Car registration questions with relocation (Register: sales, apartment, insurance)

[ncoflin]

I have a bit of a unique situation. I currently live in Virginia and am relocating to Georgia in late July. My Virginia car registration expires on 7/31. When I move to GA at the end of July I will be staying at my in-law's apartment for a month or two max until I find a place of my own. So to prevent from being ticketed for expired out of state tags must I register my car in GA and just act as if my in-law's is my permanent address? I really don't want to renew for Virginia under my old address. I feel like I'm stuck in limbo and the timing just works out against me with when my current tags are expiring.

I also hate to update my drivers license with an address that will not be permanent. Must I update my drivers license to GA at the same time as my registration?

I know it's a bit complicated but any advice would be appreciated.
I feel stuck between a rock and a hard place.

[cwkimbro]

You should register and get a license within a month of moving to Georgia and before your car registration expires. Just use the address of your in-laws.

When you get your permanent place you can get 1 free license address change by mail using the website, so it is relatively painless and cheap.

The registration shouldn't cost you must to move. The pro and con here, so you know what to expect. Georgia did away with the yearly tax on cars. It is just a flat $20 tag fee, but they made a single one-time 7% tax when you buy the car. This tax applies if its new, used, from a dealership, or an individual. It also applies when you move here, so you will have to pay a large tax one-time, but then you can move around in-state fairly painless after that.

When you move in half (3.5%) will be due at registration and you can pay the other half (3.5%) within a year.

[ncoflin]

My car is just a year or so old. I thought I read somewhere if I could prove I paid the tax on my car at purchase I wouldn't have to pay that tax again? Is that untrue anymore? Or did I misunderstand.

[cwkimbro]

That is true for some states with slightly different tax systems, but not Georgia.

The issue is the Georgia tax replaced both the annual ad valorem tax and the sales tax, so they make newcomers pay it since there is no annual property tax on cars anymore.

[ncoflin]

Wow that seems a bit ridiculous. With my car so new that will cost me a fortune. Can I have my license in Virginia and my registration in Georgia or I must have both together?

[cwkimbro]

This website is just for Gwinnett County. You will need to find the right county later, but this has all of the state requirements: GwinnettTaxCommissioner > Motor Vehicle > General Titling > Register my Vehicle if I'm New to Georgia?

It appears you need to get insurance in Georgia and have a Georgia driver's license first.

Given your situation. You should also call the DMV office before getting your license. You will have to prove residency. I'm not sure what you will need to provide given you are staying at your in laws. You won't have a utility bill in your name. You should be able to use a bank account statement, but you might need more too.

New to Georgia

[hannng]

I'm in a similar situation. I moved from Alabama almost 9 months ago but the car is still registered in Alabama. My mother renewed the tag for me 2 months ago since the renewal was sent to my parents house. It had slipped my mind but I should have switched to a GA registration then. Since the car is technically registered in my parents' name I've decided to wait till when I buy a new car in my own name to change the GA registration. I don't have Georgia license yet but I need to get one. I don't see why I can't convert my Alabama to Georgia license without changing the car registration. The car isn't 'mine'!

A quick google search shows that you must convert everything within 30-60 days of establishing residency.

In my opinion, if you renew your tag in Virginia for one more year and keep your Virginia license for the same year, even if you get pulled over, they have nothing to prove that you've moved down here unless you make that known. If you change one, then of course you'll have to change the other.

In my opinion, if you are a recent graduate and have parents who still live in Virginia, you have a strong argument for not changing anything yet. Out of state students don't exactly change their drivers licenses and car registration because there's no intent to stay even though they may be in the state year round. If you move to a different state temporarily for say a 3 month internship, you haven't established a state residency right?

This is of course just my thoughts. Probably not necessarily the legal way. But I've never know someone to convert everything within 30 days! I have friends from out of state who haven't switched yet either.

If you moved to Georgia and were staying in a hotel for 2 months while you were looking for a place, you wouldn't be converting anything yet because you don't have an address yet. Why do you have have to use your in laws address then to convert now? Having an address you can send mail too doesn't mean you've established residency.

[ncoflin]

I am going to start a new thread about this. Specific to this topic. Thanks for the advice already given though.