Switch domicile?

[tjsmiley72]

Curious if anyone has changed their domicile from SD to Texas. If so is Texas more expensive with car vehicle registration and insurance? Thanks Tara

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

This site gives Texas vehicle fees.

https://www.txdmv.gov/sites/default/files/body-files/FeeChart_1C.pdf

 

[tjsmiley72]

Thanks!

 

[Kirk]

Insurance rates in TX vary a great deal from the rural counties to the large cities. That will depend upon where you plan to reside.

 

[tjsmiley72]

Ok thank you

 

[Lou Schneider]

Rates and fees vary from county to county in Texas. I suggest you contact Escapees Mail Service. They've been based in Livingston (Polk County) for 40+ years and they and the local officials are very used to people from out of state establishing domicile there.

 

[tjsmiley72]

Thank you!

 

[Kirk]

Like Lou, I am a long-time member of Escapees RV Club and I have used their mail service for a long time. But it is important to realize that the club and the mail service are no longer under the same owners/management. There are other mail service companies located in Texas. Here are a few.
Texas Home Base
Traveling Mailbox
Star Hub
Northwest Mail

 

[tjsmiley72]

Thank you great info! Appreciate it !

 

[mrschwarz]

Does anyone use one of the alternative mail forwarding services as a domicile address for both vehicle registration and voting?

 

[Kirk]

the alternative mail forwarding services

Alternative to what?

 

[mrschwarz]

Alternative to what?

Alternative to Escapees. I have read that they have a purchase contract on the Bushnell Florida park, which is where my domicile is. Once they lose control of the park there, I am concerned that they won't have control of the mail forwarding from Florida anymore.

I'm not comfortable with the Escapees Mail Service. It seems the owners are selling their assets. I don't know their plans, but I would rather not be caught flat-footed. Florida is a good state for domicile, so I would rather stay there, but I don't know if other mail forwarding services can provide domicile services there. Hence my question.

 

[Ro and Joe]

Alternative to Escapees. I have read that they have a purchase contract on the Bushnell Florida park, which is where my domicile is. Once they lose control of the park there, I am concerned that they won't have control of the mail forwarding from Florida anymore.

I'm not comfortable with the Escapees Mail Service. It seems the owners are selling their assets. I don't know their plans, but I would rather not be caught flat-footed. Florida is a good state for domicile, so I would rather stay there, but I don't know if other mail forwarding services can provide domicile services there. Hence my question.

I've been using MyRVmail.com in Crestview, FL. We are registered to vote and vehicles also in Okaloosa County. They also handle GoodSams Mail business

 

[Kirk]

I'm not comfortable with the Escapees Mail Service. It seems the owners are selling their assets.

I am a life member of Escapees and also one of the moderators for their internet forums. I do understand your reasoning as I thought that I knew Travis & Kathy but was caught completely by surprise when they sold the club and at that time they also said that they would not sell the mail service or the campgrounds, yet all campgrounds except Rainbow's End are for sale and one is sold and another is reported to be. I have some pretty strong suspicions about what is coming in the future, but keep them to myself since I have no hard evidence to support my thoughts.

If you wish to keep a TX domicile, there are several well-established mail services in the state and I know that some full-timers do use them. Check out some of these:

• USA2Me: Provides mail and package forwarding services, initially based in Houston, Texas.
  
  
• Earth Class Mail: Focuses on scanning and forwarding mail, especially beneficial for businesses and travelers.
  
  
• Texas Registered Agent: Offers a mail forwarding plan as part of their registered agent service.
  
  
• US Global Mail: Provides a Texas-based address for mail forwarding and storage, suitable for expats and nomads.
  
  
• USPS Mail Forwarding: A free service offered by the United States Postal Service for temporary or permanent address changes.
  
  
• Traveling Mailbox, Virtual Post Mail, Anytime Mailbox, iPostal1, and USAbox: Other national mail forwarding companies that may have options for Texas.
  
  
• Texas Home Base: Offers mail forwarding services with different timeframes.
  
  
• PostFromUS: Provides flexible and secure mail forwarding services, including online access to scanned mail.

 

[mrschwarz]

Thanks, Kirk. I've seen many of your posts on the other forum. I'm not looking to be a resident of Texas. I 'moved' out about 12 years ago. I'm currently a resident of Florida and if I'm not mistaken, it's the Bushnell park that has a contract on it. No matter what Escapees says, when the new owners decided mail forwarding is not worth the bother, I'll be homeless. Trying to cover my bases before it happens.

For a short while I was a resident of Washington state. I used Traveling Mailbox with a Seattle address. My residential address was different, so I am not sure how they would handle me using their address as a legal address for voting.

 

[Lou Schneider]

Thanks, Kirk. I've seen many of your posts on the other forum. I'm not looking to be a resident of Texas. I 'moved' out about 12 years ago. I'm currently a resident of Florida and if I'm not mistaken, it's the Bushnell park that has a contract on it. No matter what Escapees says, when the new owners decided mail forwarding is not worth the bother, I'll be homeless. Trying to cover my bases before it happens.

Yes, Bushnell is one of the Escapees-owned Rainbow Parks the Carrs have put up for sale. The co-op parks like the Florida SKP Resort in Wachula, FL are independent of the Carrs, they're owned by the members of each co-op so they aren't affected by the sell-off.

I have a membership and lot in the Pahrump, NV Pair-a-Dice co-op park. It's my legal domicile address for things like vehicle registration and voting. When I leave the park to go on a trip I go to the USPS online site and put in a Vacation Mail Forwarding request from my permanent address in the park to my mail forwarder in Las Vegas. There is a one time charge of $1.10 to a credit card to verify your identity. Then the P.O. sends my mail (still addressed to the RV park) at no additional charge to my mail forwarding company which operates much like Escapees mail service - they notify me when mail arrives and holds it until I contact them online or via phone and tell them where to send the accumulated mail. You can vacation forward for up to 6 months, and renew it once for another 6 months if you'll be gone longer.

If I return to the park before the forwarding expires I contact the Post Office online, give them the confirmation number I got when I set up the forwarding and cancel the order. Normally the change of address to a mail forwarding company is permanent, the PO won't sort through the mail going to the forwarder to locate your mail. But they have no problem cancelling a vacation mail forwarding to resume delivery to the original address. The next time I leave the park I just submit another Vacation Forwarding request.

 

[mrschwarz]

When I leave the park to go on a trip I go to the USPS online site and put in a Vacation Mail Forwarding request from my permanent address in the park to my mail forwarder in Las Vegas.

I can see how that could work for you. Unfortunately, I haven't been back to Florida since I 'moved' there so I don't have any other Florida address to use.

Do you pay for mail forwarding annually or only when you travel?

 

[Kirk]

Trying to cover my bases before it happens.

There are many SKP members who use St. Brendan's Isle. mail service and have for many years. I suggest that you consider them or some other FL mail service. Like you, I don't have much faith in the promises they give.