How Soon Do I Have To Register A Car In Florida

Car with mountain and grassland landscape. Travel and transport concept.

••• Shutter2U/iStock/GettyImages

When people move from New York to the state of Florida, they must register their vehicle within merely 10 days of becoming a resident, but have up to 30 days to go a new driver'southward license. New residents of the Sunshine State will typically title their vehicles simultaneously as part of the registration process.

What Constitutes a Florida Resident

Brainstorm employment or engage in an occupation, profession or trade while in the land.
Enroll their children in Florida public schools.
Register to vote in Florida.
File for a homestead tax exemption on a Florida property.
Live in Florida for at least six continuous months.

When becoming a resident, a New Yorker who moves to Florida must get vehicle insurance from an agent in the state in guild to register and championship their motorcar. However, Florida gives drivers a little more than time to go a license – upwardly to 30 days.

Getting Florida Insurance

New Yorker drivers who move to Florida must obtain Property Damage Liability (PDL) and Personal Injury Protection (PIP) car insurance coverage to annals their vehicle. PDL covers damages to another vehicle in an accident caused by the insured or someone driving their car. PIP covers 80 per centum of medical expenses up to $x,000, regardless of who is at mistake.

To register a vehicle in Florida, a driver must:

Have proof of PIP and PDL when applying, with a minimum of $10,000 in coverage for each policy.
Take connected insurance coverage fifty-fifty if they don't drive the vehicle or it is otherwise inoperable.
Surrender their New York State license plates.
Buy the policy from a carrier with a license to sell insurance in Florida. New York land drivers tin ask their insurance company to transfer their coverage.
Maintain coverage in the state continuously throughout their registration period, no affair where the vehicle is. If a driver is in the military or stationed out of land, they may be exempt.

Returning Plates to the New York DMV

New York Land requires a person who has registered their car in Florida to render their plates to the New York Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), which they can do in person before leaving the state or by mail service. They must first remove the plates from any fasteners and destroy the registration and inspection decals previously affixed to their windshield. Next, they must consummate a Plate Surrender Application for each set of returned plates and mail them in an envelope to the New York Country DMV, half dozen Empire Country Plaza, Room B240, Albany, New York 12228.

The DMV uses the postmark date as the date of surrender. Vehicle owners will receive an FS-6T receipt and a refund cheque (if applicable) in most 21 days to the address on the registration. Information technology is up to the vehicle owner to make sure their address is current; if it is non, they should change their address with the DMV before returning the plates and too file a alter of accost with the USPS.

Liens and Car Registration

If a person who moves from New York to Florida has a vehicle title that belongs to a lien holder, they must contact that lien holder to transfer it to Florida. If the lien holder does not allow the transfer, the vehicle owner must have the car registered in Florida regardless and asking that the lien holder send their decision to withhold the championship on its letterhead to the owner of the vehicle. The owner tin can then have that alphabetic character to a Florida motor vehicle service center to register the motorcar.

Valid proof of identification.
Proof of insurance from Florida.
Original vehicle title.
Proof of a physical inspection of their vehicle identification number (VIN) completed on an Application for Document of Championship With/Without Registration or Vehicle Identification Number and Odometer Verification. A member of law enforcement, a military police force officer or a licensed Florida dealer must behave out the inspection.

Cost of Start-Time Florida Vehicle Registration

The initial registration fee in Florida is $225. This erstwhile cost affects individuals re-registering their vehicle in the country or buying one from another state. An original championship for a new car is $77.25, and a championship for a used vehicle is $85.25. The registration fee depends on the weight of the vehicle:

Cars weighing a minimum of 3,500 pounds and trucks weighing more than 3,000 pounds incur a $32.50 base of operations tax.
Cars weighing between ii,500 and 3,499 pounds and trucks between 2,000 and 3,000 pounds incur a $22.50 base of operations tax.
Cars weighing less than two,499 pounds and trucks weighing less than 2,000 pounds incur a $xiv.fifty base tax.

The fee also depends on the employ of the vehicle, for case, a auto for hire. Florida gives owners the selection of purchasing specialty plates, which have different surcharges that the owner pays along with the yearly registration fee.

Using Temporary Florida License Plates

Florida issues temporary tags to vehicle owners and dealers during the registration process. Depending on a driver or dealer's needs, they are valid for dissimilar periods. The most common temporary tags are good for thirty days. They allow buyers of new vehicles to drive their buy off the lot, giving the seller and/or dealer enough fourth dimension to title and register the car permanently. Issuance of 30-solar day tags also occurs:

In casual or private sales.
When banks, credit unions and other financial institutions practise not have a license requirement, merely demand temporary plates to show the repossessions that they take for sale.
When an out-of-state resident purchases a vehicle, RV or motorcycle in Florida and brings it dorsum to their home state.
When a person moves to Florida and needs to collect documentation of their championship and registration from their onetime state.
For heavy trucks or commercial vehicles if they remain in Florida.

Florida bug 10-day tags for owners who must weigh their car and verify their VIN for registration purposes, allowing the vehicle owner to undergo a physical inspection, which the state requires for initial tags and registration. Customers who apply for personal or specialized plates will have temporary tags that last for upward to ninety days, allowing time for the manufacture of their permanent plates. Also, people temporarily employed in Florida can get 90-day tags.

Criminal Penalties for Misuse of Temporary Tags

Florida requires the lawful use of temporary tags. Anyone who knowingly and willfully misuses them in hopes of avoiding registering their vehicle will face up a outset-degree misdemeanor accuse. This accuse carries penalties of upwardly to a year in jail, a $1,000 fine and 12 months of probation.

Additionally, any person who fraudulently, knowingly and willfully bug temporary plates faces a third-degree felony accuse, which carries upwardly to v years in prison and $v,000 in fines.

Applying for a Florida Driver's License

The state gives new residents upwards to 30 days to get a driver'southward license, but they must provide the necessary documents. If they can't do so inside that time, they can get a 60-day temporary permit, which allows them to operate a vehicle while collecting the documents. When applying for a license, drivers must submit one of the following documents as their primary identification:

U.S. birth certificate: Florida accepts only a canton health section or CDC-issued birth certificates. Information technology does not take hospital-issued certificates.
U.S. passport or passport card: If the passport has the individual's electric current proper name, they exercise not have to show boosted name modify documents.
Consular Report of Birth Away (CRBA).
Certificate of Naturalization (N-550 or Due north-570).
Certificate of Citizenship (N-560 or N-561).

Applicants must show union certificates, court orders or divorce decrees, if applicable, to link their primary identification to the name on their driver'south license. They must besides show proof of their Social Security number from a Social Security card, a Due west-2, a paycheck or pay stub, or 1099 form. They must also offer two forms of proof of their current accost, merely cannot use their existing license as that proof. These include, simply are non limited to:

Human action, mortgage, mortgage statement/payment booklet or a rental/lease agreement.
Voter registration menu from Florida.
Vehicle registration or title from Florida.
Utility bill, hook upwards or work order not dated more sixty days from the date of application.
Vehicle payment booklet.
Selective Service card.
Health insurance or medical card with applicant'due south current address.
Electric current home insurance policy or bill.
Electric current car insurance policy or bill.
Transcripts from the current school year.
U.S. authorities agency professional license issued within the past year.
W-2 or 1099 form.
Document of Eligibility for Exchange Visitor (J-1) (Form DS2019).
Post from financial institutions, including savings, checking or investment account statements.
Mail from government agencies.

If an bidder does non take whatever of these documents, they tin can bring two documents from a parent, stepparent or legal guardian with a Certification of Accost form if they alive at the applicant'south address.

Cost of a Driver'due south License in Florida

A person seeking a new driver's license tin can get one at a local Florida DMV role that offers this service. When applying, individuals must have a vision test, but aren't e'er required to take a written or road test. Renewals are possible online through GoRenew.com.

A new standard (Class E) license with a learner'southward permit is $48. A commercial (Class A) license is $75, and each additional endorsement is $7. There is typically a $vi.25 service fee from the county tax collector'south office for a new license.