What to bring
- Your renewal notice, or just the license plate number and the last five digits of the VIN
- A smog certificate if your notice says one is due (the station reports it electronically; we check that it posted)
- Current California insurance for the vehicle
- Payment for the DMV fees plus our $40 service fee (cash price; cards add 3.79%)
What it costs
- Registration renewal
- $40
All service fees are in addition to the DMV’s own fees, which are the same everywhere and are passed through at cost.
Posted prices are cash prices. Paying by credit card adds a 3.79% convenience fee on the total.
All sales are final. There are no refunds on service fees once processing has begun; DMV and state fees, penalties and third-party charges are non-refundable.
How fast is a registration renewal here?
Most renewals are finished while you stand at the counter. We enter the renewal, take payment, and the DMV system issues the registration card and sticker, which print here. A customer who had made four trips to the DMV wrote that we got her registration renewed in less than ten minutes. The slow part is never us; it's a smog certificate that hasn't posted or an unpaid parking ticket on the record, and we'll tell you right away if either is holding things up.
Do I need a smog check to renew in Kern County?
Kern County is one of the counties where the DMV requires a smog inspection for most vehicles at renewal, every other year. The notice tells you whether one is due. Exempt vehicles include gasoline cars eight model years old or newer (they pay a smog abatement fee instead), gasoline vehicles from 1975 and older, diesels from 1997 and older or over 14,000 pounds, and electric vehicles. Get the smog done before you come in; the station sends the result to the DMV electronically and we confirm it's on file.
What does a California registration renewal cost?
The DMV fees are the same no matter where you renew. For most passenger vehicles that means the $76 registration fee, the $34 CHP fee, a vehicle license fee based on the vehicle's value, and county and district fees that vary by where the car is kept. Your notice shows the exact total. On top of the DMV fees our service fee for a renewal is $40 (cash price; cards add 3.79%). It's the price of skipping the line, and the same renewal is available from the DMV without it.
- Registration fee: $76 (includes the $3 alternative fuel/technology fee)
- California Highway Patrol fee: $34
- Vehicle license fee: a percentage of the vehicle's value, shown on your notice
- County, district and transportation improvement fees: vary by ZIP code
What if my registration is already expired?
Come in anyway; waiting only makes it more expensive. The DMV adds penalties on a schedule: 1 to 10 days late is 10% of the vehicle license and weight fees plus a $10 registration late fee and a $10 CHP late fee, 11 to 30 days is 20% plus $15 and $15, 31 days to a year is 60% plus $30 and $30, and it climbs from there. There is no grace period. We can also look at whether a planned non-operation filing makes sense for a vehicle you aren't driving.
Registration renewal: common questions
Can I renew my registration at Ramos instead of the DMV?
Yes. Ramos Auto Registration Services is a licensed California DMV business partner at 332 E Norris Rd in Bakersfield. We process the renewal in the DMV system and print the registration card and sticker on the spot, usually in under ten minutes. We are not a DMV office, and the DMV offers the same renewal without a service fee.
What do I need to bring to renew my registration?
The renewal notice if you have it, or the license plate number and the last five digits of the VIN. Your smog certificate must be on file if one is due, the vehicle must be insured, and any parking tickets attached to the record must be paid. Bring payment for the DMV fees and our service fee.
Can you renew if I lost the renewal notice?
Yes. We can pull up the vehicle with the license plate number and the last five digits of the VIN, which is printed on the dash by the windshield and on your insurance card. The notice is convenient but not required.
Do I get the sticker the same day?
Yes. As a DMV business partner we print the year sticker and the registration card here at the counter once the DMV system accepts the renewal, so you leave with both and can put the sticker on in the parking lot.