Frequently Asked Questions

A: Information on dealer license and plate renewal (including online renewal) is available on this page. Information on name or address changes to your business is located here, and information on updating ownership information is available here.

A: To request an increase in your interim plate limit:

1. Complete an Application for Increase in Dealer License Plate Limit (State Form 56140).
   1. Please only mark a “vehicle type” if you are requesting metal dealer plates
2. Submit the completed form to the Division.
3. Upon receipt of a completed application, the examiner assigned to the dealer will review the dealer’s records and/or conduct an audit to determine if the dealer qualifies for additional plates

A: In order for the Auto Dealer Services Division to process any documents submitted by dealers in a timely fashion, it is important that the documents be completed in full and include all required supporting information. If any submitted document is incomplete or incorrect, the Division will mark the filing “deficient” and notify the dealer.

Other than deficiencies for license applications, the Division will contact the dealer by email upon finding the deficiency and provide ethe dealer 30 calendar days to correct it. All submitted requests that remain deficient beyond 30 days are considered abandoned and will not be processed.

All documents relating to the operation of the dealership must be signed by the owner or authorized representative of the dealer. The documents will be rejected if the person who signed the document is not an owner or authorized representative of the dealer as identified on the current dealer license.

Documents submitted for identification purposes must be issued by a government agency. If the individual’s address listed on their identification does not match their home address listed on an application, the dealer must verify the correct address in writing.

A: A dealer can report a plate as lost, stolen, or mutilated online through the Dealer Portal. Step-by-step instructions for completing the process online can be found here.

To submit a paper application, a dealer can submit an Application for Replacement Dealer License Plate or Registration (SF 55616) online through mail or email. This will update the Division’s records so that the plate will not be considered “valid” if someone tries to use the plate.

A: The order for a dealer license is submitted to the Division’s vendor once an application for a dealer license has been approved. Depending on the number of plates ordered, the license may be mailed separately from the plates.

The invoice for dealer plates is generated after a license or renewal is approved. Upon receipt of payment, the Division will place the order and you should receive the plates via USPS in about ten (10) business days.

Dealer licenses and license plates are printed and mailed by an outside vendor, so they are unavailable for pick-up from our office. They are shipped directly to you from the vendor.

A: You can track a request’s status on the dashboard of your dealer account. The only request that you cannot track online is an initial license application.

Once your renewal is submitted online, it can take up to 30 minutes for a status update to appear on the dashboard of your dealer account.

A: The Division is unable to accept phone payments. We can, however, accept invoice payments online through the Dealer Portal

A: Complete and submit Request for Dealer Designee License Plates (State Form 56304).

A: Please review “Online Dealer Account Info” page of this website. You can also call the Dealer Account Helpline at 317-576-2568.

A: Dealer numbers beginning with the numbers 4 through 9 require a leading zero. Try adding a zero at the beginning of your dealer number and use the PIN from your letter.

A user will also receive an error message if they have already linked to the specified account.

A: The Primary User (the primary owner on the license) must be the first person to register the online account and use the PIN provided in the letter. After the primary user has registered, an employee may then link to the online dealer account by following these steps:

1. Visit https://dealers.sos.in.gov and click Login at the top of the screen.
2. Enter the email address and password for the employee’s own Access Indiana
   1. If the employee does not have an Access Indiana account, the employee will need to create a free account by clicking on the “Don’t have an Access Indiana account?” link at the bottom of the screen and complete the process.
3. Once their Access Indiana account has been created, they will be directed to the Find My Dealer Licenses page within the online dealer account.
4. Enter the Dealer License Number, then click Submit. The PIN is not needed after the Primary User has registered.

Once steps 1-4 have been completed by the employee, the Primary User or Administrator must log in and assign a user role to the employee. To do this, the Primary User or Administrator must click on “Online Services” on the left-side of the screen, followed by “Manage Users.” If you are linked to more than one dealer license, you must first select the dealer name from the drop-down menu at the top of the page.

Click on the Edit button to the right of the employee’s name. Click on the “Role Assignment” tab at the top of the pop-up window. From there, you can assign the appropriate user role to the employee. Click Save.

To subscribe the employee to receive online notifications about the dealer license, click the Edit button next to the employee’s name, the click on the “Subscription Assignment” tab at the top of the popup window. Add the subscription by highlighting it and clicking the “>” button. Then click Save.

A detailed explanation of each user role can be found here. A step-by-step guide for managing users, including assigning a user role, can be found here.

A: If an employee is no longer employed by your dealership, you should remove their access to your online account. The Primary User or Administrator must log in and click on “Online Services,” followed by “Manage Users.” If you are linked to more than one dealer license, you must first select the dealer name from the drop-down menu at the top of the page.

On the Manage Users screen, uncheck the “Linked” checkbox next to the employee’s name. You will need to also click on the Edit button next to their name and remove their user role. To remove the role, highlight all roles in the Assigned Subscriptions (right column), then click the “<” button to move all of the assigned roles back to the left column. Click Save.

A step-by-step guide for managing users can be found here.

A: The Primary User and Administrator user roles can assign subscriptions to themselves and other users, as appropriate. To do this, the Primary User or Administrator must log in and click on “Online Services” on the left-side of the screen. Then click on “Manage Users.” If you are linked to more than one dealer license, you must first select the dealer name from the drop-down menu at the top of the page.

Click the Edit button next to the user’s name. Then, click on the “Subscription Assignment” tab at the top of the pop-up window. Add the Online Subscription Group by clicking on it, then clicking the “>” button to move it over to the Assigned Subscriptions column. Then click Save.

A step-by-step guide for managing users can be found here.

A: While logged into the system, click on “Online Services” on the left-side of the screen. Then click on “Plates on Demand.” If you are linked to more than one dealer license, you must first select the dealer name from the drop-down menu at the top of the page.

At the top of the page, you will see your limits, credits, and the number of plates you have issued since your last renewal date. To print a plate, you must have a number greater than zero in the “Available Credit to Print More Online Interim Plates” field.

Click the “Generate Plate” tab in the middle of the page. You will first need to select which plate type you wish to print (if you have access to both Motor Vehicle and Motorcycle plates), and enter a valid VIN. Once you have ensured the proper VIN was entered, you will continue to the page to enter the customer and vehicle information needed to print the plate. Once complete, you can click Generate Plate. The plate does not automatically pop-up. There will be a pop-up bar at the very bottom of the screen asking if you want to Open, Save, or Cancel. Click Open and the plate PDF will appear. You can then print the plate.

If you need more information, please view the Plates on Demand pre-recorded webinar and/or review the guidance materials on our website. This webinar provides step-by-step instructions for generating a plate. It can be found here. A Spanish version is also available.

You can also review a step-by-step document for printing interim license plates.

A: While logged into the system, click on “Online Services” on the left-side of the screen. Then click on “Plates on Demand.” If you are linked to more than one dealer license, you must first select the dealer name from the drop-down menu at the top of the page.

On the bottom-half of the screen, you will see your Recent Plates grid. Depending on the magnification and size of your screen, you may not be able to see the icons next to each previously generated plate. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the screen. You will see a scroll bar at the bottom of the Recent Plates grid. Use that to scroll all the way to the right. This will expose the icons to the right of each previously generated plate. Next to the plate you wish to reprint, click on the printer icon. There will be a pop-up bar at the very bottom of the screen asking if you want to Open, Save, or Cancel. Click Open and the plate PDF will appear. You can then print the plate.

Detailed steps for printing an interim license plate can be found here.

A: Visit our website, http://in.gov/sos/dealer/, and click on “Online Dealer Account Info” on the left-side of the screen under “Dealers.”

A: Dealers must complete their renewals online from their account. A step-by-step guide on completing an online renewal can be found here.

Only the Primary User or Administrator can complete the online renewal. Users that are subscribed to receive online notifications will receive several reminders when their license renewal date is approaching. Completing the renewal online allows dealers to pay their license renewal fee online by credit card, debit card, or guaranteed e-check. Once the renewal application is approved, dealers will then be able to pay their plate renewal fee online. Details are in the guide linked above.

A: First, make sure you completed the initial linking process by creating an Access Indiana account, then linking to your account by using your dealer license number. If you have already done this, make sure your account’s Primary User or Administrator has assigned you a user role that allows you to access Plates on Demand.

Note: In order for any user to access Plates on Demand, the very first registrant had to link to the account by using both the dealer license number and PIN. If the PIN was not used by the initial registrant, the primary owner must contact our office to reset the account.

If you have confirmed that you completed the registration process correctly and have an appropriate user role, it could be that your license status is something other than Valid or Probation. A license in any other status (such as Expired, Suspended, or Revoked) will not have access to Plates on Demand. If you have questions about your license status, please contact our office at (317) 234-7190 or Dealers@sos.in.gov.

A: At this time, dealers can complete the following services online:

• Print interim (paper) license plates.
• Purchase interim license plate credits.
• Request additional dealer license plates.
• Request an increase in plate limit (both dealer and interim plates).
• Report a dealer license plate as lost, stolen, or mutilated.
• Request a replacement dealer license plate for one that was lost, stolen, or mutilated.
• Renew license and plates.
• Pay invoices by credit card, debit card, or guaranteed e-check.
• Manage user/employee access to online account.

Note: Some services may be limited to certain user roles. Review the user role definitions to determine which users can complete a transaction. A detailed explanation of the available user roles can be found here.

A: The most common reasons for an audit are:

• In response to a request for an increase in your dealer plate limit
• In response to a request for an increase in your interim plate limit
• In response to a consumer complaint
• As part of the license approval process to ensure your location is sufficient
• As part of a request to change your dealer location to ensure your location is sufficient

In most cases, the Division will provide at least three days’ notice in advance of an in-person audit.

A: While some audits (e.g. license applications) will almost always require an on-site visit, in many cases, an audit can be conducted remotely. Division examiners will ask the dealer for copies of deal jackets and other documents via email in lieu of an in-person audit. If you receive a request from the Division to email any documents and want to verify that the request is from the Auto Dealer Services Division, you can email legal@sos.in.gov to verify the legitimacy of the request.

When requesting information, the Division will use the phone number and email address on file with the Division to contact the dealer. It is therefore critical that the dealer keep their contact information up to date.