Domicile and Mailing Address

[Steven L]

I do know that in order to establish new residency for taxing purposes in Arizona you need to live in the state for a minimum of 9 months in your first year.

Let me amend that reply, please.

Unless you've otherwise established legal domicile in Arizona, you must spend a minimum of 9 months of every taxing year to qualify as a full-time resident.

Tax Residency Rules by State

If you recently moved or spent considerable time in another part of the country, be sure to check the residency rules of each state.

www.investopedia.com

 

[Steven L]

We did what you're planning on doing -- residing (or domiciling) in AZ.

Similar to you, we lived in a Lake Havasu RV park but in a park model for several years.

I believe you "automatically" become an AZ resident if you live there 6 months. Anyway, the key is the AZ driver's license. While the form requires a permanent address, you can also fill in a mailing address which takes care of all government correspondence.

For the driver's license permanent address we used our RV park's address with our park model's space number. We figured if we ever got mail there, it would be rare. We never received mail at the RV park.

Instead we used a local mom & pop mail service that provided a permanent mail box + mail forwarding services when we needed it. Our address looked like this:

John Smith
1234 Havasu Lane #234
Lake Havasu, AZ

This address passed muster with all the financial services (banks, credit card companies, 401ks, etc). However, if you run afoul of the Patriot Act's anti-money laundering requirements that banks, etc must use, then all you need to do is provide them with a "contact" address (see the bottom right column on p. 480 here).

One final piece of advice, I suggest using a tax service for at least your first AZ tax filing.

Have fun!

While this may work for most of what they are looking for, I'd wager the State has a record of every mail forwarding service in the state one could use to mimic an actual street address.

If that is the case, then registering to vote might very well be tough to achieve.

 

[Tulecreeper]

We did what you're planning on doing -- residing (or domiciling) in AZ.

Similar to you, we lived in a Lake Havasu RV park but in a park model for several years.

I believe you "automatically" become an AZ resident if you live there 6 months. Anyway, the key is the AZ driver's license. While the form requires a permanent address, you can also fill in a mailing address which takes care of all government correspondence.

For the driver's license permanent address we used our RV park's address with our park model's space number. We figured if we ever got mail there, it would be rare. We never received mail at the RV park.

Instead we used a local mom & pop mail service that provided a permanent mail box + mail forwarding services when we needed it. Our address looked like this:

John Smith
1234 Havasu Lane #234
Lake Havasu, AZ

This address passed muster with all the financial services (banks, credit card companies, 401ks, etc). However, if you run afoul of the Patriot Act's anti-money laundering requirements that banks, etc must use, then all you need to do is provide them with a "contact" address (see the bottom right column on p. 480 here).

One final piece of advice, I suggest using a tax service for at least your first AZ tax filing.

Have fun!

Thanks for the info!

We could (and might) use my son-in-law's address in a local city as our residential address for a short period of time until we figure out another way to get our own. I won't impose on them any longer than necessary, though.

We use a tax service every year anyway, so that won't be anything new.

Unless you are hoping there happens to be someone here who's specifically done what you're asking and sees this post, why wouldn't you simply contact the Office of the Secretary of State in Arizona to find out if what you're wanting to do is even possible in that state.

Establishing residency and/or domicile I would imagine varies greatly state by state, perhaps it's possible that Arizona actually prohibits what you're looking to accomplish?

Actually, yes. I kind of figured it was rather common for someone to set up a domicile in a state where they wanted to stay the majority of the time. If no one here can give an answer, the next step is to contact the AZ Tourism Bureau. I thought it might be simpler than that.

 

[jackiemac]

As I said in an earlier post

AZ may allow the RV park as physical address and use of PO Box for mail.

So if upure living in the RV Park for x months then set that up.

I think that is the case -

FAQ | State Board of Technical Registration

btr.az.gov

 

[Tulecreeper]

As I said in an earlier post

AZ may allow the RV park as physical address and use of PO Box for mail.

So if upure living in the RV Park for x months then set that up.

I think that is the case -

FAQ | State Board of Technical Registration

btr.az.gov

The PO Box thing is the easy part. I don't think it's a matter of "AZ allowing" the use of the RV park physical address. I think that would be OK with the state. It's that the majority of the parks we have researched say they don't allow the residents to use their address as it would overwhelm them getting even a smattering of mail for everyone.

 

[Tulecreeper]

Your legal domicile is determined by the preponderance of evidence and a lot of things can be considered. Examples include the state where your driving licenses, vehicle tags, and voter registration are issued, and where you maintain "community connections" for personal business things like receiving mail, banking and medical care. Property ownership or long term rentals can count too, but they aren't as dominant as you might expect. In short, if you physically reside in AZ, get your various licenses there, and conduct most of your personal business there, you have established that AZ is your intended domicile. The lack of any similar connections elsewhere makes it a no-brainer. But if you split those things across multiple states, it could be a different story. However, the issue almost never comes up unless somebody challenges it for some reason, e.g. like where you will should be probabted. Other than things like that, nobody really cares.

While I agree with most of that, apparently there are a bunch of people out there who care or ther wouldn't be thousands of people using those businesses who set up domiciles for full time RV'ers. Unfortunately, they only do it for the states of FL, TX, and SD.

 

[Tulecreeper]

While this may work for most of what they are looking for, I'd wager the State has a record of every mail forwarding service in the state one could use to mimic an actual street address.

If that is the case, then registering to vote might very well be tough to achieve.

Yes, that has been what most of my research has found. You cannot use a mail forwarding service "only" as your street address. I found a company that will give me a "street address" in the area we want to put down stakes. I found afterward that it is not acceptable for voting records or DMV needs. It was digitalmailboxes.com, and they will give you an address of "1234 Main St, Anyplace, AZ Ste. 456", but the state knows it is just a building with a PO Box.

 

[jackiemac]

The PO Box thing is the easy part. I don't think it's a matter of "AZ allowing" the use of the RV park physical address. I think that would be OK with the state. It's that the majority of the parks we have researched say they don't allow the residents to use their address as it would overwhelm them getting even a smattering of mail for everyone.

My point is that wouldn't be your postal address..... the UPS box (or other service) would be.

 

[Tulecreeper]

My point is that wouldn't be your postal address..... the UPS box (or other service) would be.

Actually, you might have hit on something. Many times the RV parks will let you use their address for delivery of UPS and FedEx. If that is the case, then it may be possible to use their address as a physical address as long as no one from the DMV, county registrar, or insurance company cares.

Now, if one of those entities were to actually look it up and found it to be an RV park they might balk, but the odds of that are slim.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

apparently there are a bunch of people out there who care or ther wouldn't be thousands of people using those businesses who set up domiciles for full time RV'ers.

But they don't use the term "domicile" nor care about it in the slightest, because it is not relevant to paying taxes, owning vehicles, receiving mail, or much of anything else in our lives. They are setting up things like LLC corporations, vehicle tags, driver licenses, and voter registration, each of which is governed by specific state laws that have nothing to do with the concept of domicile. Residence and domicile are not interchangeable terms.

A fulltime resident of a state pretty much defaults to being domiciled there as well, but part time residents or those who merely have some relationships there are often domiciled somewhere else. Some common examples include the "snowbirds" of Florida, South Texas & Arizona, who may own property & vehicles and even bank accounts in those states, yet maintain domicile in another state they consider "home".

 

[Laura & Charles]

“Now, if one of those entities were to actually look it up and found it to be an RV park they might balk, but the odds of that are slim.”

There are plenty of parks where folks live year round. Nobody is going to balk just because it’s an RV park. We recently changed our residence to an RV Park in FL. Won’t be staying here from April/May to September/October, but this is our year-round address, the address on our driver’s licenses, vehicle titles and registrations, and voter registrations. “RV Park” doesn’t disqualify an address from being a residence.

 

[Tulecreeper]

Nobody is going to balk just because it’s an RV park. We recently changed our residence to an RV Park in FL. Won’t be staying here from April/May to September/October, but this is our year-round address, the address on our driver’s licenses, vehicle titles and registrations, and voter registrations. “RV Park” doesn’t disqualify an address from being a residence.

You may be correct. However, getting a park to allow you to use their address for other than the occasional FedEx delivery is the key. Every one of those that we have researched say in their "Rules" that they allow the occasional common carrier delivery, but if they receive USPS mail for park residences that they will round-file it.

There are plenty of parks where folks live year round.

We have found that parks allowing someone to stay year-round is not that common...at least not the several we have looked into. Month-to-month for 3-4 months in a row, yes - but then you may have to pack up and dry camp to wait for another available long-term spot. Several months at a time, yes; but full-time has not been mentioned.

 

[Tulecreeper]

Residence and domicile are not interchangeable terms.

You are 100% correct. Your 'residence' is anywhere you park your rig for any period of time. Your 'domicile', however, is where you legally reside in the eyes of the law/state/authorities. That is the place where you set up your voter registration, DMV records, etc.

A fulltime resident of a state pretty much defaults to being domiciled there as well

Yes, full-time residency of a state pretty much defaults to being domiciled there as well. In AZ, you have to either get a drivers license or live in the the state for 7 months before you automatically become a resident. And in order to get a drivers license, you have to give them a "domicile" address - a permanent address - a PO Box won't do it. I already called their DMV and asked.

And that is the whole reason for my original question. How to acquire a permanent address when living in an RV park and none of those parks will allow you to use their address for other than occasional FedEx deliveries. That, too, I have already asked about with several parks. They will not allow you to use their address.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Your 'domicile', however, is where you legally reside in the eyes of the law/state/authorities. That is the place where you set up your voter registration, DMV records, etc.

Not so, and in fact it's pretty much the opposite: having those things in place may help determine your domicile. Each state has laws that determine who can qualify for that state's voter registration, driver license, who pays taxes, etc. None of them mention domicile. Focusing on the term "domicile" will lead you down a rabbit hole. Instead, focus on the individual Arizona laws governing voting, driver licensing, and whatever you need for daily living. Residency is one way to qualify for most of those things, but not the only way.

 

[jackiemac]

Can't you give a physical address and postal address??? All mail goes to postal address.

Our US bank has our UK address but all mail goes to our UPS mailbox.

 

[Alaskansnowbirds]

You are 100% correct. Your 'residence' is anywhere you park your rig for any period of time. Your 'domicile', however, is where you legally reside in the eyes of the law/state/authorities. That is the place where you set up your voter registration, DMV records, etc.

Yes, full-time residency of a state pretty much defaults to being domiciled there as well. In AZ, you have to either get a drivers license or live in the the state for 7 months before you automatically become a resident. And in order to get a drivers license, you have to give them a "domicile" address - a permanent address - a PO Box won't do it. I already called their DMV and asked.

And that is the whole reason for my original question. How to acquire a permanent address when living in an RV park and none of those parks will allow you to use their address for other than occasional FedEx deliveries. That, too, I have already asked about with several parks. They will not allow you to use their address.

You can use the RV park for your address as far as the DMV is concerned. Get your PO Box before you go to DMV. When you get your DL and register your RV and register to vote (All a one stop process at the DMV) they will ask you for your mailing address. If the clerk doesn't ask, just tell them that there is no postal service at that "resident" address. Which is true because you can't receive mail there.

They will not send anything to your "resident" address. All they are doing is checking the box for a "resident" address because the Feds say they have to. They don't care what it is. They care that they have a good mailing address and contact information so they can get a hold of you if needed.

I just did this last May. Where we live, there is no postal service. Just as there is no postal service at the RV park. Don't volunteer any information. The DMV doesn't need to know, and probably doesn't care that you're fulltimers. Just answer the questions asked.

 

[Tulecreeper]

Can't you give a physical address and postal address??? All mail goes to postal address.

Our US bank has our UK address but all mail goes to our UPS mailbox.

What physical address would we use? We won't have one back here in Arkansas when we sell our property and go to Arizona. There are no friends or relatives here in AR that I will impose on and use theirs. None of the 3 parks in AZ that we have contacted will allow the residents to use the park's address for anything other than the occasional FedEx package, and will throw away any USPS mail that they receive. I'm just trying to figure out how to do it faster than spinning my wheels and waiting for 7 months, which at this point I'm not even sure will work anyway.

I contacted the AZ DMV (AZDot.gov) and they told me that a PO Box is not acceptable for an address to get a drivers license and/or register vehicles...only a physical address will suffice...which we will not have.

I'll figure it out. This is apparently more involved than I thought it would be. Thanks for your advice, though.

 

[Tulecreeper]

You can use the RV park for your address as far as the DMV is concerned. Get your PO Box before you go to DMV. When you get your DL and register your RV and register to vote (All a one stop process at the DMV) they will ask you for your mailing address. If the clerk doesn't ask, just tell them that there is no postal service at that "resident" address. Which is true because you can't receive mail there.

They will not send anything to your "resident" address. All they are doing is checking the box for a "resident" address because the Feds say they have to. They don't care what it is. They care that they have a good mailing address and contact information so they can get a hold of you if needed.

I just did this last May. Where we live, there is no postal service. Just as there is no postal service at the RV park. Don't volunteer any information. The DMV doesn't need to know, and probably doesn't care that you're fulltimers. Just answer the questions asked.

Yes sir, I believe that is what we're going to have to do. Thank you.

 

[johnhicks]

I have a Florida domicile address and a different mailing address. Not one item has gone to the domicile address (an RV park); all has gone to the specified mailing address.

 

[Alaskansnowbirds]

With the amount of time you intend to spend in AZ. Have you considered buying your own lot in a place like Happy Trails in Surprise or a similar facility? I know over the years there have been several members of the RV Forum that have had lots there or in El Mirage.