Do I have to get a new Driver's License and License Plate?

[mackkdad]

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Hello everyone,

I will be moving from CA to VA for med school very soon, and I'm just wondering if I have to legally obtain a new VA driver's license and license plate? The law says that I have to switch my DL within 30 days of my residency but VA tuition law also says that there's no way I can become a VA resident for tuition purposes. Should I still go through the hassle and do it?

Thank you!

 

[mackkdad]

In the extreme technical sense of the law yes

in actuality, no one will care

Thank you. I just don't want to get caught by the police for not having a VA license plate...

 

[xffan624]

Thank you. I just don't want to get caught by the police for not having a VA license plate...

There are lots of people driving in Virginia without a Virginia plate. Where you may get dinged is if you get pulled over and your address is not accurate on your driver's license. If it's your parent's address in CA, you should be fine (just tell them you're a student, so that's your permanent address). If it's an address you no longer live at in CA, then you may have a little trouble.

 

[mackkdad]

There are lots of people driving in Virginia without a Virginia plate. Where you may get dinged is if you get pulled over and your address is not accurate on your driver's license. If it's your parent's address in CA, you should be fine (just tell them you're a student, so that's your permanent address). If it's an address you no longer live at in CA, then you may have a little trouble.

Ah I see. Thank you for the info!

 

[mvenus929]

I went to med school in VA and kept my previous state residency as an out of state student. I just used my mom's address as my permanent address.

 

[xffan624]

Ah I see. Thank you for the info!

Ie. Virginia has said people who move there to become students are not residents, therefore you should not feel obligated to meet the requirements of residency. You are a student, there for purposes of school, not a resident.

 

[Promethean]

It can be a pain not to have a local address on your license. You can keep your car registration in your home state if you plan to go back there and if you have an address there that official mail can be sent... but it is still probably easier to just switch it.

 

[raiderette]

If you need to renew during you time there it can be a hassle because of emissions testing, etc, but I would wait until you need to change.

 

[Goro]

Yes and yes, especially when you get pulled over by a VA cop, and s/he wonders why you haven't changed your addy.

Hello everyone,

I will be moving from CA to VA for med school very soon, and I'm just wondering if I have to legally obtain a new VA driver's license and license plate? The law says that I have to switch my DL within 30 days of my residency but VA tuition law also says that there's no way I can become a VA resident for tuition purposes. Should I still go through the hassle and do it?

Thank you!

 

[hamstergang]

States are all allowed different rules, so instead of people here guessing and being wrong, just look it up on the official site. As a general rule, that's what you should learn to do with most things as you enter adulthood.

http://www.dmv.state.va.us/drivers/#eligibility.asp

Out-of-State Students
If you are enrolled as a full-time student in an accredited school in Virginia and not employed, you may drive in Virginia with a valid out-of-state (or another country) driver's license and valid out-of-state license plates on your vehicle. If you are a full-time student and employed, you are considered a resident of Virginia for the purposes of motor vehicle laws only. This does not necessarily qualify you for in-state tuition rates. Therefore, you must apply for a Virginia driver's license and register your vehicle in Virginia. You must register the vehicle in Virginia even if it is owned by someone else.

 

[mehc012]

Having lived in both CA and VA...switch to VA. The DMV is so much nicer, they'll do everything online after the initial stuff, and there are fewer silly rules/charges. You don't want to keep a CA registration when you're not in CA because a) they require special auto insurance which is annoying and b) how are you going to get their state inspection in VA?

I've moved a lot, lived in different states with a car registered where my family is, etc...and trust me, it's easier to just put in the day or so and switch things over. Not doing so has cost me a lot of time and dollars in the past, and again...VA is the best DMV of the 6+ states I've lived in, while CA is the worst.

 

[RangerBob]

I kept my CA plates/license when I moved to IL for medical school-- as another poster mentioned, for many states (including the one I moved to), an out-of-state student does not need to to register their plates to the new state or get a driver's license from that state. I asked both the CA and the IL DMV if I was ok using my CA plates/license and they both said yes.

Overall it was simpler just to keep the CA registration--I just renewed by internet and you don't have to worry about emissions testing anymore (they never asked me to get one done, when they asked my brother he told them he was in another state for school and they told him to just get one done the next time he was in CA, whether it was a week or few years). I didn't have to worry about a county tax either for the registration, since I lived out of state.

The important thing to look into is insurance--some states require specific coverage. MI for example, is a no-fault state. While a student does not need a MI license or registration, they do need to either purchase MI no-fault insurance, or purchase a no-fault rider if they want to keep using their out-of-state insurance. A lot of people don't do either and they are technically uninsured by doing so.

As a resident, you do need do get an in-state license/registration.

 

[Med Ed]

Hello everyone,

I will be moving from CA to VA for med school very soon, and I'm just wondering if I have to legally obtain a new VA driver's license and license plate? The law says that I have to switch my DL within 30 days of my residency but VA tuition law also says that there's no way I can become a VA resident for tuition purposes. Should I still go through the hassle and do it?

Thank you!

Who's paying for the insurance on the car?

 

[alpinism]

Having lived in both CA and VA...switch to VA. The DMV is so much nicer, they'll do everything online after the initial stuff, and there are fewer silly rules/charges. You don't want to keep a CA registration when you're not in CA because a) they require special auto insurance which is annoying and b) how are you going to get their state inspection in VA?

I've moved a lot, lived in different states with a car registered where my family is, etc...and trust me, it's easier to just put in the day or so and switch things over. Not doing so has cost me a lot of time and dollars in the past, and again...VA is the best DMV of the 6+ states I've lived in, while CA is the worst.

This.

I always hated going to CA DMV offices because it meant waiting in line for 3 hours even on a slow day.

 

[darkjedi]

Consider that your insurance may be cheaper in VA anyway