Stolen vehicles 
If your vehicle is stolen , report it to the police and your auto insurance company as soon as possible. The police will enter the information into national and state auto theft computer records. The theft will be noted on your vehicle title record to help prevent someone from selling the vehicle or applying for a title. 

How can I report stolen plates? 
Ask the police to complete a' Report of Lost or Stolen Motor Vehicle Items' form MV-78B for your stolen plates. The form is different from the stolen vehicle report , and it's available only from police agencies, not from DMV. Make a copy of the MV-78B report for your records, and bring the original form to a DMV office to surrender your registration. For further information , see Report or Replace Lost or Stolen Plates [1]. 

Do I need a duplicate (replacement) title? 
If your vehicle is not recovered , you may have to transfer ownership to your insurance company using your title certificate. If you have lost your title certificate , you must apply for a duplicate title. See Replace a Title Certificate [2] for more information. A duplicate title issued when a vehicle is stolen is marked to show the vehicle is stolen and that the duplicate title is valid for insurance transfer only. If your vehicle is recovered before you transfer the " insurance transfer only " title to your insurance company , make sure the police have cancelled the stolen vehicle alarm. Then send the title to the Title Bureau along with a letter explaining that your vehicle was recovered, and DMV will issue a regular title. The address for the Title Bureau is Title BureauNYS DMVPO Box 2750Albany , NY 12220 - 0750 

What if my title was not yet issued? 
If the vehicle was stolen before you were able to apply for registration and title in your name , you must first apply for a title in your name in order to transfer ownership to your insurance company. Obtain a letter from the insurance company on their letterhead stating that p

user: Hey, how you doing?. Please i need help with some information about stolen vehicles.

user: the plates on my car was stolen lat week, can i put report on them?

assistant: Yes, you can and you should. Go to a police agency and ask them to complete the MV-78B form for Report of Lost or Stolen Motor Vehicle Items, for your stolen plates. That form is a police exclusive.

assistant: Do you require more information on that matter?

user: Yes, i would like to receive more information about it, please.

assistant: No problem. To get more information on that subject, you can see the Report or Replace Lost or Stolen Plates section.

user: Ok. i'll do that later. Another question, if my plates would been missing instead of robbed, what i would have to do then?

assistant: If that was the scenario, you only was needed to bring a copy of form MV-78B to a DMV office and apply for a new set of plates, besides reinstatement of your registration.

user: That would have been easier. Oh, well. Look i need to know, there's this friend of mine whose car was stolen and he hadn't been issued his title, what he can do in that case?

assistant: Do i understand that your car was stolen before you applied for a registration and title?

user: No, not me, him. My friend's car was stolen before he could apply for registration and title.

user: Anyway, it doesn't matter, better continue with my doubts. In my case, if my car were stolen and not only the plates, I would need a title replacement?

user: I mean, like the title was lost because it was inside the car?

assistant: Well, yeah. If that were the case, certainly you should apply for a replacement title as soon as possible, to prevent any real damage. You can check Replace a Title Certificate section for more information.