If I buy a used car in MA - but live in MS, must I obtain a license plate BEFORE I can drive from MA to MS?

Answer 1

No! Get a temporary tag from the dealer in Mass. and register it when you get to Miss.

Answer 2

If you already own the car, its one thing. Buying a car in one state and immediately moving to another adds some wrinkles.

You should have the title, bill of sale and insurance before you drive down. If you get stopped, you WILL get a $1,000 ticket (in state of MS) for no insurance. They drop it to a $100 fine if you can show proof of insurance in one month from ticket date.

MS law would require the clear title and a bill of sale from the previous owner. Make sure the title is signed correctly on the back; it and the bill of sale is the only thing the MS DMV cares about. The MS state police will bag you big time if you don't have insurance. If the title has been "jumped" or something is amiss, the MS DMV will make you straighten it out with the seller in MA.

Answer 3

not sure what the laws are in each state, but here in maine you can go to the dmv and they will give you a 1 day transfer plate.
Other than that you can register the car in ms and wait for the plates to be delievered to ma. sounds like a lot of work. If it was dealership you would have 10 day plates.

Answer 4

I know in MS u have a 7 days grace period to get a plate for a used car. I not sure what the rules are for the states that u will be passing through are, but i would say keep the bill of sales on u in person while driving the vehicle back. I bought a vehicle in PA and drove it back to MS with only getting stopped once in GA. I showed the cop my bill of sales and explained to him what I was doing. He had no prob with that. Keep in mind different people different personality's. I hope this helps u alil.

Answer 5

Well... when you buy a car... you pay TT&L... which will give you a temporary license. I dont know if you can tell the dealership to title it in your state... but you can ask. If it is a used car... it should already have a title in which case you have I think 7 days ( laws vary from state to state so check in yours at the tax appraisal office) to change it to your current home. THe license plate will also come with the new title.... etc. IF you have to pay both states.... most places title is only like 30-50 bucks... eat the cost to stay legal. It is not that much and might be worth the head ache.

Answer 6

NO you obtain the license plate after arriving in MS.. (there is a time limit BTW from when you arrive) You may have to obtain a temporary permit in MA though in lieu of a plate... states laws varry from state to state...

(fer instance CA the plate goes with the car not the person.. many eastern states the plate goes with the person not the car)

Answer 7

Yes and no. Yes, in that you need a plate to drive it off the lot or drive it anywhere. No, in that you can get 20 or 30 day plates (I forget which MA has), after which time they expire and you will be required to register it in whatever state.

If it's a private sale, contact the DMV. If it's a dealer, they can often provide the temp plates for you.

Then you've got a couple of weeks to get it to MS.

Answer 8

You can't drive a vehicle without a plate. But the dealer should give you a temporary 30 day plate which will suffice to get you back to MS to get the permanent one.

Answer 9

No. How long of a grace period you get varies by state, so you should check with your department of licensing. But, you are granted time to get the plates changed after you move the car to your state of residence. At the latest, you're required to change the plates when the tabs expire, and possibly sooner, but you don't have to do it in advance.

Answer 10

Yep. A temp tag or an MS plate.

Answer 11

No. It probably varies from state to state, but there is a grace period between the time you bring a car into your state and the time you must have it registered there.