License plate tabs not being produced due to supply chain issues; registrations expiring in January affected

Minnesotans who need to renew their vehicle registration in January might be delayed in getting their stickers, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety said Wednesday.

3M, the company that produces license plate stickers and cab cards for Minnesota, told DPS it was dealing with lingering supply chain complications and an explosion at one of its supplier’s plants. Those registration stickers and cab cards are "not yet available" and the first shipment is not expected until Dec. 24, with more deliveries being made in early and mid-January.

Right now roughly 52,000 registration renewals have been submitted online or by mail for January, DPS said. More than 300,000 more renewals are expected by the end of next month. However, those who renew their registrations in person at a deputy registrar office will be unaffected because they get their stickers immediately.

DPS said registrations that are renewed online are immediately updated in the system, and mailed-in renewals are up-to-date once the applications are processed. Law enforcement officers will see a valid registration once they check a license plate in the system. Drivers should keep a receipt of their online renewals and show them to law enforcement if questioned about their registration status.

People with registrations expiring in January will have until Jan. 31 to renew and until Feb. 10 to display their registration.