CA registered car -out of state

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iheartcheerios

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i'm moving out of california to the east coast and am bringing my car with me. my question is, do i have to register my car in my new state (pay the new fees, get a new license plate)?

the thing is that CA is really strict about their emissions standards and so cars over 5 years old in CA need a smog check yearly to get the new yearly registration sticker for your license plate. my car just hit 5 years and, of course, i can't do a CA smog check next year in my new state. that means my registration will be expired since i can't get a new sticker. thus, i'll be forced to register in my new state.

any other CA residents have to deal with this issue? what did you do? thanks a lot in advance.

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Most states require you to register your car there within a certain amount of time from moving (ie, 3 months). Obviously many people don't do this, but it can be a problem if you are pulled over or have an insurance issue/accident. Many states also require a yearly state inspection, which may or may not include smog checks, regardless of the age of the car.

Sounds to me like you'll need to register it in the state you are moving to since you won't be able to return to Cali to get it smogged.
 
Whatever state you're moving to, check their DMV webpage for requirements.
 
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i'm moving out of california to the east coast and am bringing my car with me. my question is, do i have to register my car in my new state (pay the new fees, get a new license plate)?

the thing is that CA is really strict about their emissions standards and so cars over 5 years old in CA need a smog check yearly to get the new yearly registration sticker for your license plate. my car just hit 5 years and, of course, i can't do a CA smog check next year in my new state. that means my registration will be expired since i can't get a new sticker. thus, i'll be forced to register in my new state.

any other CA residents have to deal with this issue? what did you do? thanks a lot in advance.

usually they give you one month to change it. but if you dont drive a lot you should be fine. but be prepaerd for a heafty ticket if you get caught. it's probably worth it to pay 100 US to register. considering you be at that school for atleast 3 years or so.
 
my car will be 5 next year and its been with me on the east coast for a year now. the only reason i havent gotten it registered in RI is because i dont want to remove the tint from my car to get it inspected. there is some law that says i cant have a tinted car from another state and get it registered.

but i totally forgot about the 5 year CA smog rule...sigh it looks like itll be getting registered in RI soon :thumbdown:
 
Just register in your new state...makes life easier.

I know they gave me a ticket when I forgot to update my registration sticker in NY, so...yeah they do look at those registration stickers :(
 
Check the laws in your new state. I'm keeping my CA registration and it's fine because I'm a student and not working. My car was up for a CA smog check in January and it was waived because it's out of state. You just have to let CA know that the car's not there anymore and it's no problem. It actually works out nicely because it means I don't have to deal with inspections here or smog checks back in CA!
 
oh nice. i didn't know that CA would waive the smog check. that would be great. i'm going to call the DMV today and check up on that. thanks a lot for the advice everyone!
 
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