Can You Have A Car Registered In Another State

Updated on: October 25, 2021

When y'all're planning a automobile purchase, some deals are only too proficient to decline, even if they require you to travel out of state (and possibly thousands of miles from home). If you've constitute a dealer or individual seller offering the pricing you were looking for in another state, you lot could hire a professional transporter, or you could choose to drive your newly purchased vehicle back to your home state. Driving might save y'all coin, and information technology could be a not bad excuse for a fun road trip. Driving a car home later buying it out of country, however, requires proper preparation. All kinds of things can differ from state to land, including emissions requirements, safety inspection standards, titling procedures, and, of course, local sales tax. Follow these tips to avert potential bug and make your out-of-state vehicle purchase as hassle-free as possible.

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

Once you've found that special vehicle, your adjacent 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 department's website. The DMV will exist your best resource for answering a host of questions and volition provide guidance regarding your land's requirements for transporting an out-of-land vehicle home. In some cases, those answers will directly you to contact the DMV of the state from which you're purchasing the vehicle for boosted information about legally driving the vehicle home. Proceed in mind that the process oft varies by land, so figuring this out may accept a bit of time, but it all starts past reaching out to your local DMV.

Insure the Vehicle

Regardless of your state of residence or the current location of your new vehicle, you'll want to get the automobile insured earlier hitting the road. Usually, with but the vehicle identification number (VIN), y'all can contact your insurance visitor and have the auto added to your existing policy.

Car insurance is for more than just protection in the unfortunate case of a collision or theft. Information technology'south required to legally drive the vehicle domicile. Requirements vary by state, then you'll demand to make up one's mind what level of insurance coverage is required and whether proof of insurance should exist in the form of an insurance card or insurance folder.

Go Transit Plates or Temporary Registration

Afterwards money has changed hands and all the necessary paperwork has been signed, that vehicle you've traveled so far to buy is now legally yours. If you'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 come across used-car lots full of plated vehicles).

In virtually states, however, the plates are assigned to the registered owner and should be removed when the auto gets sold. As the new owner, you'll need a transit allow to bulldoze the machine home. This will be in the form of a newspaper plate in place of the permanent plate or a sticker oft affixed to one of the lower corners of the windshield. It will be valid for a limited amount of time, ranging from a few days to several weeks.

That broad time window is attributable to us' differing requirements, which carry over into the types of permits issued. There are interstate (transporting between unlike states) and intrastate (transporting within a single state) permits, transit permits, temporary registrations, move permits, and various other names that apply, but they all relate to the topic of driving your new car dwelling. The Maine DMV, for example, will issue a transit plate that allows you to bulldoze the purchased car dorsum to Maine from another state. That sounds simple plenty until yous acquire that the state from which y'all're ownership the vehicle may have its ain rules, requiring you to visit i of its DMV branches to get one of its transit plates. Muddying the waters fifty-fifty more are states like New York, which issues transit tags that work as a temporary registration, obtained only afterwards providing proof of buy, proof of insurance, and proof that y'all've paid the land'south 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 upwards a few notches. Massachusetts won't issue any type of temporary registration or transit tag. In fact, it is illegal for Massachusetts residents to drive within the state using a temporary tag issued by another state. Non-residents, on the other hand, are allowed to travel within the state on a temporary tag. So, if you hail from that northeastern republic and are doing your car buying out-of-state, you tin drive the machine as far as the Connecticut, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, or Vermont border, but will and then need to park the car and call a cab to take you the rest of the style. That's not a bang-up solution, so in the unusual case of Massachusetts, we advise towing the vehicle home from a neighboring land (if possible) or utilizing a service such as CarGurus Delivery.

Again, consulting with the country's DMV will exist priority number one. That's where y'all'll receive your permits (where applicable), determine what paperwork is necessary, and, in some cases, acquire if documents such every bit a title or bill of auction must be notarized.

Fix for Your Trip Home

As with whatever road trip, you'll want to work off a checklist to ensure you've crossed all your t's and dotted the i'due south. Perhaps well-nigh importantly, brand sure all your documentation is in guild, 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 nib of sale, and your valid commuter's license.

If y'all've made it this far, we'll assume you've conducted a examination drive, checked the car yourself, and had it inspected past an independent local mechanic prior to finalizing the buy. Even so, give the auto a last once-over, every bit you would with any vehicle earlier hit out on a long trip. Focus on the condition of the fluids, lights, tires, belts, hoses, and battery. Notation how much gas the previous owner left in the tank. Any check engine lights, leaks, or other bug should be addressed before heading dwelling.

If you're buying an specially used vehicle or one with a higher odometer reading, consider getting some sort of roadside assistance coverage (such as AAA) equally a safety net in the event of a breakdown or if you run out of fuel.

Yous may too detect it beneficial to map out a route abode ahead of time. If your new car doesn't take a functional navigation arrangement, you can download a GPS app on your phone. Also, an quondam-school road atlas—if you tin detect one—is very handy in rural areas without potent prison cell service or with outdated GPS information.

Finally, we suggest sharing your travel programme with someone and scheduling check-in times. If they don't hear from y'all, they'll know yous've come across some blazon of problem. Granted, this may seem to exist overkill, but overkill is fine when you're talking about driving a car with unknown reliability on what will probable be unfamiliar roads.

The Bottom Line

Y'all may very well find your perfect car at a compelling purchase cost across state lines. Don't permit that deter you from making the purchase, but do keep in listen that buying a car out of state requires more than catching a quick flight and pointing the headlights homeward. Whether you're buying from a dealer or a private party, with a bit of planning and training, yous tin ensure a fun and safe trip.