[saturno_v]

Hello

I hope someone can help me with this issue, I did some online research and things are not that clear to me.
We recently bought a house in Tampa (we live in Seattle) but we are planning to spend a couple of weeks at times every 2-3 months for quite few years to come so we will not be resident of the state.

Can I own a Florida licensed car without being resident? I read that you need a Florida DL to register a car in Florida but I cannot get it if I'm not resident, right?. It seems frustrating. Do they expect for me to bring a car from WA all the time I travel there??

Thank You!!

[Corrie22]

yes you can....DL from any state, proof of insurance, etc

contact the Tampa DMV

[Sunshine Rules]

Looking at the rules, it can get complicated and I would definitely suggest contacting or even going in to a local FL DMV office to get all the answers regarding registration, insurance, etc.

From what I've found:
According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, a vehicle must have a valid registration to operate on Florida roads, and vehicle with out-of-state registrations are required by law to be registered within 10 days of the owner either becoming employed, placing children in public school, or establishing residency. None of those are applicable in the case described.

If you are not a Florida resident but have bought a vehicle in Florida, it says you might be able to get a temporary license plate and car registration tag with the local county tax collector’s office. This will allow you to legally drive your vehicle back to your home state to register the vehicle. Temporary only.

I did come across some information stating that non-Florida residents can register a car in Florida under certain circumstances. If you are temporarily employed in Florida, you can apply for a 90-day license plate. Also, non-resident military members deployed in Florida can also purchase a Florida license plate and qualify for a fee exemption However, if you are not a military member or temporarily employed in Florida, you must establish residency in Florida to register your vehicle -- which means FL drivers license will be required.


Like I said, it's complicated and therefore better to go to the actual source (DMV) and have them show you in writing the specific rules covering this so that you know what is and isn't allowed and can act accordingly.

[Ghaati]

Originally Posted by saturno_v

Hello

I hope someone can help me with this issue, I did some online research and things are not that clear to me.
We recently bought a house in Tampa (we live in Seattle) but we are planning to spend a couple of weeks at times every 2-3 months for quite few years to come so we will not be resident of the state.

Can I own a Florida licensed car without being resident? I read that you need a Florida DL to register a car in Florida but I cannot get it if I'm not resident, right?. It seems frustrating. Do they expect for me to bring a car from WA all the time I travel there??

Thank You!!

You're confusing terms. Cars don't get licensed. Cars get registered. People get licensed.

You can register your Florida-bought car in Florida, as long as you have a physical Florida address (in other words - a driveway in which to physically place your vehicle). If you are in Florida for 90 days or more in the same year, you MUST register it in Florida.

You must ALSO have insurance on your vehicle, whether it's registered in Florida or not, and you have 10 days from the time you take possession of it in Florida, to acquire insurance. If your current insurance company in Washington also operates in Florida, then your current insurance will likely suffice.

As for licensing - if you establish residency in Florida, you will be required to get a Florida drivers' license within 30 days of establishing your residency. If you're a part-timer or seasonal Floridian, AND your primary residence is in a different state, then you don't have to get a Florida license.

[saturno_v]

Originally Posted by Ghaati

You're confusing terms. Cars don't get licensed. Cars get registered. People get licensed.

You can register your Florida-bought car in Florida, as long as you have a physical Florida address (in other words - a driveway in which to physically place your vehicle). If you are in Florida for 90 days or more in the same year, you MUST register it in Florida.

You must ALSO have insurance on your vehicle, whether it's registered in Florida or not, and you have 10 days from the time you take possession of it in Florida, to acquire insurance. If your current insurance company in Washington also operates in Florida, then your current insurance will likely suffice.

As for licensing - if you establish residency in Florida, you will be required to get a Florida drivers' license within 30 days of establishing your residency. If you're a part-timer or seasonal Floridian, AND your primary residence is in a different state, then you don't have to get a Florida license.

Thank you for correcting me, yes I meant to say registered.

I'll give you my real life scenario. One of my cars registration is due January first (outrageous fees here in Seattle) and I would love to take it down to my house in Tampa this spring and leave it there to use as our main car when we are there.
The car is owned fair and square (Title in my hand). I'm going to Tampa the first week of January, can I register my car down there, get the plates and when spring comes, put the plates on and drive it down south?

Thank You!!

[City Guy997S]

Originally Posted by saturno_v

Thank you for correcting me, yes I meant to say registered.

I'll give you my real life scenario. One of my cars registration is due January first (outrageous fees here in Seattle) and I would love to take it down to my house in Tampa this spring and leave it there to use as our main car when we are there.
The car is owned fair and square (Title in my hand). I'm going to Tampa the first week of January, can I register my car down there, get the plates and when spring comes, put the plates on and drive it down south?

Thank You!!

No..........They will want to see the car in person before they let you register it here. You actually need an appointment to have a deputy verify the VIN matches the title you are trying to switch to Florida.

[Ghaati]

Originally Posted by saturno_v

Thank you for correcting me, yes I meant to say registered.

I'll give you my real life scenario. One of my cars registration is due January first (outrageous fees here in Seattle) and I would love to take it down to my house in Tampa this spring and leave it there to use as our main car when we are there.
The car is owned fair and square (Title in my hand). I'm going to Tampa the first week of January, can I register my car down there, get the plates and when spring comes, put the plates on and drive it down south?

Thank You!!

What City Guy said above. You can't register an out-of-state vehicle, in a different state, remotely.

They do an inspection on the vehicle and check the VINs. They can't do that without the vehicle. You can drive your car down to Tampa in January, get it registered, leave it there, and rent a car to the airport and fly home.

[saturno_v]

Originally Posted by Ghaati

What City Guy said above. You can't register an out-of-state vehicle, in a different state, remotely.

They do an inspection on the vehicle and check the VINs. They can't do that without the vehicle. You can drive your car down to Tampa in January, get it registered, leave it there, and rent a car to the airport and fly home.

Thank You!