Please review and distribute as appropriate.

Effective with the Registration and Title System Release 26.2, scheduled to deploy on May 18, 2026, a motor vehicle record queried through the Texas Law Enforcement Telecommunication System (TLETS) will display whether a registrant has voluntarily indicated they are a member of the U.S. Armed Forces. At the time of initial registration or renewal, if the registrant voluntarily indicates they are a member, they must also provide their military status.

TLETS users will see the voluntary disclosure indicating they are a member of the U.S. Armed Forces and their military status. The Armed Forces indicator and status will be captured as shown below in the “Remarks” section on the TLETs record.

There are three different statuses that will appear in the “Remarks” section on the record:

• Active
• Retired/Veteran
• Reserve

The indicator and status will be masked when provided to third parties by the department.

Thank you,

Annette Quintero, Division Director
Vehicle Titles and Registration Division
Texas Department of Motor Vehicles

Please review and distribute as appropriate.

SB 2007, enacted by the 89^th Legislature, effective September 1, 2025, provides that when a person registers or renews their motor vehicle registration the person may voluntarily indicate they are a member of the U.S. Armed Forces. If the person voluntarily indicates they are a member, they must also provide their status as a member of the U.S. Armed Forces.

A completed Voluntary Disclosure of Military Status (Form VTR-217) must be submitted when a person renews their motor vehicle registration if that person wants to voluntarily indicate they are a member of the U.S. Armed Forces. At the time of initial registration, a person will be able to voluntarily indicate they are a member of the U.S. Armed Forces when completing the Application for Texas Title and/or Registration (Form 130-U).

Effective with Registration and Title System (RTS) Release 26.2 scheduled to deploy on May 18, 2026, the voluntary disclosure will be available for selection within department systems. If a person voluntarily indicates they are a member of the U.S. Armed Forces, a selection of the persons Military Status will be required within the system. Selection of the status is as follows:

• Active Duty
• Retired/Veteran
• Reserve

After verifying the application, select the “U.S. Armed Forces Member” checkbox, then select the appropriate status from the dropdown menu in department systems. Once a renewal transaction is complete, please return Form VTR-217 to the applicant.

The new Form VTR-217 and revised Form 130-U will be made available on the department’s website with the RTS Release 26.2 deployment. The revised Form 130-U will be available to order once current stock is depleted and current stock remains valid for use.

If you have any questions, please contact your local TxDMV Regional Service Center.

Thank you,

Annette Quintero, Division Director
Vehicle Titles and Registration Division
Texas Department of Motor Vehicles

Don’t miss out on this month’s training webinar. The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles’ (TxDMV) Vehicle Titles & Registration Division is hosting a training titled webDEALER Common Returns & Best Practices. This training provides an overview of the most common reasons webDEALER transactions are returned or rejected during processing. It offers practical guidance, error prevention strategies, and best practices to help dealers improve submission accuracy, reduce delays, and successfully complete transactions the first time.

Please use the links below to register for the upcoming live webinars. These events can also be found on our TxDMV calendar.

• Please register for webDEALER Common Returns & Best Practices on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM CDT at:
  https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2411570303088825948
• Please register for webDEALER Common Returns & Best Practices on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM CDT at:
  https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5873105586211273563

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

We appreciate your continued partnership and commitment to accurate and efficient title and registration processing.

Thank you,

Annette Quintero, Director
Vehicle Titles and Registration Division
Texas Department of Motor Vehicles

If you have any questions, please contact your local Texas Department of Motor Vehicles Regional Service Center.

Please review and distribute as appropriate.

The latest update to the Motor Vehicle Registration Manual (attached) is now available via Registration and Title System (RTS) workstations and at www.txdmv.gov.

The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles welcomes your feedback and encourages you to email any comments or suggestions to VTR_Title_Reg-Manual-Update@txdmv.gov (please note the underscores between VTR and Title and between Title and Reg).

Updates for this release are marked with red change bars in the text.

Various sections of the Registration Manual have been updated to reflect House Bill (HB) 718 changes as it relates to the naming convention of “Temporary Registration Plate.”

Chapter 1 – Accounting
Section 1.1, “General Provisions,” is updated to remove the $1 discount for renewals that are processed online.

Chapter 3 – Disabled Persons
Section 3.13, “Parking Privileges,” was updated to add Disabled Peace Officer license plates with the International Symbol of Access (ISA) may park in disabled parking spaces.

Chapter 4 – Driver’s Privacy Protection Act
Section 4.12, “Federal DPPA and Texas MVRDA,” was updated to add Temporary Registration Plates (30-Day, One-Trip) to the “Express Written Consent” section.

Chapter 12 – Off-Highway, Log Loader, Forestry, & Miscellaneous
Section 12.13, “Vehicles Subject to Registration or Eligible for Distinguishing License Plates,” was updated to add a new section regarding the issuance of Frac Tank License Plates.

Chapter 14 – Application for Registration
Section 14.2, “Application for Registration and Certain Permits,” was updated to add a hyperlink to the new Title & Initial Registration Transaction Types chart.

Section 14.4 “Initial Registration,” The note was updated to state military members serving abroad or out-of-state and claiming Texas residency may obtain registration without providing a physical Texas address.

Section 14.5 “Identification Requirements for Initial Registration,” was updated to add new ID requirements for initial registration and the new Title & Initial Registration Transaction Types chart.

Section 14.14 “Voluntary Disclosure of Military Status,” was updated to add a new section regarding the voluntary disclosure of military status by a registration applicant.  

Chapter 16 – Temporary Permits
Various sections of Chapter 16 have been updated to reflect HB 718 changes as it relates to the naming convention of “Temporary Registration Plate.”

Section 16.2, “One-Trip (single trip) or 30-Day Temporary License Plates,” was also updated to specify that additional time can be added to a temporary registration plate that is customer supplied.

Chapter 17 – Transfer of Registration When Applying for Title
Section 17.2, “Dealer Sales,” was updated to add a new section which specifies dealers will issue metal plates at the time of the sale. Additionally, this section specifies which plates will be issued in the event dealers do not have the appropriate plate type in their inventory.

Section 17.5, “Plate to Owner Transactions,” was updated to specify what a dealer must do with a license plate on a motor vehicle if that vehicle has been purchased from the dealer.

Chapter 18 – Specialty and Personalized Plates
Section 18.3, “Souvenir License Plates,” was updated to specify that the recipient of the license plates must file an application with the county tax assessor-collector and pay the statutorily required registration.

Thank you,

Annette Quintero, Director
Vehicle Titles and Registration Division
Texas Department of Motor Vehicles

Motor Vehicle Registration Manual – April 2026.pdf

If you have any questions concerning this communication, please contact your local Texas Department of Motor Vehicles Regional Service Center.