Residency in Alaska (Metlakatla: vehicle registration, DMV, moving to)

[akck]

You establish Alaska residency when you physically move to Alaska with the intention of living here permanently. Proof or residency is established by renting or buying a place of residence, paying utility bills in your name, pay check stubs, and so forth. So in essence, after your first bills, you're a resident.

For a resident fishing/hunting license, you need to have lived in Alaska for one year. My first Alaska fishing license was a nonresident and my second was a resident license because I waited until the month I arrived before getting it.

For the PFD, you need to be a resident for an entire calendar year. If you enter the state on January 1st or later, you'll have to wait 2 years before you qualify. So it pays if you can move here in December instead of January.

The only other residency requirement I can think of is for higher education to qualify for resident tuition. I don't remember the residency requirements.

So there is no advantage to establishing earlier residency because any benefits you might gain from it require you to be physical present in the state. Lying about it will bring stiff penalties. Just ask the Alaska Bush People about their PFDs.

[semispherical]

Originally Posted by Metlakatla

I can be worse, especially to people who spread lies and misinformation in the Alaska forum.

You stated that

In response to someone who told the OP that he/she does not qualify for the check. That is a lie.

You can be prosecuted in a number of states for trying to take advantage of resident-only perks, such as "the check," in-state tuition, weaseling out of taxes specific to the state you really do live in, resident fees for fishing and hunting licenses, etc. You can't simply just claim residency and get on the gravy train.

Helga may be related to these guys. 'Alaskan Bush People' stars plead guilty in fraud case - CNN.com

[Dakster]

Residency is tricky. Because each state has rules as to who is considered a resident. Your actions dictate your residency, not getting up on a podium and saying "I am a resident!". That was the picture that ran through my mind when I read that comment.

Generally, where you spend most of your time and work (if you work) is your residence. Case and point is that at one point in history Florida had a "Valid in Florida Only" Driver's License, because of the high seasonal population. If you spent enough time in Florida you could get one. The RealID Act and some other political pressures quashed it though. While I have no proof, I believe that this was mainly to help out our foreign visitors that bought property in Florida. And I know that it helped out Law Enforcement - rather than getting a foreign driver's license.

And there are criminal penalties in most states (I haven't researched all of them) if you don't do certain things, like get a Drivers License or State ID Card in the state that you are considered a resident in - like after so many days of moving there, establishing employment, etc...

You may know how things work elsewhere, but I can tell you from experience, it usually doesn't work the same way here.

[AlaskaErik]

Originally Posted by Helga99

Residency means you live there. And not necessarily physically. Pretty much just claiming you are a resident is enough to be one. It's not some special status or something. What country did you come from?

That is incorrect. Residency is where you live, not where you claim to live or where you have a driver's license. If you want a good idea about how Alaska residency is determined, go visit the Dept of Fish and Game web site. They have some excellent info there.

[Metlakatla]

If you've got a drivers license in another state, that means that you haven't fulfilled the Alaska's residency requirements, which include the absence of ties to another state.

As you can see here, an Alaska DL certain does count when establishing residency.

https://pfd.alaska.gov/Eligibility/E...hing-Residency

[Haolejohn]

Originally Posted by Metlakatla

If you've got a drivers license in another state, that means that you haven't fulfilled the Alaska's residency requirements, which include the absence of ties to another state.

As you can see here, an Alaska DL certain does count when establishing residency.

https://pfd.alaska.gov/Eligibility/E...hing-Residency

I was told that I could have still qualified for the PFD even though it took me a year to get an Alaskan DL. Of course I lived in the bush where I could not get to a DMV (I could have, but couldn't swing that $1000 trip into my budget).

I was disqualified b/c our vehicle was registered in GA (where it was at, and we couldn't register it here unless we went into the DMV).

[Metlakatla]

Originally Posted by Haolejohn

I was told that I could have still qualified for the PFD even though it took me a year to get an Alaskan DL. Of course I lived in the bush where I could not get to a DMV (I could have, but couldn't swing that $1000 trip into my budget).

I was disqualified b/c our vehicle was registered in GA (where it was at, and we couldn't register it here unless we went into the DMV).

Maybe there are exceptions, such as living and teaching in the bush and not being near a DMV, but Alaska does have a requirement that you switch your license if you're going to be driving for more than 90 days in the state. It's better for those who want the check to play it safe and go by the official regulations. After all, you can't even view your PFD application without an Alaska state ID or DL. I doubt that those living on the road system or with otherwise easy access to a DMV office would be given a pass...

You could have gotten a registration via mail if you lived more than 50 miles from a DMV; maybe that's why they disqualified you. To get a license, you have to show up in person, which as you said, is hard to do from where you were.

[Haolejohn]

Originally Posted by Metlakatla

Maybe there are exceptions, such as living and teaching in the bush and not being near a DMV, but Alaska does have a requirement that you switch your license if you're going to be driving for more than 90 days in the state. It's better for those who want the check to play it safe and go by the official regulations. After all, you can't even view your PFD application without an Alaska state ID or DL. I doubt that those living on the road system or with otherwise easy access to a DMV office would be given a pass...

You could have gotten a registration via mail if you lived more than 50 miles from a DMV; maybe that's why they disqualified you. To get a license, you have to show up in person, which as you said, is hard to do from where you were.

The PFD folks said that I could still possibly have gotten one but with the DL not being changed and the registration I had two strikes.

You are supposed to get the DL changed, but there are times people in the bush get a little leniency. I seriously had no idea what the bush was. Until we were on that second flight.

For our first vehicle that we registered in GA it was more of a convienience thing. They mailed the renewal and since we were letting the MIL use it, it was simpler to just pay (though twice as expensive) and change that following summer. Things you learn about. For me it was a $1800 mistake. No big deal. Thankfully I don't depend on that PFD.

Edited: wife said they wouldn't let us register via mail. We had to walk in n/c they wanted to make sure the car was physically in Alaska. The vehicle we tegistered in GA we totaled (hot a deer going 60) and we bought our Subaru down south. Wanted to drive it back up but couldn't b/c we didn't have a tag. Alaska wouldn't let us unless the vehicle was there. Ended up getting a power of attorney for a teacher friend in Fairbanks. It was. A headache.

[Metlakatla]

Nonetheless, it's still possible to register vehicles via mail if you're farther than 50 miles from a DMV. Something must have been amiss in your case. Just because you couldn't do it doesn't mean it isn't possible.

Alaska Car Registration Requirements & Steps | DMV.org

[Haolejohn]

Originally Posted by Metlakatla

Nonetheless, it's still possible to register vehicles via mail if you're farther than 50 miles from a DMV. Something must have been amiss in your case. Just because you couldn't do it doesn't mean it isn't possible.

Alaska Car Registration Requirements & Steps | DMV.org

I think we just ran into someone who didn't know what they were talking about.