Need help with getting Texas plates!! (Austin, Georgetown: insurance, how much, home)

[jaycee143]

Hey Ya'll. I just moved to Austin a month ago and I need some advice/help on getting Texas plates. I have two vehicles with California titles and registrations and ready to get the California plates removed. Where or who should I go see first. Does my vehicle need to pass emission test? How much does the safety inspection cost? Where do I go? HELP!!

[jclAustin]

Here's a link to Texas DOT:

Vehicle Titles and Registration Division

HTH

[twange]

My wife and I just went through this...there are some hoops to jump through. First you have to get your car inspected. This is not an emissions test, but a general vehicle safety check. We had to replace the license plate bulb and housing kit, before they passed us. Then, you go to a separate place to get your registration and tags, then off to another location to get your driver's license which you won't get for 7-10 days. In the meantime, you'll get a document that serves as your temporary license.

All told, we paid almost $200 for both of our licenses and one car

But everyone was very helpful along the way, unlike the bitter apples at my home state's BMV

Here's where to get the info:

TEXAS - DMV.ORG - The Unofficial Guide to the DMV

[twange]

Originally Posted by jclAustin

Here's a link to Texas DOT:

Vehicle Titles and Registration Division

HTH

Yea this is the better link. Sorry i put the wrong one up

[statefan]

I would highly recommend not going to get your driver's license if you have some traveling to do in the near future, unless you have a passport. Once you get your Texas license, they take your out of state license, and the temp they give you is just a piece of paper. That leaves you with no picture ID unless you have a passport or Sam's Club membership!

[xsloane]

Also, I might add that they DO emissions tests, depending what county you reside in. Some is only a car inspection, but others do both, like Travis and Williamson.
Make sure you have the documents they require when you go to get your license, as the lines are usually long and you don't want to be turned away and have to come back another day.
This is where we got all the information about places for testing, drivers license, etc. Texas DMV Guide for New Residents - DMV.ORG

[Grape]

Just go to any approved station and get the cars inspected first. I went to Broaddus Chevron on Bee Cave road.
Check out this place:
Welcome to Auto Title Services of Oak Hill, they are near the Oak Hill "Y".
No lines, no filling out docs. You write a check, sign the form, and they give you the plates on the spot and that's it. They only charge about $16 per car and it's worth it. Make sure to bring the CA titles (not the registration slips) and proof of Texas insurance with you. In my case the whole thing took about 10 minutes for two cars.

[Grape]

I forgot to add this in my previous post:
Once you have the temporary car papers (the actual titles come in the mail), go to the Department of Public Safety on 1500 North Congress Avenue, right behind the capitol building.
Don't go to the other locations! This is a new location that used to be reserved for public employees but now it's open to the public. Few people know about it, so there are no lines. They don't have an appointment system like the CA DMV here. Anyway, We just walked up to the counter (we thought we were in the wrong place) and got our licenses without waiting in line at all.

[iguanas4]

Ok, I hope this isn't too OT, but I have a story about getting my TX drivers license. When we moved here last year, my bf and I went together one day to get our inspections, etc. for both our vehicles all in one day. We got the inspections and registration fairly quickly, no problems.

Our last stop was to get our drivers licenses. We live in Georgetown, so the place to do that is also the police station, or state troopers building, or whatever. The place is full of cops, at any rate. Ok, so it's my turn at the counter to hand over my paperwork. The man helping me is in a uniform, a very friendly guy, but still sort of intimidating.

While he's checking my paperwork, a woman comes out from the back of the building, and asks loudly and in a very stern voice, "Who here has a Mustang outside with California plates?!!?" Of course, that would be ME, and I start to panic and wonder what sort of snafu has me with an outstanding warrant or something. Or do they just want to hang and quarter me because I'm one of those horrible Californians??

I admit that it's me with the CA car and she says I need to go outside RIGHT NOW. I look at my bf who's still waiting in line and wonder if they're going to cuff me and haul me off right in front of him. Will they at least give him a ride home if they arrest me and impound my car?

So... I get outside and it seems that a woman who was coming back from taking her driving test has hit my car in the parking lot! No damage done, she just ran into my bumper. Boy, she was embarrassed though, and I'm pretty sure she did NOT pass her driving test!

So the cop who had been processing my application at the counter comes out to make a report. He was a super cool guy, and let me cut back to the front of the line for my DL when we went back in. He really liked my car, and told me he used to drive one much like it back when he was on patrol. He even gave the decklid a little caress!

[griffininsight]

one small note to add. the very first step, even before you go to get your inspection, you must have a valid texas insurance policy for your vehicle. usually not a prob, just have your policy changed.