A smart frame for a vehicle registration plate and related system and methods are disclosed. The smart frame may be configured to be mounted proximate to a near-field communication (NFC) tag hosted by a vehicle and associated with its vehicle identification number (VIN) or other identifier. In turn, the smart frame may read and relay an identification (ID) code of the NFC tag to a server via cellular communication. In addition, the smart frame may be configured to receive global navigational satellite system (GNSS) signal(s) including data pertaining to the current geophysical location of the smart frame and to relay that over the cellular connection for use in tracking the smart frame (and vehicle, if any). Furthermore, the smart frame may be configured to communicate with external computing device(s) via Bluetooth communication, which may facilitate location and tracking of the smart frame (and vehicle, if any) in a given space.