How Do I Register Out Of State Car

Updated on: Oct 25, 2021

When you're planning a automobile purchase, some deals are just too skilful to refuse, even if they crave you lot to travel out of state (and maybe thousands of miles from habitation). If you've constitute a dealer or individual seller offer the pricing y'all were looking for in another country, y'all could hire a professional transporter, or y'all could cull to bulldoze your newly purchased vehicle back to your abode state. Driving might save you coin, and information technology could be a great excuse for a fun route trip. Driving a machine home afterward buying information technology out of state, however, requires proper preparation. All kinds of things tin differ from state to land, including emissions requirements, safety inspection standards, titling procedures, and, of course, local sales tax. Follow these tips to avoid potential issues and make your out-of-country vehicle purchase as hassle-free every bit possible.

Consult Your Country's Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV)

In one case you've found that special vehicle, your next step should be to contact your state'due south Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), either by visiting or calling a local function or by visiting the section'southward website. The DMV volition be your all-time resource for answering a host of questions and will provide guidance regarding your state's requirements for transporting an out-of-state vehicle home. In some cases, those answers will direct you to contact the DMV of the country from which you're purchasing the vehicle for additional information about legally driving the vehicle home. Keep in mind that the process often varies past land, so figuring this out may take a bit of fourth dimension, but information technology all starts by reaching out to your local DMV.

Insure the Vehicle

Regardless of your country of residence or the current location of your new vehicle, y'all'll want to become the automobile insured before hitting the route. Usually, with just the vehicle identification number (VIN), you tin can contact your insurance company and take the car added to your existing policy.

Automobile insurance is for more than just protection in the unfortunate case of a collision or theft. It's required to legally drive the vehicle abode. Requirements vary by country, and then you'll need to decide what level of insurance coverage is required and whether proof of insurance should be in the grade of an insurance menu or insurance folder.

Get Transit Plates or Temporary Registration

After money has changed hands and all the necessary paperwork has been signed, that vehicle you've traveled so far to purchase is now legally yours. If you lot're in a state like California, you'll soon realize that the license plates—or tags, as some call them—remain with the vehicle (which confuses out-of-staters who see used-car lots full of plated vehicles).

In most states, however, the plates are assigned to the registered owner and should exist removed when the auto gets sold. Every bit the new owner, you'll need a transit permit to drive the auto home. This will be in the course of a paper plate in place of the permanent plate or a sticker often affixed to one of the lower corners of the windshield. It will exist valid for a limited amount of fourth dimension, ranging from a few days to several weeks.

That broad time window is attributable to the states' differing requirements, which acquit over into the types of permits issued. There are interstate (transporting between dissimilar states) and intrastate (transporting within a unmarried land) permits, transit permits, temporary registrations, movement permits, and various other names that employ, simply they all relate to the topic of driving your new car home. The Maine DMV, for example, will event a transit plate that allows you to bulldoze the purchased car back to Maine from another state. That sounds simple plenty until yous learn that the state from which you lot're buying the vehicle may have its own rules, requiring you to visit one of its DMV branches to get ane of its transit plates. Muddying the waters even more than are states like New York, which bug transit tags that work as a temporary registration, obtained only after providing proof of purchase, proof of insurance, and proof that you've paid the state's sales taxation. Essentially, driving the car home puts you on the hook for everything except the full registration fee.

Not to be outdone, Massachusetts takes the level of difficulty up a few notches. Massachusetts won't issue whatever type of temporary registration or transit tag. In fact, information technology is illegal for Massachusetts residents to drive within the state using a temporary tag issued by another country. Not-residents, on the other hand, are allowed to travel inside the state on a temporary tag. So, if yous hail from that northeastern commonwealth and are doing your car buying out-of-state, you can bulldoze the car as far as the Connecticut, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, or Vermont border, but will and so need to park the machine and call a cab to accept you the rest of the way. That'due south not a not bad solution, and so in the unusual example of Massachusetts, we suggest towing the vehicle home from a neighboring state (if possible) or utilizing a service such as CarGurus Commitment.

Again, consulting with the state's DMV will be priority number one. That's where yous'll receive your permits (where applicative), decide what paperwork is necessary, and, in some cases, acquire if documents such every bit a title or beak of sale must be notarized.

Gear up for Your Trip Dwelling

As with whatever road trip, you'll want to piece of work off a checklist to ensure you've crossed all your t'due south and dotted the i's. Perhaps most chiefly, brand sure all your documentation is in club, including the transit plate or sticker with valid operating dates, proper proof of insurance, signed (and, in some cases, notarized) purchase paperwork consisting of a title and/or beak of sale, and your valid driver'south license.

If y'all've made it this far, we'll assume y'all've conducted a test drive, checked the car yourself, and had information technology inspected by an contained local mechanic prior to finalizing the purchase. Even then, requite the car a final once-over, as you would with any vehicle before striking out on a long trip. Focus on the condition of the fluids, lights, tires, belts, hoses, and battery. Note how much gas the previous owner left in the tank. Any bank check engine lights, leaks, or other problems should be addressed before heading home.

If y'all're buying an especially used vehicle or 1 with a college odometer reading, consider getting some sort of roadside assistance coverage (such as AAA) as a safe net in the event of a breakdown or if y'all run out of fuel.

You may also discover it beneficial to map out a route home ahead of time. If your new car doesn't have a functional navigation organization, y'all can download a GPS app on your telephone. Also, an sometime-school road atlas—if you can observe 1—is very handy in rural areas without strong jail cell service or with outdated GPS information.

Finally, we suggest sharing your travel plan with someone and scheduling bank check-in times. If they don't hear from you, they'll know yous've run into some blazon of trouble. Granted, this may seem to be overkill, but overkill is fine when you're talking near driving a car with unknown reliability on what will likely exist unfamiliar roads.

The Bottom Line

You may very well find your perfect auto at a compelling purchase price beyond state lines. Don't let that deter you from making the purchase, only exercise keep in mind that ownership a car out of state requires more than communicable a quick flight and pointing the headlights homeward. Whether you're buying from a dealer or a private party, with a fleck of planning and preparation, you tin ensure a fun and safe trip.