Do you have to send in the warranty registration card?

Not to keep a federal "full" warranty alive — but a "limited" warranty can make the card a condition, so check the label on yours before you toss the card.

The short answer

Full warranty: an FTC interpretation says that requiring you to return a registration card as a condition of coverage under a full warranty is an "unreasonable duty" — a warranty that says it is "void unless the warranty registration card is returned" is not permissible.¹
Limited warranty: that interpretation is written about full warranties. The FTC's own business guide includes a sample limited warranty that requires you to return the card within 30 days to be eligible for service.²
Either way, keep your receipt and a copy of the warranty — the FTC says the receipt proves the date you bought the product and that you are the original owner.³
Not covered here: a home warranty or vehicle service contract sold for an extra charge, or after the purchase, is a service contract rather than a written warranty under the FTC's interpretation (16 C.F.R. § 700.11), so this card rule does not speak to it.⁴

Why it matters

Most people either mail every card out of habit or throw them all away. Neither habit is right for every product. Whether a missing card can cost you coverage depends on what kind of warranty came with the product, and federal law draws a real line between the two kinds — a line the label on the warranty is supposed to tell you about (see what "full" and "limited" mean).

What the federal rule says

The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act sets federal minimum standards for a written warranty that calls itself "full." One of them is that the warrantor may not impose any duty on you other than notifying it of the defect as a condition of getting the defect fixed, unless the warrantor can show the extra duty is reasonable (15 U.S.C. § 2304(b)(1)).⁵ The FTC's interpretation at 16 C.F.R. § 700.7 applies that to registration cards. It defines a "warranty registration card" as a card that must be returned shortly after purchase and that the warranty states or implies is a condition of coverage, and says a requirement to return one "as a condition of performance under a full warranty is an unreasonable duty."¹

The same section leaves room for a card that only helps you. A warrantor may suggest a card as one possible way to prove the purchase date, but any such suggestion must say that not returning the card will not affect your rights under the warranty, so long as you can show the purchase date in a reasonable manner. Nor does the interpretation stop a seller from collecting information the warrantor wants from you at the time of sale.¹

What the rule does not say

It does not address limited warranties. Section 700.7 is worded around a "full warranty" throughout. The FTC's Businessperson's Guide to Federal Warranty Law shows a sample limited warranty that conditions service on returning a registration card within 30 days, and describes a limited warranty as one where the coverage does not meet the Act's standards.² The FTC's consumer page likewise warns that "sometimes you'll have to return a product registration card first to qualify for warranty service."³ So with a limited warranty, do what the warranty says.
It does not speak to a service contract. Under the FTC's interpretation at 16 C.F.R. § 700.11, an agreement that costs extra beyond the product's price, or is entered into after the purchase, is a service contract rather than a written warranty.⁴ Any activation or registration step in a home warranty or vehicle service contract is a term of that contract and of state law — see extended warranty vs. manufacturer warranty.
It does not cover state law. This page describes the federal interpretation only.

Two illustrations

These are simplified examples of how the text works, not descriptions of any real product.

A warranty headed "Full two-year warranty" that adds "This warranty is void unless the registration card is returned." That is nearly word for word the example § 700.7(b) gives of a provision that is not permissible in a full warranty.¹
A warranty headed "Limited warranty" that says "To be eligible for service you must return the registration card within 30 days of purchase." Section 700.7 does not address this, and the FTC's own guide uses a warranty like it as its example of a limited warranty.² Mail the card, or keep proof that you did.

As of 30 September 2026: the last amendment to § 700.7 is 80 Fed. Reg. 42721 (July 20, 2015).¹ The FTC guide is dated December 2006, with its tie-in and E-Warranty Act sections updated March 2018.² The current text is on eCFR; we re-check it when the agency amends the rule.

Practical steps

Find the word "full" or "limited" in the warranty's title. The FTC's guide says the labeling requirement applies to written warranties on consumer products costing more than $10.²
If it says "limited" and mentions a card, return it by any deadline it states, and keep a copy or confirmation.
If it says "full" and a company refuses service only because you never returned a card, put your request in writing and quote the warranty's own "full" label. If that does not resolve it, the FTC's consumer page says to report the company at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and to your state attorney general.³ Our complaint-routing guide covers the state side.
Keep the receipt with the warranty either way.