Bringing a car from out of state

[purplepepper]

To those of you who are bringing cars to school from out-of-state....

What are you planning on doing about your car registration and your driver's license? Will you change your plates and your license to the state that you are in for school, or keep your home state ones? Does it matter? Are there laws about this for students, or just insurance rules? Does this affect to what state you pay taxes? And wouldn't it be a hassle to change your license every year if you move apartments?

I'm so naive and about to become a first-time car owner-- of an overly beige 1992 Mazda that my dad has kindly (or not so) given to me because he got himself a new Rav4. :|

[kahlan_amnell]

Most states require that you switch your license and registration within a certain number of days of arriving in the state with the intent to remain there. Also, you need to do so if you want to establish state residency, which many schools require for students that have tuition waivers.

[rising_star]

It depends. My car registration and driver's license are still in my home state for a few reasons: 1) I jointly own my car with my mother so I can't just register it where I live without a bunch of signatures and having the title (which resides in her safety deposit box at the bank in my home state); 2) neither my MA university or where I'm doing my PhD now require me to establish state residency (and in fact, I can never be a resident here for tuition purposes which is why they don't make us do it if we don't want to); and 3) I really like my license plate. Okay, I might be sort of kidding about that last one.

But, there are often laws about this (though some may not apply if you're a full-time student and can claim temporary residency). In my home state, you have 30 days to get a new license and register your vehicle once you move though it's never an issue unless you get pulled over by a cop.

[timuralp]

Oftentimes, if you're a full-time student, you can claim temporary residency and not register the car in the state you're in. I changed my residency because I bought a house here and I also don't want to deal with absentee ballots when elections come around. If you earn money in a state, you usually must pay taxes to that state. If you're also a resident of another state, depending on the agreement between states, you might have to pay taxes there as well. This means you might have to pay taxes twice. When you change your address, you can get the change of residency sticker in some states, which isn't much hassle and doesn't involve getting a new license card. Look all of that up for the particular states that concern you.

[aginath]

As has been said, it depends upon the new state and your intents. If you're planning to fully relocate and set up residence in the new state, you likely have 30-90 to transfer everything. If you're temporarily moving and maintaining a permanent address back "home," then you shouldn't have to worry about it.

That said, Georgia law states that you have 30 days (though I don't know that I've seen it enforced and have friends who've gone almost a year without changing). We both surrendered our Texas DLs and transferred his car registration within two weeks, because we needed it for me to get an out-of-state tuition waiver. All told, it cost us $35 (each) for the license (10-year license) and $38 for the car registration. It was rather painless other than having to have birth certificates and proof of residency (lease/utility bill) and waiting in lines.

Goolge the state and "drivers license." Georgia actually had a "New to Georgia" page that listed out what we needed to do. I found a section of the county tax office to explain car registration requirements, too.

[cardnav]

Word of advice -- call motor vehicles. I am not getting new plates or new license for Minnesota, but I found out that I need to carry proof of other residency when I drive should I be pulled over. So call your state's dmv, so that way you are aware of the potential pitfalls

[kdilks]

Word of advice -- call motor vehicles. I am not getting new plates or new license for Minnesota, but I found out that I need to carry proof of other residency when I drive should I be pulled over. So call your state's dmv, so that way you are aware of the potential pitfalls

What exactly constitutes "proof of other residency"?

/Also not getting new plates or license for Minnesota

[cardnav]

What exactly constitutes "proof of other residency"?

/Also not getting new plates or license for Minnesota

They told me that since the car is in my Dad's name and that my permanent address is my childhood home, the DMV told me to have my Dad write me a permission slip. Saying it's his car and that my permanent address. They want me to keep this letter with me when I drive.

[kdilks]

They told me that since the car is in my Dad's name and that my permanent address is my childhood home, the DMV told me to have my Dad write me a permission slip. Saying it's his car and that my permanent address. They want me to keep this letter with me when I drive.

That might even be dumber than the liquor laws.

[cardnav]

That might even be dumber than the liquor laws.

Agreed. This liquor tax and 2 AM last call is killer....I miss NYC already.

[kdilks]

Agreed. This liquor tax and 2 AM last call is killer....I miss NYC already.

I was referring more to the facts that you can't get good booze at a grocery store, or buy on Sundays, or buy past 10pm (8pm M-Th in St Paul).

[aginath]

I thought I hated liquor laws in Texas, but the worst of it was not being able to buy beer before noon on Sundays. Apparently liquor stores are closed completely on Sundays in Georgia (and I've noticed the beer coolers get locked down inside grocery stores).

[rising_star]

I thought I hated liquor laws in Texas, but the worst of it was not being able to buy beer before noon on Sundays. Apparently liquor stores are closed completely on Sundays in Georgia (and I've noticed the beer coolers get locked down inside grocery stores).

Actually, the lockdown starts late on Saturday night. In Athens-Clarke County, it's 11:30pm. In Oconee County, it's 11:45pm (at least at Kroger). You get used to it or you go to a bar/restaurant that gets enough of its sales from food that it can be open on Sunday.

[mlle]

OMG the car thing never even occurred to me before. I took my car with me but it's registered under my dad's name for the sake of cheaper insurance and I'm still using my parents' address as my perm address (yes, in my mid-twenties....the perils of being a perpetual starving grad student). As if I need one more thing to worry about.