-day intrastate permit covers a nonregistered first or second division vehicle within Illinois for a maximum of 7 days at 10 dollars, and the drive-away permit is a non-resident permission to transit out of Illinois within a 10-day purpose window at 10 dollars. There is no 90-day drive-away permit at 27 dollars; that figure is contradicted and is not stated on this page.
The process, step by step
- If you bought from a dealer or an issuer with TRPs, use the 90-day TRP on the rear plate bracket and remove it when plates arrive.
- If you bought privately without remittance-agent handling, display the signed and verified duplicate or copy of the title and registration application inside the right lower windshield corner, valid 60 days or until plates arrive.
- For a short in-state move of a nonregistered vehicle, use the 7-day intrastate permit at 10 dollars.
- For a non-resident leaving Illinois, use the drive-away permit, transit within the 10-day purpose window, at 10 dollars.
Related Illinois guides
See Transfer License Plates in Illinois and New Resident Title and Registration in Illinois, and the full hub at Illinois Admin Process Directory.
Source
TRP issuance, validity, form, and issuers on this page come from the Illinois Secretary of State: Temporary Registration Permits page. The private purchase display rule comes from 92 Illinois Administrative Code 1010.410. The intrastate permit comes from 625 ILCS 5/3-403(a) and 92 Illinois Administrative Code 1010.426. The drive-away permit comes from 625 ILCS 5/3-811(c) and 92 Illinois Administrative Code 1010.425. Facts verified 2026-10-26.
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 a lawyer or your state agency.
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