egistering a new car while on assignment

[travelinjones]

I am currently on assignment in California, and my permanent residence is in Florida. I have my car (registered in Florida) here with me. I am looking to trade it in while I'm in Cali. I plan to take at least another year's worth of assignments here on the west coast.

My questions to my travel gurus...

Do I have to Register (not egister) my new vehicle in CA, or do I register it in FL? Do I have to be present in FL to register it in FL? Do I mess up my tax base by registering it in CA?

Thanks in advance for your input!

[Jolie, BSN]

If you have a permanent home in FL, where you pay taxes, maintain a driver's license, etc, then you may register the car in FL, regardless of where you purchase it.

The car dealership should be able to help you with this.

[Medic15251]

I ran into this same problem in Washington state. My tax home is MO. In MO they require you to have an inspection by a MO certified inspector before you can register it. Since there aren't any MO inspectors in WA state I had to register it in WA then change it over the next time I went home. I wouldn't think it would affect your tax basis as long as you routinely do business at home and vote in some elections to prove your permanent tax home.

[punky_rn]

Hi - My tax home is in Florida too, and I bought a car in CA while on assignment. The dealer must register the car in CA because it was purchased here, but keep your Florida tags and call the Tag Office in your county. You will need to have the ORIGINAL title sent to the Tag Office, which takes about a month to get from the State of CA. Bank of America did this for me and sent it to the Tag Office. Then you can register it in FL and use your FL tag. Tag Office will tell you what else they need - a form available online and a copy of the bill of sale (sales contract). It cost me about $75.00, but that's because I needed a new tag, the dealer kept my FL tag and destroyed it. It's a hassle, but do it because if you wait FL charges a huge fee on new vehicle registrations. Also, contact CA Tag Office and let them know, or they will send you renewal bill next year. Post again if you need more help. Enjoy your new car!