Transferring your auto registration to SC (Charleston: sales, insurance, assessors)

[emilybh]

Now that I've moved to Charleston I'm wondering if getting an SC auto registration is going to be as expensive as the forms (if I'm reading them correctly) make it seem.

Is it true that you have to provide your cars TITLE, and a BILL OF SALE (even if you didn't just buy it) and a receipt from the county for paid property taxes? Also is there some sort of 5% use tax where you have to pay the state 5% of what you paid for the car? They are asking for a Bill of Sale also and I bought my car over a year ago.That sounds kind of excessive. Someone who's moved and registered their car, please tell me I'm wrong. It has to be easier than this.

The only forms on the DMV website are for application for certificate and Title Registration form 400. Plus they ask for all sorts of ID! You'd think showing your prior state's registration, license and proof of insurance and proof of residencey would be enough but they ask for a birth certificate and SS card too (which of course are still packed).

[rrufast]

title and/or bill of sale are needed when you are registering a newly acquired vehicle, if I'm not mistaken.

You DO have to go to the local assessors office and pay the PROPERTY tax on the vehicle before the DMV will do anything. Seems to me like you'd only need proof of registration from your prior state, your DL, proof of insurance, possible proof of address/residency.

You should be able to determine what you need here: SC Department of Motor Vehicles

[OrangeCountyGirl]

Well.

That's daunting.

[Ann Alison]

There is a personal property tax in SC, as in some other states, which means you have a tax each year on your car. However, if you buy a car (at least, 6 years ago) as a SC resident you only pay $300 sales tax! As I recall, registration and other administrative fees are not expensive in SC.

You do need proof you paid sales tax on your car anywhere you re-register. Vermont made me pay it again on the then-current blue book value when I registered it there because I didn't have proof I paid NV sales tax eight years before.

SC is, all things considered, about average when it comes to taxes. They all get you one way or another. Here's a site that breaks out taxes by state: Taxes by State (Vermont is the worst.)

[scrapydiva]

I moved from NC to SC back in 2000 and had just bought my car about 6 months prior. I didn't have to show bill of sale or anything like that because it was registered in NC already.

I remember it being a pain though. I didn't know where to go first. I think you have to get insurance first , then pay property taxes, then get your license.

I guess I need to find out since we are making the move again from NC back to SC.

[3 Seconds]

I avoided it for the 2 years I lived in SC. I think its just insane that you have to pay a 5% personal property tax on your cars & boats. I think it was actually 6.5% when I lived there.

I kept my registration from Maine updated & renewed through Maine to avoid paying that silly tax.

Never had any issues.