[oceandreams94]

I have a question about registering your vehicle in Florida, when moving from out of state.
Here in Illinois you dont get your title until you pay off your car, so I am wondering how you go about registering your vehicle? I looked at the Florida DMV website and it just states that you need to bring your car title with you to register.
Has anyone else who moved to Florida from elsewhere had a similar problem, and what did you do? Does anyone know what you are supposed to do, and how long before you move do you need to do it?

THank you!

[121804]

I had to do it when I first got here b/c my registration was up for renewal from the state we were coming from. Personally, I'd wait just until 3 months & sooner to your birthday b/c that is how your registration is monitored here in FL. [My bday is in Sept & I got my tags/plates here in March. My FL registration needs to be renewed this Sept b/c it was more than 3 months.] But keep in mind that if you are in an accident, your insurance company may or may not cover you if you've been living in & working in a state that you are not registered in.

You do need the title & if you don't have that, the DMV will request a copy of it from the lienholder. The DMV then calls you when that lien comes in & you can go & get your FL plates.

Plates cost me $200 & drivers license cost me $25.

Depending on where you are coming from will depend on what other forms of id you will need to take. I believe the website lists those states & the requirements.

[oceandreams94]

Thank you! We are in Illinois now, and we did find out that we will need certified copies of our birth certificates, which we do have.

Now, about waiting till your birthday, I am not sure that I understood you. Do you mean that you can wait till close to your birthday to get your vehicle registered?
I had to get our registrations renewed in March for our vehicles, and we are moving August 1st. My birthday is not until May. My husbands is in Jan.
Are we allowed to wait that long?

[BravoSix]

I would guess that Florida, like just about every other state, has a time limit that you must register your vehicle within. Failing to do so could likely result in getting fined.

What the other poster was referencing was Florida's strange way of determining when you're registration expires. You registration will expire in your birth month. However, Florida allows for 15 month registration, so if you're birthday is 3 months or less away from the date you register your car, you will have 1 year PLUS the extra time between the date you register and your upcoming birthday.

However, if your bithday is more than 3 months away, then you will only get a registration until your next birthday. Then you'll have to renew.

In other words, if you register today, and your birthday is in July, you will receive a valid registration until July 2008 (12 months plus the 2 extra months). If you register today, and your birthday is in October, you will only get a registration until October 2007.

The process is pretty simple in any state.


From the Florida website: "If the out of state title is currently in the possession of an out of state lienholder, the tax collector's office will assist you in contacting the lienholder to obtain the title. The lien will be recorded on the Florida title when issued and will be mailed to the lienholder. "

[YankeeFaninOrlando]

Per Florida law, you have 30 days once you move into the state to get a Florida driver's license. However, you have 10 days from the time of a) becoming employed in FL, b) placing children in the public schools in FL or c) establishing residency in FL to register a motor vehicle. In addition, to register a vehicle in Florida, you will need to show valid proof in insurance from a company that does business in Florida (i.e. a Florida insurance agent). I wouldn't wait until your birthday. You would be breaking the law. I know people do it but I wouldn't take the chance. All private vehicle registrations in Florida expire on your birthday. If your moving to Florida in August and your birthday is in May, they will probably charge you for a whole year. Since you are bringing a vehicle into the state, they charge you a pretty stiff amount (something like $100) for an initial fee. The cost for a typical car is about $35/year for a 2500 - 3499 lb car. So, the first year would be $135 and every year thereafter would be $35. Give or take.

[12paws42]

Are Florida plates $200 EVERY year or was this just for the first year that you had to transfer registration from another state?

[oceandreams94]

Thank you BravoSIx! That makes sense!

[phoenixxphyre]

I'm used to the birthday registration; they do it in OH. But what'll suck about that is that right now the car is in my dad's name, which means that he's paid up for registration here til April 08. Probably we'd have to transfer the car into my name, but my birthday is in January, so I'm gonna get shorted a bit. Such is the price of moving I guess. There are worse things. lol.

[mom2ten]

Originally Posted by 12paws42

Are Florida plates $200 EVERY year or was this just for the first year that you had to transfer registration from another state?

No, just the first year. After that it's based on vehicle weght. I drive a '05 Ford five hundred and my tags cost $46.10/yr

[RedWingsFan]

When we moved here we still owed on one of our vehicles (paid it off shortly after being here). However, you go to DMV and they will give you a temporary plate. Whoever you have your loan through will issue the title to the DMV. Once the DMV gets it then you go back down there and they will issue the permanent plate to you.

Registering and renewing plates in this state is SO cheap! It was like $200 to register each vehicle for the first year and they said each year after that would be like $45 or something. I nearly fell over. In Nevada I had just months back registered my vehicle and it was $550! It's outrageous out there!! And it only goes down slightly each year, so renewal would still be around $500. I couldn't believe how cheap it is here for plates. So I sprung for a specialized plate that is personalized.

They said "that's going to cost you extra money each year." And I said "it's still a very small faction of what I'm used to paying, it's dirt cheap to me."

But you have 30 days to get registered or you risk a fine if you are caught. Go there, get the temporary and get the ball rolling. Once it's in go back and get the permanent. But the temporary will keep you from getting into any kind of trouble.