Maine Veterans Plate

Veterans' license plates in Maine just got a snazzy new look, complete with the stars and stripes.

The new plates will be shown off this Sunday, November 11th, during the Bangor Band's annual Veteran's Day concert in Bangor. The concert is scheduled for 2 p.m. at the Cole Land Transportation Museum, 405 Perry Road in Bangor. Secretary of State Matt Dunlap will be there, to unveil the new plate, just before the music starts. Sample plates will be available to veterans, as well, to be used as wall-hangers.

Bold red stripes at the top and bottom, along with a field of blue-with-white-stars makes the plate much more eye-catching than the old plate, which was a plain white plate with a large V on the left side and the word 'Veteran' along the bottom.  The new design will continue to allow space for a commemorative veteran decal, if the purchaser wants it, including the motorist's branch of service, as well as some campaign medals and awards.

The new design was developed by a working group, convened by the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, and was chosen because it's easily legible to law enforcement. It will also cut down on confusion about whether the 'V' is part of the plate number and whether it's a vanity plate.

The new Veterans' plates will be available beginning on November 13th, through the Maine Department of Motor Vehicle's website. And beginning on the 13th, all registrants with veterans' plates that display the red 'V' will be required to switch to the new design, upon renewal. Vanity plates will be allowed and current registrants can choose to retain their plate number in the new design for a fee of $15.

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