Do You Have To Register A Car After You Buy It?

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After buying a car, it may seem like your piece of work is washed. Simply one of the most important tasks to tackle afterward is vehicle registration.

Vehicle registration connects a car to its owner. Each land requires yous, by law, to get your car registered with your state's Section of Motor Vehicles (DMV) or transportation agency.

If you permit your registration to lapse or don't register your car, you could face penalty fees and vehicle impoundment, so you don't want to driblet the ball on this.

Here we'll review what vehicle registration is and how to get your car registered. We'll also provide an overview of the paperwork you might need, and review how to become an idea of the cost to register a vehicle.

How vehicle registration works
How to register your vehicle
What does vehicle registration price?

How vehicle registration works

Depending on the country, you must register a vehicle you own or operate with your state'south DMV or transportation agency. Here are a few common scenarios where you typically need to register a car.

When you buy a new car: If y'all buy through a dealership, they'll usually handle the title and registration for you. Merely if you buy from a individual seller, you will likely need to accept care of the registration yourself.
If you move to a new state: Unless you're a total-fourth dimension student or active military machine, you will need to register your car subsequently y'all move.
Annual or biennial registration renewal: Depending on the land you live in, yous'll need to renew your vehicle'southward registration every few years — bank check your state's law to ostend how often.

The first time y'all register your auto, you'll receive a license plate for your vehicle and a registration bill of fare. Some states also give you a registration sticker that needs to be attached to your vehicle's license plate or window.

When you lot renew your registration, you'll receive a new sticker — if your state issues them —and registration card. Depending on your country's laws, you lot may be required to keep the registration carte with you when operating your vehicle.

Stay current to avoid penalties

Vehicle registration needs to exist renewed yearly or every few years, depending on the state you lot alive in. And you may need to pay a fee each time you renew the registration.

If your registration isn't current and yous go pulled over, you lot could get a ticket and have to pay a penalisation. Your state's DMV or transportation bureau might also charge penalties for expired registration. Not keeping your registration could lead to problems down the line, and may even cause your car insurance rates to increase.

On elevation of fees, your car could exist impounded. If this happens, the vehicle can be held until all fines and registration fees are paid. You may also have to pay towing and impound fees.

How to register your vehicle

To learn how to annals your auto in your state, contact your land'due south DMV or transportation bureau, or visit their website. Registration can commonly be handled in person, by mail service or online. For first-time registration, some states might require y'all to handle the procedure in person.

Documents for vehicle registration

When registering your auto for the first time, you'll demand to provide some paperwork. These documents might include …

Your driver's license or non-driver identification card
Proof of insurance, if you live in a state where car insurance is legally required
Proof of sales tax payment
Car championship, if you own or are financing the vehicle. If the vehicle is leased, you may need to provide a copy of the signed lease agreement.
Proof that your car has passed a vehicle condom inspection, if your land requires it
Proof that your automobile has passed a smog examination, depending on the age of your vehicle, in some states
Vehicle registration application form

For registration renewals by mail, you may need to verify your personal and vehicle data on the renewal form and submit the registration fee by postal service along with your paperwork. Y'all might besides need to pay any property taxes at that time and laissez passer an emissions inspection or smog test by a specified borderline — which may exist outlined on the registration form.

With an online renewal, you lot might need some or all of the following data on hand:

Automobile'due south vehicle identification number
License plate number
Commuter's license number
Car insurance details
Electric current vehicle registration card

Make certain to check your state'south DMV or transportation agency website to get a full list of what you'll need to renew your registration.

What does vehicle registration cost?

Registration fees and other charges paid to your state DMV or transportation agency can be used to fund those organizations and then they tin continue to provide vital services. The income might as well help fund city and county services — or the state highway patrol and state highways, too.

These DMV fees differ from state to state, and the manner they're calculated varies.

Some states charge a flat registration fee for all vehicles, while others calculate fees based on a number of factors: The car'due south electric current value, age, weight or fuel efficiency; the total number of cars registered in your name; or even the vehicle's horsepower.

The differences in the corporeality charged across various states can be meaning. For instance, Kentucky drivers could pay around $21 for vehicle registration. But in Montana, you lot tin can pay more than ten times that – $217 – to register a car that's nether four years one-time.

You tin determine registration fees in your neck of the wood by visiting your state's DMV or transportation agency website. The American Automobile Association (AAA) maintains a chart that provides information on how registration costs are calculated in each state.

Adjacent steps

Getting your auto registered for the first time or renewing your registration may seem similar a hassle, merely completing this on fourth dimension could salvage you some serious cash.

Before you head to your land DMV or transportation bureau website, brand certain y'all have all the necessary paperwork along with funds for the registration fee and whatsoever belongings taxes. This will help make the process as efficient as possible.

If you haven't bought your car yet, remember to set aside a piddling actress money in your budget to embrace registration costs.

Near the author: Warren Clarke is a writer whose work has been published by Edmunds.com and the New York Daily News. He enjoys providing readers with data that can brand their lives happier and more than expansive. Warren holds a Bac… Read more.