Registering a RV as a foreigner using a friends address
- Thread starter thomas84
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If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Orick
Well-known member
Welcome to the forum Thomas!
I'm sure we'll have some insurance experts chime in soon, but my take on it would be no, at least not legally. Texas requires that ALL motor vehicles you own must be registered in Texas and I believe one needs a Texas driver's license to register a vehicle.
Good Luck...
Rick
I'm sure we'll have some insurance experts chime in soon, but my take on it would be no, at least not legally. Texas requires that ALL motor vehicles you own must be registered in Texas and I believe one needs a Texas driver's license to register a vehicle.
Good Luck...
Rick
Tom
Administrator
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- Jan 13, 2005
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- 51,896
A starting point might be our library article Guide for buying an RV in the USA. Numerous other non-residents have done this but, as you see, the rules may vary by state.
Molaker
Well-known member
Sounds like a situation a friend of mine encountered several years ago (don't remember the state). He couldn't get a driver's license until he could show proof of insurance on his car and he couldn't get insurance until he had a valid driver's license. He wound up getting a driver's license in another state which then permitted him to get insurance and finally get his driver's license in the state where he lived.Ned said:
Orick
Well-known member
Ned said:
I'm sure you're right. We got it all done at the same time so I got the order mixed up.
Rick
First of all, thanks for the quick replies!
Orick, according to the Texas DMV website you don?t need a Texas drivers licence to register your vehicle. Of course for insurance you would have to show your international drivers licence, which I have. The RV will be bought in Texas, probably with a clear title, what exactly does that mean?
Tom, Thanks for pointing me to this useful document, unfortunately it is not telling me if a friends address is acceptable for the DMV
Hopefully we can get the anwser to the question, I recon that a lot of people have done this, so it must be around...
What about using a P? box address?
Best regards,
Thomas
Orick, according to the Texas DMV website you don?t need a Texas drivers licence to register your vehicle. Of course for insurance you would have to show your international drivers licence, which I have. The RV will be bought in Texas, probably with a clear title, what exactly does that mean?
Tom, Thanks for pointing me to this useful document, unfortunately it is not telling me if a friends address is acceptable for the DMV
Hopefully we can get the anwser to the question, I recon that a lot of people have done this, so it must be around...
What about using a P? box address?
Best regards,
Thomas
Tom
Administrator
- Joined
- Jan 13, 2005
- Posts
- 51,896
Thomas, if someone here doesn't have an answer, you should be able to get a definitive response for each state by visiting the respective state Department of Motor Vehicles web site &/or by contacting the respective state DMV. Here's the California DMV web site:
http://www.dmv.ca.gov
Google will find the others.
http://www.dmv.ca.gov
Google will find the others.
Orick
Well-known member
thomas84 said:
Glad the international DL will work for you. As for your question (The RV will be bought in Texas, probably with a clear title, what exactly does that mean?)... I'm not sure what you're asking. I didn't make that statement and I assume you know that clear title means you pay cash and don't finance.
rick
fastrak100
Well-known member
- Joined
- Feb 14, 2011
- Posts
- 236
With regard to insurance, although in getting quotes we have been asked if we have an international driving license, it has never been a requirement.
IHMO an IDLicence is a scam. Only one company seems to provide it (IDL Service.com) at a cost somewhere over $100, by the time you have added this, that and packaging.
It appears to be only a translation of your driving licence into English, so that it can be read by US officials, and guess what? - Mine (UK) is written in English anyway!
More legitimate may be an ID Permit, available from specified Post office, over the counter, or by post for ?5.50, (plus a photo and current driving licence - check the website: http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/overseas/apply-for-an-idp-at-a-post-office.html). It does the same job, if you think you need one.
Though I do not have one, this may be a more useful item for people with the old style licence, as it combines a photo with your signature and may replace the DL so beloved of the US for identifying yourself, something which is becoming more and more common in US. It is even becoming common practice in some areas when buying gas!
The problem of not having an US DL with insurance is the lack of driving record, which adds a premium to any quote.
Acquiring a US DL is fun, but will only be valid for the time you are in the USA. As soon as you leave the US your temporary licence is invalid, so therefore your insurance would become invalid.
Incidently, however, even having an expired US DL seems acceptable to most places as ID.
IHMO an IDLicence is a scam. Only one company seems to provide it (IDL Service.com) at a cost somewhere over $100, by the time you have added this, that and packaging.
It appears to be only a translation of your driving licence into English, so that it can be read by US officials, and guess what? - Mine (UK) is written in English anyway!
More legitimate may be an ID Permit, available from specified Post office, over the counter, or by post for ?5.50, (plus a photo and current driving licence - check the website: http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/overseas/apply-for-an-idp-at-a-post-office.html). It does the same job, if you think you need one.
Though I do not have one, this may be a more useful item for people with the old style licence, as it combines a photo with your signature and may replace the DL so beloved of the US for identifying yourself, something which is becoming more and more common in US. It is even becoming common practice in some areas when buying gas!
The problem of not having an US DL with insurance is the lack of driving record, which adds a premium to any quote.
Acquiring a US DL is fun, but will only be valid for the time you are in the USA. As soon as you leave the US your temporary licence is invalid, so therefore your insurance would become invalid.
Incidently, however, even having an expired US DL seems acceptable to most places as ID.
