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: Hello, I have some questions about vehicle recovering.

assistant: Has your vehicle been recently recovered?

user: Yes. I was notified about it some days ago.

assistant: If that's so. You have to be sure to verify the police has canceled the stolen vehicle alarm in order for the recovery being listed on your title record. Make sure you don't use the vehicle or do any vehicle-related activities until you are sure the alarm has been called off.

user: Sure will do. They told me that was recovered with its plates, do i need to do something, besides calling the alarm off?

assistant: That's good news. In that case, you need to bring your plates and a copy of the form MV-78B properly filled to a DMV office in order to surrender them and apply for new plates, along with re-instating your registration.

user: Got it. I'll put on that form asap. What if my vehicle was recovered with some damage, there's anything you can do about it?

assistant: If that so, you must put in hold the procedure that was told before. First, you must contact your insurance company and let them advise you in any matter they could consider to be of importance. Then you can go through the mentioned procedure.

user: Ok, better check on the one before hand. Um, one more question, please. A friend's car was also recovered few weeks ago, but its plates went missing. What he needs to do in that case?

assistant: Well, your friend needs to bring a copy of form MV-78B to a DMV and apply for new plates and reinstatement of his registration.