Can I register my car to NJ (sales, leasing)

[neopho]

Hi,

I am currently a New York resident and moving to New Jersey at the end of this month. If I am going to lease a car from a NY dealer before I move, can I register it to NJ MVC? Or do I have to register it as a NY car, and then register to NJ after I move?

Since I don't have a car now and owning a car seems to become a necessity while living in NJ, I'd really like to get the car before I move. However, the potential hassle of going through both NY and NJ DMV and pay the title/registration/etc. fees twice make me really hesitant.

Any suggestions? Thanks a lot in advance!

[captne76]

Im not the final authority but I think you might need a NJ license. So yes I would reg it once in NJ but you might need a DL first maybe. You could ask the toll free number to check. You can always title the car but then you might have to wait for the title in the mail before you can reg it (I mean if you don't do both at once).

Titles are about $60 or $90 then the reg is about $48 but you don't pay extra for inspection if you go to a state station. Also sales tax but if you already paid in NY you don't pay again

[sirk98]

I also am by no means an authority on this, but here is my experience:

At the time, I was living in NY, but left a car in NJ (didnt need the car in NY/only drove in NJ). Before leasing said vehicle, I called the NY DMV and the NJ MVC and went sent spinning in circles. In the end, I FINALLY got someone who seemed the most knowledgeable, and this is what I was told I had to do/what happened:

1) car had to be registered in NJ, as that was where it was principally garaged and used.
2) they assigned me an NJ drivers license number, but didnt issue me an actual license as I was not an NJ resident
3) I had to get NJ insurance as the car was registered in NJ

In your case, its a bit tricky. I had an NJ property where the vehicle was parked. It seems that you do not yet? If you have already signed a rental agreement/bought your NJ place then what I did may be right (call NJ MVC!). If not, you may want to consider holding off finalizing the lease until you move-- I would think other wise you would have to have dealership register the car in NY (which has higher sales tax, I think = higher lease payment) then YOU would have to re-register the car in NJ (but you would, I *think*, still have that higher lease payment). This assumes you rolled the sales tax in to your lease payment

[neopho]

Thanks, sirk98 and captne76, for your inputs. So I contacted NJ MVC via phone and email. Then I got two answers.

The lady on the phone told me that there is no way for me to register the car to NJ while being a NY resident. And her main reason is that I need to get an in-state insurance to drive the car, which I don't totally buy. Her suggestions are: either I buy the car before I move, register the car to NY, buy NY insurance, then transfer everything to NJ after moving. Of course, I have to pay NJ MVC and NY DMV; Or I move first, then take the lease to the dealer to buy the car and register it to NJ and buy NJ insurance, thus no double pay, but I have to wait till I move.

As I was going to pursue the double pay route, I received the response to my email this morning, which seems to be a completely different direction.

This is my inquiry:

I am a New York resident and moving to New Jersey at the end of this month. If I lease a car before I move, can I register it as a NJ car? Thanks.

And this is the response:

You must visit MVC Agency to obtain form # CSS-54 (title release form).
Then you must fax it or mail to your Leasing Co.
In order to register the vehicle will need the original title.
Once your Leasing Company mail it to MVC we will let you know we have
or you can call 609-292-6500 ext. 5009.

I guess I have to call again to confirm. But I may run out of time

[sirk98]

You MUST have NJ auto insurance to register in NJ

(sounds like) in order to get that, you MUST have a valid NJ address where you will garage the vehicle (do you have a signed rental agreement/purchase agreement for your new place? I would think that would be sufficient) to get the insurance (the NJ policy, at least with my old insurer, can have a NY address but the car would have the NJ address on file in the policy)

If at all possible, wait until you have proof of your new NJ home before leasing the car--MUCH simpler. You dont need to have NJ license, but it helps simplify things even more.

[neopho]

Thanks, sirk98. I guess that is what I have to do.