Moving Car To Another State, Then What???some Help Here....

[futurepharm.d.?]

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hi, guys..I will be going away, to another state, Florida..I live in Chicago..Have some questions to ask you guys..I don't know much about this, so any inputs will greatly appreciate ,..thanks guys..

1. for sure, i'll drive my car there...But how about those testing (make sure yr car still ok, about car's smoke..Some how I can't recall that term), of course I don't want to drive back to Chicago for that test...

2. I'm gonna be there for 4 yrs, do i need to change my plate from IL to FL or something..

I know, I know..I should know about this stuffs, but I never live at another state before, and I don't know about these things (make me feel very silly here), but hope you guys will help me.. Don't at me, ok??? Thanks guys..

 

[ndearwater]

I'm not sure what you're asking in question #1. I think that maybe you are referring to the fact that in some states/cities they require an inspection of your vehicle before you can get your license and registration. You get a little sticker to put on your car or something like that.
Florida does not require that although they probably should. I currently live in Florida and will have to get my car inspected after moving to Virginia.
I am not sure what the rules is about tags. I think you have a grace period before you're required to get FL tags but since you'll be here for 4 years you'll eventually have to get car registration in FL.
Go to the nearest DMV and get a local drivers license. Call ahead to find out what paperwork you'll need (birth certificate, social security card, piece of mail etc.). I believe your next step will be to go to a tag agency (they're in every city) and pay for your registration. It's about $30 or something for a year.

 

[TMVegas]

1. for sure, i'll drive my car there...But how about those testing (make sure yr car still ok, about car's smoke..Some how I can't recall that term), of course I don't want to drive back to Chicago for that test...

do you mean a smog check? Are smog checks not required in some states?

 

[ItsAboutTime]

hi, guys..I will be going away, to another state, Florida..I live in Chicago..Have some questions to ask you guys..I don't know much about this, so any inputs will greatly appreciate ,..thanks guys..

1. for sure, i'll drive my car there...But how about those testing (make sure yr car still ok, about car's smoke..Some how I can't recall that term), of course I don't want to drive back to Chicago for that test...

2. I'm gonna be there for 4 yrs, do i need to change my plate from IL to FL or something..

I know, I know..I should know about this stuffs, but I never live at another state before, and I don't know about these things (make me feel very silly here), but hope you guys will help me.. Don't at me, ok??? Thanks guys..

futurepharm.d., you have basically two choices.

1) Register your car in Florida.Then you do not have to worry about how to get the Inspection done etc since then you will doing the car Inspection in Florida.But before you can register your car you will need a address in Florida.Some states might need you to change the drivers license also to that state before you can register your car

2) Keep you Illinois registration but then you will have to drive your car back to Illinois atleast once a year to get the Inspection done.Car Inspection has to be done in the state the car is registered though you can do registration through mail.

The second approach can also get you in trouble if cops come to know that you have been living in Florida and have not registered your car in Florida since by law you have to register your car in Florida if you will be living there for more then few months.

I would advise you the first appraoch, its is the safest and is not that big of a deal.

BTW, you will have to change your car insurance also if you change your registration.Lot of time the same insurance company will offer the insurance in other state but the rates might change.It is always better to shop around in the new state to get the best deal.

 

[Julianne]

do you mean a smog check? Are smog checks not required in some states?

The last time I bought a car and had the title changed over, bought tags, etc. Alabama did not require an emissions test (that's been a couple of years ago, though). Not sure if that's the same thing as a smog test, but it sounds close to me. 🙂

 

[rxlynn]

The last time I bought a car and had the title changed over, bought tags, etc. Alabama did not require an emissions test (that's been a couple of years ago, though). Not sure if that's the same thing as a smog test, but it sounds close to me. 🙂

It totally depends on which county you are in - in GA there are a large number of counties in the metro Atlanta area that require a yearly emission test, but the counties outside that federally-mandated area do not. This is mostly (at least in the places I'm aware of) tied to Federal Clean Air Act standards.

 

[voskoboy]

Florida does not require an emissions test anymore for registration. Insurance should be much cheaper than what it is in a big city like Chicago, so get a new license, registration, plates, and insurance...