Miscellaneous

North Carolina Veteran and Disabled Veteran License Plates

A free 100% Disabled Veteran plate, for a car and a motorcycle, at a 100% rating or individual unemployability paid at 100%, and a Partially Disabled Veteran plate below it at no extra fee. Legion of Valor (Medal of Honor), Ex-POW, Silver Star and Bronze Star with V plates are free too; Purple Heart and Gold Star plates carry no extra fee but pay the regular registration.

Also called: license plate, NCDMV, disabled veteran plate, Purple Heart, Medal of Honor, Gold Star, MVR-33A, partially disabled, Legion of Valor, G.S. 20-79.7.

For: Veteran or service member, survivor.

Where it applies

Written for the jurisdictions listed here.

North CarolinaState

North Carolina issues a long list of military and veteran special plates under G.S. 20-79.4; G.S. 20-79.7 sets what each costs. Free, registration fee included. G.S. 20-79.7(a) has the Division issue free of charge, each year, a single plate of these kinds: Legion of Valor (for the Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross, Navy Cross, Air Force Cross or Coast Guard Cross), 100% Disabled Veteran (one plate for a motor vehicle and one for a motorcycle), Ex-Prisoner of War, Bronze Star Valor and Silver Star. The free plate does not apply to a vehicle registered over 6,000 pounds. Who counts as 100% disabled. The Department of Military and Veterans Affairs: "The Disabled Veterans License Plate is reserved for those who have a combined rating of 100% or receive Individual Unemployability (I.U.) and are paid at the 100% rate. All other ratings will receive a partially disabled veteran certification." No extra fee, but the regular registration applies. The Partially Disabled Veteran plate (a service-connected disability under 100%), Purple Heart Recipient, Gold Star Lapel Button, Pearl Harbor Survivor and the campaign and medal plates carry no additional fee over the regular registration. The branch veteran plates (Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Coast Guard and others) need an honorable or under honorable conditions discharge and two years of active duty for those who enlisted after September 9, 1980 (180 days of peacetime or 90 days of wartime service before that). A personalised message adds the yearly personalisation fee. Proof. A DD-214 (member 4 copy) and, for the disability plates, a VA rating letter or summary of benefits letter showing the combined rating, dated and no more than one year old; a DD-1300 Report of Casualty for the Gold Star plate. Section 3 of form MVR-33A must be certified by a Department-accredited county or State veterans service officer, so take the paperwork there first, then to a license plate agency or myNCDMV. The Department takes no payment.

Thresholds

Thresholds for North Carolina Veteran and Disabled Veteran License Plates
Gate	Rule
100% service-connected, for the free Disabled Veteran plate	The free 100% Disabled Veteran plate requires a combined rating of 100 percent, or individual unemployability paid at the 100 percent rate, shown on a VA letter no more than a year old. A veteran below 100 percent takes the Partially Disabled Veteran plate, which carries no additional fee.
A valor decoration, prisoner of war status, a Purple Heart or Gold Star status	Legion of Valor, Ex-POW, Silver Star and Bronze Star Valor plates are free; Purple Heart and Gold Star Lapel Button plates carry no extra fee. No rating is needed. The rating filter cannot test a decoration, so these are listed separately and never hidden.

Documents the source lists

What the official source lists for an application, and where to get each document. It is a reference read from the source, not a full list of what the office may ask for; check with the office or an accredited representative before you apply. Needed means the source asks for it; Helps means the source calls it optional or says it speeds things up.

Needed Copy of the DD-214 (member 4 copy), for certification of Section 3 of form MVR-33A
Where to get it Download it from milConnect if your branch has it there, or request it from the National Archives. A VA application can ask VA to request it for you.
Listed by North Carolina Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, Military and Veteran License Plates read 2026-10-24
Needed VA rating letter or summary of benefits letter showing the combined rating, with the veteran's name on the same page
For the disability plates; dated and no more than one year old.
Where to get it Download it on VA.gov under Download VA letters, or call VA at 800-827-1000 and ask for one by mail.
Listed by North Carolina Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, Military and Veteran License Plates read 2026-10-24

Sources

Updated

Last updated 2026-10-24.

What changed then:

Eligibility rule “100% service-connected, for the free Disabled Veteran plate” now reads: “The free 100% Disabled Veteran plate requires a combined rating of 100 percent, or individual unemployability paid at the 100 percent rate, shown on a VA letter no more than a year old. A veteran below 100 percent takes the Partially Disabled Veteran plate, which carries no additional fee.”
Eligibility rule “A Medal of Honor, Purple Heart, or Gold Star status” renamed “A valor decoration, prisoner of war status, a Purple Heart or Gold Star status”.
Eligibility rule “A valor decoration, prisoner of war status, a Purple Heart or Gold Star status” now reads: “Legion of Valor, Ex-POW, Silver Star and Bronze Star Valor plates are free; Purple Heart and Gold Star Lapel Button plates carry no extra fee. No rating is needed. The rating filter cannot test a decoration, so these are listed separately and never hidden.”
And 9 more changes.

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Disclaimer

VetTOC is not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or the Department of Defense. Information is for reference only and is not an eligibility determination. Verify with VA, the relevant state or territory, or an accredited VSO.