1971 Original YOM Clear License Plates

For about 10% of the plates we sell, the first line of the description may say “Terminated—please see tab below.” If it says that, then this FAQ section will apply to you. (If it doesn’t say that, then you can ignore these FAQs about terminated plates.)

What it means: The serial number on your vintage plates was reissued to someone else between the 1980s and now. If the number is no longer being used, and the plates are surrendered properly to the MTO, and all outstanding fines paid, the number goes into a “terminated” state, and can be reissued to a different person. “Terminated” is a very specific status. There are a dozen others within the MTO database that mean the number is not available.

Most other pairs that we sell bear numbers that have never been reissued in the modern age of digital information, so there is no entry in the database for them.

There’s an additional step, involving a $32 transfer fee (fee increase to $32 from $20 effective January 1, 2017), and a declaration that you will have to complete. The declaration acknowledges that the number is being transferred to you, and that you’ll have to pay for your own traffic tickets after the transfer. This absolves the previous person who used the plate number from having to pay your fines. This extra step can add a couple of weeks to the processing time for approval of YOM licence plates, because the folks working in the YOM approval office must liaise with a separate branch of the MTO because there’s an ownership transfer involved.

Ontplates.com, in consultation with ServiceOntario, has come up with an improved procedure below to reduce your waiting time. Follow these instructions exactly for fastest service. Package the following items together:

1. Your plates purchased from Ontplates.com
2. Original green vehicle ownership slip (use a photocopy in your glovebox in the interim if presently licenced)
3. Payment of your registry and transfer fees via one of the two following methods:

– If paying by cheque, enclose one cheque for $251.65, and a second cheque for $32, payable to the Minister of Finance, or:

– If paying by credit card, enclose a printed and completed ServiceOntario Payment Authorization Form, and indicate clearly on the form that you are authorizing both the above fees. Ontplates.com can provide you with an electronic copy of this form, which you may print.

4. If you use e-mail, enclose a written note indicating your correct e-mail address, with a request that the YOM 003 Declaration Form be sent to you via e-mail (you can then complete it and e-mail it back, which will reduce processing time). Otherwise, you will be sent a paper copy of the declaration to sign and return via postal mail.
   
5. Send the above items to:

Ministry of Government Services – Service Ontario
Kingston Production & Verification Services – Renewals Section
P.O. Box 9700
Kingston, Ontario K7L 5N2

Once complete, your plates will be returned with a letter that serves as your plate ownership. Take all of it to your local ServiceOntario location to have your YOM plates attached and valid.