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I recently moved to NJ (temp rental address) and have a car with California plates. The California registration will expire in November, and I want to now renew it with NJ plates.
I know the process should be easy, but just want some feedback on below.
Required documents:
1. I have current CA renewal notice, last year's registration receipt, and insurance information.
2. Do I need the actual title document?
3. If title has two names (husband and wife), do both need to be present at DMV?
Sequence: As far as I understand, I need to do three things, but in what order?
1. Inform CA DMV that I will not be renewing the car registration there and mail the old plates back to them.
2. Register the car in NJ and get new plates.
3. Update insurance -- provide new address, new license number, etc. to insurance company, and pay any differential premium.
What's the correct sequence? 2 then 3 then 1? Steps 2 and 3 seem to have circular dependency, insurance company will need new license #, but the DMV will need new insurance info.
Also, in California a smog test is required every 2 years. Is such a thing required in NJ?
I recently moved to NJ (temp rental address) and have a car with California plates. The California registration will expire in November, and I want to now renew it with NJ plates.
I know the process should be easy, but just want some feedback on below.
Required documents:
1. I have current CA renewal notice, last year's registration receipt, and insurance information.
2. Do I need the actual title document?
3. If title has two names (husband and wife), do both need to be present at DMV?
Sequence: As far as I understand, I need to do three things, but in what order?
1. Inform CA DMV that I will not be renewing the car registration there and mail the old plates back to them.
2. Register the car in NJ and get new plates.
3. Update insurance -- provide new address, new license number, etc. to insurance company, and pay any differential premium.
What's the correct sequence? 2 then 3 then 1? Steps 2 and 3 seem to have circular dependency, insurance company will need new license #, but the DMV will need new insurance info.
Also, in California a smog test is required every 2 years. Is such a thing required in NJ?
My mom moved here at the end of June. She did not mail her plates back.
You need to update your insurance first.
Yes, you will need your actual title. Not sure if both parties need to be there or not.
No smog test, but you will need to have your car inspected. My mom did that after she got her new registration and title.
Is your car paid off? If so, not only do you need the title, but the letter from the bank that states that you have paid off the auto loan. At least the DMV at Rahway made me dig up this letter (thank god I saved it).
Is your car paid off? If so, not only do you need the title, but the letter from the bank that states that you have paid off the auto loan. At least the DMV at Rahway made me dig up this letter (thank god I saved it).
The car was purchased in 2004, and the loan was paid off within 2 months of purchase (I could pay cash, but got a better total price with the loan ... the dealership gets some cut from he loaning bank; but since it was no prepayment penalty, I promptly paid it off), so I don't think I'll be able to find the pay-off letter.
Frankly, I have no idea what bank was even involved, since it's almost 10 years after the fact, and I had the loan for only 2 months...
Is your car paid off? If so, not only do you need the title, but the letter from the bank that states that you have paid off the auto loan. At least the DMV at Rahway made me dig up this letter (thank god I saved it).
I am guessing you did not have a clear title, i.e. you still had the lien for the car loan reported on the title.
My mom moved here at the end of June. She did not mail her plates back.
You need to update your insurance first.
Yes, you will need your actual title. Not sure if both parties need to be there or not.
No smog test, but you will need to have your car inspected. My mom did that after she got her new registration and title.
Does the inspection certificate go back to DMV? If so, wouldn't they require before registering?
Can I just keep the California title document, and only do the registration here? I mean the title already has the VIN. Why does a new state need to issue a new title?
In NJ you get a legal two weeks to inspect the car after you register it. They give you a pink rectangular card you're supposed to place on your window in the meantime, in fact in NJ you could not get an inspection on an out of state car until after its registered.
We have state run inspection stations where there is no fee, it's covered in the registration cost. For regular non commercial vehicles they just check paperwork, license insurance & reg then hookup a scanner to the OBD2 plug under your dashboard, then they check your gas cap to see if it's not leaking vapors.
Now I think you might need a NJ license to register your car in NJ too. Fairly certain you need a NJ DL and the reggie would be similar name and address.
Fairly certain you'd need to title the car in NJ to reg it here too.
Does the inspection certificate go back to DMV? If so, wouldn't they require before registering?
Can I just keep the California title document, and only do the registration here? I mean the title already has the VIN. Why does a new state need to issue a new title?
They took my mom's title and issued her a new one during the registration process.
There is an inspection station at the South Brunswick location, so
1. get NJ license
2. get NJ registration + title
3. get NJ inspection
I will bet that the DMV clerk will tell you that you need a New Jersey drivers license in order to register the vehicle unless it is being registered to a company / corp.
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