A license plate validation system for a vehicle is disclosed. This license plate validation system includes: a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader located inside the vehicle and configured to read from an RFID-enabled license plate on the vehicle upon detecting an attempt to start the vehicle; and a microcontroller coupled to the RFID reader and configured to receive, from the RFID reader, information obtained from the RFID-enabled license plate and subsequently determine, based at least on the received information, whether the vehicle is properly registered. In some embodiments, the microcontroller and the RFID reader are integrated as a single electronic module.