Vehicle registration/drivers license while traveling

[Emster83]

So I started travel nursing in April and moved away from Michigan. I don't have a house/apartment/tax home there - basically no ties besides family of course! My car and my drivers license are still both Michigan because I figured since they haven't expired, I didn't need to renew them yet. I was in Florida for 6 months, now I'm in Texas and when I called my insurance company for my car, they said the state of Texas allows 30 days for you to get your plate registered in the state and all that good stuff.

I'm looking for advice about how to proceed - just because I don't have a tax home, does that mean I have to assume residency in each state where I have a contract? That could get quite expensive and time consuming! In January my Michigan license plate will expire - I'll still be in Texas. Should I get a Texas license plate since that's technically where I'll be living then?

Any help would be appreciated! Thank you!

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

Moved to travel nursing

[Argo]

That depends. If you change one thing, you have to change the other. If you have Michigan plates and drivers license how is a police officer going to know you don't live there permanently? You get pulled over often?

[NedRN]

While you may not have a tax home, that doesn't mean you cannot have a permanent address. In fact, you have to have an address for BONs and the IRS and legal notices to reach you. You can use a relative or friend's address, or set up a PO box or Mailboxes USA sort of address. I'm a bit shaky on the laws of every state, but most states require that you get a their driver's license and car registration within a week or so of moving to their state. If you are so itinerant that you don't have some address, you might technically be required to get a new license and registration on every new assignment. That may not happen in real life, but it is a bother to not be following the law.

Here is something you may not have thought of when I mentioned legal notices. Stop light cameras and even speeding cameras are all over the place. It is very possible you may not know it when you get a ticket, and if you don't have a real address, you won't get the ticket. Failure to pay could result in a licensure revocation (more likely a vehicle registration attached) and in either case if you get pulled over, you may have to park it. That would be a real pain.

So get an address and stick to it. You can still be itinerant so you won't owe income taxes to that permanent address state.

[Emster83]

I've been changing my address with the boards of nursing each time we move to make sure I get any correspondence. And I also changed my address with the State of Michigan because Florida had a lot of toll-by-plate instances and I was afraid I wouldn't get those in the mail and didn't want any trouble with non-paid tickets. So maybe when it comes time to renew, Michigan may not allow me to renew there if my address isn't a Michigan address anymore.

Unfortunately, I'm thinking I may have to call the DMV... can't wait. Thanks for your help!

[Emster83]

Thankully, no. I don't get pulled over often (knocks on wood)

[NedRN]

Thankully, no. I don't get pulled over often (knocks on wood)

Lots of police cars these days with license plate scanners!

If MI is where you want your nexus, get a Mailboxes USA to serve as an address. They have open and scan services available.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

Lots of police cars these days with license plate scanners!

If MI is where you want your nexus, get a Mailboxes USA to serve as an address. They have open and scan services available.

Do you have a website -- if I Google "mailboxes USA" all I get is a bunch of Spanish, and I don't speak Spanish.

[NedRN]

First Google hit. Welcome to MBE.com

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

First Google hit. Welcome to MBE.com

Ah, UPS. Thanks.