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Old 03-13-2012, 03:59 PM
 
Location: Monadnock region
3,712 posts, read 10,981,214 times
Reputation: 2470

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so you all know how eager I am to break as many (non-personal) ties with MD as soon/much as possible... and it occurs to me that it would be nice to have NH plates instead of MD tags.

We have a house, and therefore a NH address with NH utilities (ok: they are currently being forwarded down, but the 'service' address is NH and we pay our town taxes). I know I need to go see the Town Clerk to register, and we'll need to change the title when we do (we want my name as primary, not DH's so the cars don't both come due in the same month!). No biggie there. However....

I would like to get vanity plates. I don't know if the TC actually has a supply or regular plates or not, but I know vanity plates will have to be ordered. So how long does it take for them to show up - and since we have a forwarding order with the post office, would they be forwarded down to us?

Also... I currently have handicap plates -have had them for longer than I can remember (crappy knees). Regardless of whether I get the vanity plates, in order to get handicap plates, will they just accept that I went through all the paperwork originally here in MD since I have HC plates already, or would I need to fill out new stuff in NH -which could be a problem with no doctor?

I'd really love to be able to cross this item off the list and have nice NH plates instead of boring MD ones - sooner than waiting until New Years... any suggestions??
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Old 03-15-2012, 06:11 AM
 
Location: Londonderry, NH
41,478 posts, read 59,521,434 times
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I have no idea about the legality of not actually living in NH. I have found the Salem, NH MVD Office quick and very helpful. I suggest stopping in a NH Motor Vehicle office the next time you are in NH and ask them these questions. You should also check the NH MVD website.
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Old 03-15-2012, 06:34 AM
 
3,244 posts, read 7,418,978 times
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Need more info.

It has been a while since I looked into this. DMV will help.
Are you a legal resident of NH?, Meaning you vote there, your legal primary residence is there, your car is garaged there? (you indicated you pay property tax there).

For years, people from MA would register their cars (and thus get plates) from NH, for several reasons; taxes are cheaper, car insurance is much cheaper, etc. But they were MA residents. Usually they would get caught because the police would drive around in MA and see a car with out-of-state plates (NH) sitting there for months at a time. NH wouldn't release data about MA residents that registered their cars in NH, so MA had to do it the hard way. If caught, you can be charged with insurance fraud.

Read this: Mass. Police Patrol For Illegal Car Registrations - New Hampshire News Story - WMUR New Hampshire (http://www.wmur.com/news/13251081/detail.html - broken link)

"Police said it doesn't matter if a person owns property in New Hampshire or has family there. What matters is where the car is garaged each night."
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Old 03-15-2012, 07:55 AM
 
Location: Monadnock region
3,712 posts, read 10,981,214 times
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aw c'mon guys! I'm not trying to do this for insurance fraud, in a little over 9 months we will be moving permanently there. We already have a house and 1/2 our belongs are in it, we come up regularly. I just like checking things off the to-do list as soon as possible and I really hate MD (I told you that! why are you fixating on the wrong things?). I know you're supposed to change things within 30 days 'legally', I also know that in MD, where there are tons of military, they really don't pay much attention to whether your plates are correct for the state. Heck I drove around here for 6 months without the current stickers on my tags (even drove up to NH and back so we crossed many state lines) and no one noticed until a fellow motorist caught our attention at a traffic light. Then we had to find the stickers that we had actually registered but not affixed.

But... while the DMV website has nothing to answer any of my questions, I was finally able to get through to the town clerk and she did. tricky part: I while getting in and paying the $348 to register my Santa Fe is the simple part, I'd have to get it inspected within 10 days and we're only going to be in town for 2 days this trip. They do mail the plates, but I don't know whether the PO would forward them. and I'd lose my handicap tags since I don't currently have a dr to sign a new form and they won't simply transfer the fact that I had a dr who did.
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Old 03-15-2012, 08:07 AM
 
3,244 posts, read 7,418,978 times
Reputation: 1604
Quote:
Originally Posted by WannaComeHome View Post
aw c'mon guys! I'm not trying to do this for insurance fraud, in a little over 9 months we will be moving permanently there.

Ok.... I didn't know that. Perhaps I didn't read the whole thread. You should be fine. I drove around for 6 months (when I moved to another town in state) with an expired registration.... (So I guess there is at least one reason why the towns want to know where you live, so they can tell you when to renew it).

We already have a house and 1/2 our belongs are in it, we come up regularly. I just like checking things off the to-do list as soon as possible and I really hate MD (I told you that! why are you fixating on the wrong things?). I know you're supposed to change things within 30 days 'legally', I also know that in MD, where there are tons of military, they really don't pay much attention to whether your plates are correct for the state. Heck I drove around here for 6 months without the current stickers on my tags (even drove up to NH and back so we crossed many state lines) and no one noticed until a fellow motorist caught our attention at a traffic light. Then we had to find the stickers that we had actually registered but not affixed.

But... while the DMV website has nothing to answer any of my questions, I was finally able to get through to the town clerk and she did. tricky part: I while getting in and paying the $348 to register my Santa Fe is the simple part, I'd have to get it inspected within 10 days and we're only going to be in town for 2 days this trip. They do mail the plates, but I don't know whether the PO would forward them. and I'd lose my handicap tags since I don't currently have a dr to sign a new form and they won't simply transfer the fact that I had a dr who did.
Mine in red.
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Old 03-16-2012, 12:11 PM
 
Location: Londonderry, NH
41,478 posts, read 59,521,434 times
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WCH - The NH DMV is pretty efficient so just mak the transfers after you actually move here. If you are looking for a reliable garage and inspection station I reccommend LBP Towing on Auburn Road just behing the Poorboy Resturant off of Rt 28 in North Londonderry.
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Old 03-16-2012, 09:30 PM
 
Location: Monadnock region
3,712 posts, read 10,981,214 times
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yeah, looks like I"m going to have to wait (darn it). I just wnat to throw off the MD shackles as soon/much as I can! Thanks for the rec, Greg, but Londonderry is a bit of a hike from Greenville. The town clerk suggested a place or two in town though.
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Old 03-18-2012, 03:48 PM
 
8,272 posts, read 10,863,078 times
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You can claim your legal domicile in any state. You do need a residence.

NH requires residency of 180 days plus one for legal residency.

You do not have to register to vote. But if you are registered someplace else that potentially could be an issue.

Now, do people not fulful these requirements all of the time? Probably not some of the snow birds.
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Old 03-18-2012, 08:29 PM
 
Location: Monadnock region
3,712 posts, read 10,981,214 times
Reputation: 2470
Unit, we have owned a house there for a couple of years so we have an residence. I'm not even registered to vote in MD - though I do plan on registering when we come up permanently - so voter reg is not an issue at this time.

but.. if "NH requires residency of 180 days plus one for legal residency. " and you're supposed to change your plates within 30 days of moving.... something doesn't add up here. oh! you mean must reside there for 180 days of the year. well, no we don't meet that yet, but we dome up as much as possible. do travel days on the road count?
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Old 03-18-2012, 09:37 PM
 
8,272 posts, read 10,863,078 times
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The auto registration has come up a few times.

Out of staters can register a car here at town hall. Town hall will tell you that you must keep vehicle inside NH (from what I have been told). Your insurance company does not care where you drive inside or outside state. You do not need a NH drivers license to do this. You do not have to register to vote at all or here. Some aggressive town clerks may ask where you file you federal income taxes. That is none of their business. You always want to be honest with all. Just state that next year you will file your income tax here. But again, they should not be asking that question - but some do. Again, it is none of their business.

Some towns now have a new resident fill out an application. I don't think that this is legal also. But if so just fill it out and use common sense with each question. If they ask for your Social Security number in that town application tell them politely that you decline.

Again you can only have one legal domicile. It can be anywhere you reside.

The statue states 180 days plus one. There is no one to enforce this. No one is checking all the snow birds that go to Florida for 9 months of the year and all their car registrations and drivers licenses are in NH. No one checks on them.

Again, you can register a car in NH with out of state drivers license. The town clerk will state that you must only drive in NH. That is unenforceable. Your insurance company does not care where you drive.

All of these "rules" were developed basically because many from Massachusetts were registering their vehicles in NH to avoid local MA taxes and lower insurance rates.

A good suggestion is to telephone any town clerk other than your own. And ask as many questions as you require. Or walk into any town clerks office other then your own and obtain as much information as you can/need. Then once all is clear to you - then go to your local town clerk.
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