​As a result of recent legislation, effective October 1, 2026, the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles is moving to an all-electronic registration system, eliminating the requirement for license plate stickers and printed registration cards. There is no longer any need for a physical registration card. Police officers have electronic verification systems that let them know the status of a vehicle’s registration and inspection stations will be able to use your registration renewal notice to look up your vehicle.​

https://www.ncdot.gov/dmv/title-registration/registration/Pages/digital-vehicle-registration.aspx