Vehicle Registration from Out of State (Sarasota: car registration, insurance, vacation home)

[MJM88]

Hi everyone. I'm trying to get some info on vehicle registration while out of state. I called up a few Florida DMVs; however, most of them gave me very vague answers ("all information is on our website" or "fill out this form and we will get back to you"). I feel like there is more to this process than what is listed on their website. Any info or help I can get is much appreciated. Basically I will be purchasing a vacation home down in FL, but my primary residence is in NJ so I will not be obtaining a FL drivers license. I am looking to register one of my cars down there and keep it down there.

Unfortunately because of my constantly traveling work schedule, going to a DMV in person is literally impossible as of right now. My only option is to fill out all necessary paperwork and mail it to the local DMV to have my vehicle registered before my NJ registration expires. So here are a few questions: What are all the forms that are needed to complete this process (other than the application for Certificate of Title)? What sort of fees should I be expecting for new registration, new plates, etc.? What personal info do I need to send along with these documents that I complete? I need to try and get this done within the next 2 months, so any info you guys can give me would be awesome! Thanks a bunch!

[TamRE]

Which county are you planning to move to? You would go to the local DMV to register your vehicle.

Here is the Florida DMV site, which I know you said you went to already - http://www.flhsmv.gov/dmv/faqmotor.html

Here is the Sarasota County DMV Guide that pretty much tells you what you need to do - http://www.dmvflorida.org/sarasota.shtml

Relocating to Florida
If you are a new Florida resident, you are required to register your vehicle within ten days and get a Florida drivers license within 30 days. If you have an out-of-state drivers license and it has not expired beyond 30 days you can convert your license without taking a written or road test. If you need a drivers license for the first time you must complete a Florida DMV approved four-hour Drug and Alcohol (DATA) course and DMV test on road signs and road rules.

Car Registration and Auto Insurance

Before registering your vehicle, you must obtain Florida Auto Insurance and have verification of the VIN number. The auto insurance must be purchased from an insurance company licensed by the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation. Florida's minimum coverage is $10,000 personal injury protection (PIP) and $10,000 property damage liability (PDL). If you have been involved in a crash, or been convicted of certain offenses, you may be required to purchase bodily injury liability coverage (BIL).

The Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) can be validated with manufacturers Certificate of Origin if the vehicle is new. If it is not new, the VIN must be verified with a HSMV 82042 form from Sarasota tax collector office and signed by a Florida notary, DMV compliance examiner, law enforcement officer, or a licensed dealer in Florida.

[MJM88]

I will actually be registering to Sarasota county. As I said, I unfortuately can't stop by any FL DMV for a while due to my work schedule. So anything that I can do would have to be done by mail and my local DMV (in NJ). I was told over the phone that it is possible to get all this done through the mail, but the process would be a bit longer obviously.

Thanks for the links. I'll see if I can find somthing on there that I may have missed.

[sware2cod]

I am under the impression that you register your vehicles to your primary address...the address on your drivers license and the address which you use when filing income taxes.

You can register it in NJ but drive it in FL.

If you got pulled over and had a FL registered vehicle but a NJ license, this could be an issue. I think they are supposed to be in-sync.

Possibly I am incorrect.

[PixiStix]

I had to re-read your post a couple of times to make sure I was getting this....I'll keep it short.

If you are not a resident of Florida, you cannot register your vehicle here. If you are resident of another state & you only vacation here, you can bring your car down & leave it here but it will need to remain registered in your state of residence.

[kiggy]

Originally Posted by PixiStix

I had to re-read your post a couple of times to make sure I was getting this....I'll keep it short.

If you are not a resident of Florida, you cannot register your vehicle here. If you are resident of another state & you only vacation here, you can bring your car down & leave it here but it will need to remain registered in your state of residence.

Not true, at least in my case. I bought a car down here and registered it in FL although I am not a resident. It's my "Florida car" only.

[MJM88]

Originally Posted by PixiStix

I had to re-read your post a couple of times to make sure I was getting this....I'll keep it short.

If you are not a resident of Florida, you cannot register your vehicle here. If you are resident of another state & you only vacation here, you can bring your car down & leave it here but it will need to remain registered in your state of residence.

Not to sound rude, but is this something that you know for a fact? When my uncle had his vacation home down in FL, he had done exactly what I'm trying to do now.
It wouldn't make sense if I wasn't allowed to register it down there because that would mean that I would have to drive it back up to NJ every few months for inspecion and registration. What a PITA that would be lol.

Thanks for all the input guys. I came across the "License Plate Rate Chart" found here: http://www.flhsmv.gov/dmv/forms/BTR/83140.pdf

Page 4 has a section with a list of a bunch of fees. Would anyone happen to know if these costs are up to date on that form or if anything was added/changed?

[PixiStix]

Originally Posted by MJM88

Not to sound rude, but is this something that you know for a fact? When my uncle had his vacation home down in FL, he had done exactly what I'm trying to do now.
It wouldn't make sense if I wasn't allowed to register it down there because that would mean that I would have to drive it back up to NJ every few months for inspecion and registration. What a PITA that would be lol.

Thanks for all the input guys. I came across the "License Plate Rate Chart" found here: http://www.flhsmv.gov/dmv/forms/BTR/83140.pdf

Page 4 has a section with a list of a bunch of fees. Would anyone happen to know if these costs are up to date on that form or if anything was added/changed?

You can have a "vacation home" here & stay in Florida 6 months + 1 day & you can be considered a resident. *You must spend the majority of the year in the state to be considered a full time resident*
Many snowbirds do this.
If you plan on spending the majority of the year in your home state you will not be able to get a FL license (as you said you have no plans to) and no, you cannot register your car here. In addition, when you register an out of state car here in FL, you have to bring the car in to have a VIN inspection & turn in your out of state title to be processed into a FL title. Can only do that if you are a resident.

[PixiStix]

Originally Posted by kiggy

Not true, at least in my case. I bought a car down here and registered it in FL although I am not a resident. It's my "Florida car" only.

Well, I stand corrected...

[Obrero]

Originally Posted by MJM88

Not to sound rude, but is this something that you know for a fact? When my uncle had his vacation home down in FL, he had done exactly what I'm trying to do now.
It wouldn't make sense if I wasn't allowed to register it down there because that would mean that I would have to drive it back up to NJ every few months for inspecion and registration. What a PITA that would be lol.

Thanks for all the input guys. I came across the "License Plate Rate Chart" found here: http://www.flhsmv.gov/dmv/forms/BTR/83140.pdf

Page 4 has a section with a list of a bunch of fees. Would anyone happen to know if these costs are up to date on that form or if anything was added/changed?

I didn't look at the site above but it cost me about $460 for each car I changed from NJ to FL registration. They won't do anything without you getting FL insurance first but that is easy to do online.