There's now one less piece of paper to search for when a police officer pulls you over.

Honoring a bill signed into law by Gov. Phil Murphy in November 2021, the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission announced on Monday that motorists are allowed to display an electronic form of their vehicle registration, and are no longer forced to hand over proof on paper.

"Paper registrations will still be issued and recognized as valid, but they are no longer the only option for drivers when they need to provide proof of registration," said NJMVC Acting Chief Administrator Latrecia Littles-Floyd.

Effective March 24, an emailed PDF of their registration is going out to any customers who complete an online renewal or duplicate registration transaction with the Commission. It can be printed out, saved, or downloaded for display from a phone, tablet, or computer.

The Commission will continue to mail a paper copy of the vehicle registration card to the motorist's address.

Another part of the law taking effect is meant to make the registration renewal process much smoother for people who lease vehicles.

Through the law, registration renewal applications are being sent directly to lessees of leased vehicles, instead of the lessor or vehicle owner.

Dino Flammia is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at dino.flammia@townsquaremedia.com

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