Alabama- Here we come!!

[madisonmamma]

Originally Posted by Southlander

I think you have to go to whichever county you reside in.

Not for a driver's license, for your car tag, yes.

[madisonmamma]

Originally Posted by cglover

You need three pieces of ID:

1-old DL from out of state
2-US birth certificate or US Passport
3-Social Security Card or W2 tax card, or military ID of some kind

That's for DL. Also, no checks allowed. Just credit/debit card or cash. Cost is $28 for the DL and vision test.

For the registration:

title
checks only
and if BOTH names are separated by the word "and" instead of "or" in the title, BOTH of the owners must be present.
for first time, vehicle inspection, must have car on property. They only look at the VIN (TG no more personal property tax on the vehicles--but it is super expensive in state taxes--only a one time deal).

We paid over $300 to register both cars, both of which were approximately 5 years old. We got personalized license plates (they are 50 a piece) and my husband got a "safe kids" plate as well. We have our temporary plates (paper)hanging in the window till the real mccoy get here.

The courthouse is capable of doing both DL and Registration, but there is difficulty finding parking there. A real problem. I parked downhill at a meter. I would have had to bring it up to the top of the hill, after going up it once to the office--leave and go down, get the vehicle and then go back up again--for the VIN inspection.

Since that would have been pointless as I couldn't register without my mate standing there with me (we have "and" instead of "or" on the titles for both cars), that would have been a bigger waste of my time.

You have to go to a STATE office to get your first DL here if it is from out of state.

The PX on the redstone arsenal will do it as well, but only on certain days.

HUGE PAIN.

Cannot get a DL at courthouse, you have to go to Church Street DMV...that is the only place to get your license. You can renew at the courthouse or any satellite. Also, you do not have to take your birth certificate, ONLY if it is your first DL in any state....if you are licensed in another state you take your DL from that state and SS Card.....my husband just went through all of this a month ago, after a long time driving on his Florida license.
We also registered our cars at the satellite office on 72 (Southern Family Market)...one car in my name and one in my husband's, and I tagged and titled them both. They gave me no problems whatsoever. Didn't have to have vehicles inspected or anything like that. Simply walked in with my FL registrations and the title for my car and got my tags.

[ionlife]

Originally Posted by madisonmamma

Cannot get a DL at courthouse, you have to go to Church Street DMV...that is the only place to get your license. You can renew at the courthouse or any satellite. Also, you do not have to take your birth certificate, ONLY if it is your first DL in any state....if you are licensed in another state you take your DL from that state and SS Card.....my husband just went through all of this a month ago, after a long time driving on his Florida license.
We also registered our cars at the satellite office on 72 (Southern Family Market)...one car in my name and one in my husband's, and I tagged and titled them both. They gave me no problems whatsoever. Didn't have to have vehicles inspected or anything like that. Simply walked in with my FL registrations and the title for my car and got my tags.

Well I got a piece of paper from the Southern Family Markets that stated that if you are moving in from out of state, you MUST have a Birth Certificate (US) or a valid US Passport, and the 2 other items mentioned. When I went to the DL state office to get my DL, they made sure that I had ALL three pieces of info.

I needed my husband with me because we had both names on the titles of both cars separated by the word "and' rather than the word "or" --I thnk the lady at the Southern Family Markets just felt like checking our VIN (which is all they inspect for) because she may have had time?? But some people said they had not been checked.

Most of the people I talked with in our neighborhood that moved from out of state had experiences similar to mine. I wouldn't recommend going for the DL without ALL the items requested by the state gov't. And I definitely recommend reading through the title you have before you go down to get the tags--make sure only one of you has to be there! Also, I heard from another newbie here that they have to drive their trailer to Southern Family Markets as well just inspect the VIN....

Meanwhile, good for you! Guess you got lucky.

[ionlife]

PS--be prepared to wait--we waited about an hour, no chairs, for our Tags on a Monday at 1:30pm start time. Most of the people we spoke with waited at least that long or longer.