DMV Registration question... see details please?

Question

We live in Colorado, and we are here for the military. We are picking up a truck in Seattle & driving it home. The truck's WA registration is expired. Do we go to the DMV in Washington to get a temportary registration, or do we have to register it there for the year?

We are California residents (we pay CA state taxes), but are stationed in Colorado.

We are buying it from a relative and bringing it back to Colorado. It needs to be smogged, registered, and insured.

We are buying it from a relative and bringing it back to Colorado. It needs to be smogged, registered, and insured.

Answer 1

Since you are active duty military, you can register the vehicle in either your home state (CA) or the state where you are stationed (CO).

If WA offers temporary tags to get it either to CA or CO you should be able to get them at the DMV in WA. If not, it would probably be easiest to have the seller renew the tags so that you can drive it to either CA or CO to take care of the paperwork.

Another option would be to get temp tags from CO or CA if they are available.

Answer 2

You have to get a temp in Washington so that the car is legal to drive to your destination or you may get cited for expired reg. Carry the bill of sale with you so you can show change of ownership to you and register it where you are going to be living for now in Colorado. The sales tax is only paid when you buy from a dealer for the price that was paid if its a personal sale you can put whatever you want on the bill of sale ($100.) so you pay less tax if you agree on that. Keep in mind different states have different smog for your car so find out if it meets CA smog certification if you plan on bringing it back to CA. There should be a sticker under the hood or on the radiator support that will say if its CA certified...hope that helps

Answer 3

If you are military you can register your car in your state of residence.

The below is a quote from California's website.
The Bottom Line

If you are a California resident and acquire a new car, truck or motorcycle from another state, it must be certified to meet California smog laws in order to be registered here.

Aren’t All Vehicles California Certified?

Not all new vehicles are manufactured to be sold to California residents or businesses. Many manufacturers make vehicles to be sold in the other 49 states. These vehicles (49-State) are made with smog equipment that meets federal emission standards, but not California standards. 50-State or California certified vehicles are made to be sold to California residents.

What Is Considered a New Vehicle?

California law considers any vehicle with less than 7,500 miles on the odometer when acquired by a California resident or business to be a new vehicle. This holds true whether or not the vehicle has been registered in another state. If you acquire a new vehicle from another state, you may not subsequently drive it to accumulate over 7,500 miles to circumvent the law. DMV cannot accept an application to register the vehicle, and you cannot register or operate the vehicle in California.

Exceptions

As usual, there are a few exceptions included in the law. As a California resident or business you may be able to register a 49-State vehicle if you:

Obtained it as part of a divorce or inheritance settlement.
Purchased it to replace a vehicle stolen while you were using it out of state.
Purchased it to replace a vehicle which was destroyed or made inoperative beyond reasonable repair while you were using it out of state.
Were on active military duty outside California, and you registered the vehicle in the state of your last military service.
Check the Label

To find out whether a car or truck is California Certified, check the emission label under the hood. For a motorcycle check the headset or frame. The label should read that the vehicle conforms to California regulations, or that it is legal for sale in California.

Answer 4

WA state will give you transport tags to drive the car from point "A" to point"B" but you have to have insurance to get them.
Now when I lived there they were not real fond of Californians so that might create some problems! But I drove mine from Seattle to upstate NY on transport tags in 1996! You pay the tax in the state you register in. I agree with one of the other authors here in that I would register it in Colorado to avoid the stringint CA laws. Preferably better, Wyoming or Montana that have no inspections or emission testing!

Answer 5

You can title and register your vehicles in whatever state you are currently residing, period. In your situation, I would recommend that you register your vehicle in Colorado. Take the vehicle's registration, title, and a LES to the local DMV and they will register and title your vehicle in Colorado. It's been a while, but I believe that Colorado charges $50.00 TOTAL for this because you are in the Military. Give them a call.

Answer 6

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Answer 7

i've got faith the only way you may stumble on a house handle, is that if somebody stole info from the DMV. i are conscious of it extremely is not precisely what you asked. yet i could point out that even LEO do no longer see ALL motive force/motor vehicle information on their structures.

Answer 8

If you're buying from a lot, they should give you a paper plate good for 30 days from the date of sale. If you're buying from a private party, I think I would make the sale contingent on having current plates.

Answer 9

both actually, you will need a temporary from State of sale and register it and license it as soon as you get it home.