Out of state plates (shop, places, windows)

[psprague]

I certainly would never advocate breaking any law. I was only stating that I got away with it (for a while anyway). YMMV.

I too got my Washington DL in less than 30 days.

[jabm67]

When you do register your vehicle, whether you do so in the 30-day legal limit or not, do it in the middle of a calendar month -- avoid the first 3 and last 3 days. Otherwise you'll get bound up in the inevitable 1st-of-the-month rush with the procrastinators. This is especially true if you live in a city with air-quality controls, when you need to get your vehicle emissions tested as a prerequisite for registration.

[RodFarlee]

When I moved back into WA, my car and health insurance both dropped significantly (nearly $100/week lower for the same coverage; of course YMMV, but it was one motivation for me to move here sooner rather than later). So, Danocal, you might want to get your WA driver's license and car license as soon as possible (well within the 30 day limit).

Coming from CA, establishing out-of-state residency ASAP might also reduce your final partial-year CA state income tax? (I don't fully understand how that works, but I think CA prorates certain unearned income (interest, dividends, capital gains, pension, etc) by the number of days of the year you're a CA resident. Having a WA driver's license is solid proof you're no longer a CA resident as of the date of issue. Given the number of people I've heard of who've gotten badly hassled by CA on partial-year returns, a photocopy of that WA DL might turn out to literally be worth it's weight in gold. I've heard of a couple cases when CA tried to tax WA income of people who lived in both states part of the year, so the more solid proof you have that you're no longer a CA resident, the better.)

These were all motivations for me to run to the Licencing office ASAP when I moved here.

[danco]

Thanks Rod,
and again, everyone for the helpful advice.
My original inquiry was based pretty much on principle.
We are moving at the end of December, exactly the time when my
tags expired. Had to renew. ( just hate the thought of paying twice)
Time for me to just pony up and do it right way.
Now please excuse me while I go turn most of the lights off in our home.

[7.3 Liters]

I just got a renewal notice from Cali. for my truck in the amount of $600. What a pleasure it was to register here in Wa. for $70 annually . What a shame it was to have sent it back unpaid

[the dufferz]

Originally Posted by 7.3 Liters

I just got a renewal notice from Cali. for my truck in the amount of $600. What a pleasure it was to register here in Wa. for $70 annually . What a shame it was to have sent it back unpaid

You can thank our initiative process for that. We voted and approved a flat $30.00 excise license fee. Prior to that, a newer car would have tabs that could be over $1,000 per year, and the depreciation used each year was at a slower rate than the depreciation of the vehicle.

Power to the people! (except for those in Seattle who have had to deal with Sound transit and the Monorail nightmare) .

[madicarus2000]

We moved from SoCal in late June and got new plates/DL in early July. They only asked me when I moved to WA and I gave them a recent date and that was the extent of the "investigation". However I really wanted to get rid of the CA plates and DL quickly so I wouldnt be identified as "one of them". As far as insurance goes, WA rates are based on statistics. We're paying much less based on our location. CA rates had less emphasis on zip codes so you could be paying the same rate if you lived in a rural low crime area as you would if you lived in the center of a major city. However all vestiges of a CA identity are gone so I can easily blend in with the locals.

[compltlyme]

Originally Posted by madicarus2000

We moved from SoCal in late June and got new plates/DL in early July. They only asked me when I moved to WA and I gave them a recent date and that was the extent of the "investigation". However I really wanted to get rid of the CA plates and DL quickly so I wouldnt be identified as "one of them". As far as insurance goes, WA rates are based on statistics. We're paying much less based on our location. CA rates had less emphasis on zip codes so you could be paying the same rate if you lived in a rural low crime area as you would if you lived in the center of a major city. However all vestiges of a CA identity are gone so I can easily blend in with the locals.

Registering our vehicle was much less expensive in WA but our insurance rates went up!!! You are lucky!!!

It took us a bit longer to get our DL's here. Just bad timing due everytime we went. But one thing I will say is that I liked not having to spend half my day in the DMV... Each process took less than 30 min!!!

[madicarus2000]

Compltlyme, haha, we had the exact opposite experience. Our rates dropped significantly and even saved more money with a big discount by paying the one year policy off. However we spent a lot of time at the DOL to get our DL and then had to go elsewhere to another DOL to get the vehicle registration. I think the benefit from the CA DMV was one stop shopping for all your DMV needs. But overall I'm happy here in WA so I wont really complain.

[scirocco22]

Yup, a lot of folks I've talked to when moving to WA thought that going to the LSO to get their driver's license and then having to go separate but privately owned DOL sub-agency to get their plates, was odd.
`
One nice thing about the WA DOL website is that they actually list how long the wait times are to get your driver's license at each respective office. That's a nice feature.

--'rocco