Texas has announced that starting July 1, 2025, it will no longer issue the common white temporary paper license plates.

Until now, it was very common to use paper license plates for a short time when buying used or new cars, right?

But this was a problem. It was too easy to replicate, and vehicles with fake plates were frequently used in crimes.

So the Texas state government said, "We can't stand this anymore" and changed the law.

From now on, instead of paper tags, you will receive metal license plates immediately. Real metal plates that you get on the spot.

Whether it's a new car or a used car, if you buy it through a dealer, you must leave with this metal license plate.

With the disappearance of paper tags, it feels a bit more like a real car, right? Of course, this isn't just a matter of feeling. There is a real reason behind it.

In 2022, a police officer lost his life while tracking a vehicle with a forged paper license plate in Grand Prairie.

Since then, these paper license plates have started to be perceived as a 'tool of crime' in Texas.

From drug trafficking to vehicle theft and toll evasion... if a car with a paper tag looked suspicious, the police would start to suspect it.

So Texas discarded the existing eTAG system and introduced a new system called webDEALER.

Now, vehicle dealers must register online in real-time and print the metal license plates right there.

And these license plates are linked to the police database, allowing immediate access to owner information and vehicle history.

This is a strategy to capture both security and efficiency.

Interestingly, these license plates do not all look the same.

In addition to regular license plates, there are four types of temporary metal tags, each serving a different purpose.

There is a blue one used by dealers for test drives or displays, a green one for someone who bought a car from another state for temporary use, a purple one used temporarily when the license plate hasn't arrived yet, and finally a red one that can be used for 30 days, all meticulously managed.

Of course, there is confusion. Dealers are struggling to adapt to the new system.

There are instances where there is no stock of license plates, or registration is delayed due to system errors.

Some customers have reported waiting several days for their license plates after purchasing a car.

We will have to wait and see what results this change will bring, but the paper license plates have now faded into memory.