John Cletheroe's
USA and Canada Holiday Hints


Driving In The USA And Canada - Vehicle Licencing Requirements For New Residents

The information on this page, although extensively checked and believed to be correct, is completely unofficial and is provided for general guidance purposes only.

When a person moves from one US state to take up residence in another US state they must re-licence any road vehicles that they own in the new state. Presumably the same rule applies to vehicles imported from another country. The following table lists the time limits within which this must be done in each state. The table appeared in USA Today 18-Nov-02 and was based on information from the AAA (American Automobile Association) and individual state DMV (Department Of Motor Vehicles) offices. I do not know whether vehicles need to undergo any tests for roadworthiness and/or exhaust emission levels before they can be licensed.

Visitors to the USA who rent vehicles can ignore this information, since vehicle licencing and insurance will always be handled by the car rental company and possibly separate top-up insurance. Nor is this information relevant to anyone merely visiting another state in a motor vehicle, even for periods of time in excess of those in the table.

However, this information may be of interest to anyone taking up residence in the USA or importing a vehicle from another country. Such persons will also need to consider driving licence and insurance requirements.

State Deadline
Alabama 30 days
Alaska 10 days
Arizona Immediately
Arkansas 30 days
California 20 days
Colorado 30 days
Connecticut 60 days
Delaware 60 days
Florida 10 days
Georgia 30 days
Hawaii 30 days
Idaho 90 days
Illinois 30 days
Indiana 60 days
Iowa 30 days
Kansas 90 days
Kentucky 30 days
Louisiana 30 days
Maine 30 days
Maryland 60 days
Massachusetts 30 days
Michigan Immediately
Minnesota 30 days
Mississippi 60 days
Missouri 30 days
Montana 20 days
Nebraska 30 days
Nevada 30 days
New Hampshire 60 days
New Jersey 60 days
New Mexico 180 days
New York State 30 days
North Carolina 30 days
North Dakota 150 days
Ohio 30 days
Oklahoma 30 days
Oregon 30 days
Pennsylvania 20 days
Rhode Island 30 days
South Carolina 45 days
South Dakota 90 days
Tennessee 30 days
Texas 30 days
Utah 60 days
Vermont 180 days
Virginia 30 days
Washington DC 30 days
Washington State 30 days
West Virginia 30 days
Wisconsin 2 days
Wyoming 10 days


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Most recently modified 21-Dec-02