Nuts and Bolts Questions about Owning/Buying a Car in Chicago

[Drover]

Originally Posted by Irishtom29

One hears a dishearteningly large number of Illinoisans saying "DMV" rather than the "Secretary of State". Must be the influence of television and mass culture.

Either that or it's because we believe understanding is more important than pedantry when talking to someone who isn't familiar with the situation since in the vast majority of states the secretary of state's office has nothing to do with with car licensing and registration and and what-not.

So yes OP, the Secretary of State's office takes care of car registration and driver's licences and all that. That said, they have "Secretary of State Facility" offices scattered around the state that act as de facto DMV offices. And notwithstanding the pedants, you're at least if not more likely to get an answer if you ask "how do I get to the DMV office" than if you ask "How to I get to the Secretary of State Facility."

[SarahKate104]

Thanks, guys. Wow... This all sounds very confusing (and a little awful), but I'm sure I'll figure it out.

So, right after I buy my car, I need to go get a pollution test, residency sticker, and city sticker? But before I can do any of this, I have to go trade out my NY license for an IL one?

And, there's a written test? Will they switch out your license before you take it?

[SarahKate104]

Do I have to have an IL license when I go to the dealership so that I can do the whole tax, title, license thing?

(I'm thinking I'll just look for a car in IL.)

[jlawrence01]

Originally Posted by SarahKate104

So, right after I buy my car, I need to go get a pollution test, residency sticker, and city sticker? But before I can do any of this, I have to go trade out my NY license for an IL one?

And, there's a written test? Will they switch out your license before you take it?

Yes, you need to obtain a IL license soon after moving to the state. When the cop stops you with IL plates and NY license, you MAY get cited.

And yes, you will take a written test if 20-30 questions. It is NOT very difficult.

[SarahKate104]

Thx, everyone!

[snoylekim]

You won't need the emissions tests for 3 years if the vehicle is new , then it's tested every 2 years .. probably not something you'll need to worry about right away unless you decide to buy a used rust-bucket .. The first things ( after the car) would be the Chicago City Sticker ( in spite of some contrarian scofflaws that have posted on this board) w/ Residency permits if needed .. The car and registration won't require you to have an Illinois license.. You will need to take care of that , ideally in 30 days in case you're stopped ( I didn't, I was stopped, and fortunately got off , but ..) As stated , the written test is mostly common sense ..
One thought if you travel frequently , or just for convenience .. In Illinois, if you're stopped for a moving violation, the officer will take your drivers license .. You won't get it back until you've disposed of the case somehow ( paid the ticket, traffic school, etc) .. You will use the copy of the ticket as your 'temporary' drivers license ..which is OK for driving in Illinois but sucks for anything else requiring an ID ( e.g. air travel) ..Do yourself a favor and get a State ID at the same time you get your DL ..it could save some aggravation at some point ..

[Drover]

Originally Posted by SarahKate104

Thanks, guys. Wow... This all sounds very confusing (and a little awful), but I'm sure I'll figure it out.

So, right after I buy my car, I need to go get a pollution test, residency sticker, and city sticker? But before I can do any of this, I have to go trade out my NY license for an IL one?

And, there's a written test? Will they switch out your license before you take it?

You won't need a pollution test for a while, up to 2 years. The state will send you a notice when your pollution test is coming due.

But you will need to get a city sticker right away (within 30 days of purchase, actually). If you live in a residential permit parking zone, they will put the zone on your city sticker. They will know whether to do this or not based on your address; though if you live in a permit zone, it may do well just to remind them.

If this is your first time obtaining a driver's license, then you'll need to take a written test and a driving test. If you have an NY driver's license, they'll probably just swap it for an IL license.

Originally Posted by SarahKate104

Do I have to have an IL license when I go to the dealership so that I can do the whole tax, title, license thing?

(I'm thinking I'll just look for a car in IL.)

You just need a driver's license from any state to be able to test-drive a car. When it comes time to register, they'll base taxes on the address where you register the car. They may ask you to provide some proof of residence such as a utility bill or the like.