What Do I Need To Register A New Car In California

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If y'all've recently bought (or been given) a car and live in California, y'all must first annals information technology with the state and pay all necessary fees before you lot tin can legally drive information technology. When moving from out of state, you lot're besides responsible for registering your out-of-state machine in California within 20 days of establishing residency. The registration procedure is somewhat dissimilar if you're registering a new vehicle that you bought at a dealership than if you're transferring ownership of a used motorcar that was already registered in California. Once registered, you lot're responsible for renewing your registration every twelvemonth that yous own the car.^[1]

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Gather buying documents. To register your car, you'll have to bring documents that prove to the DMV that you own it. This mostly means y'all'll need to bring your championship, or the bill of auction if you financed the motorcar and the title is beingness held by the finance company.
- If yous purchased your automobile from a dealership, they typically take intendance of the registration for you. You'll get a temporary registration document to use until the DMV sends you the official registration. Ask the dealer if they issue tags every bit well.
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Summate your registration fees. The California DMV provides a fee reckoner on its website that you can use to figure out what the registration fees will be for your new car. If you purchase your car from a dealer, they typically will add the fees to your purchase price.^[2]
- To use the figurer, get to https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/item/portal/feecalculatorweb/alphabetize and click on the link for "new vehicles."
- Fifty-fifty if you lot purchased your machine from a dealer, information technology can be worth your time to become onto the DMV website and double-check the corporeality of your registration fees to brand sure the dealer charged y'all the correct amount.
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Complete an application for title or registration. If the dealer is taking care of registration for yous, they may have you complete or sign this application earlier you accept possession of the motorcar. You can as well download the form online.
- The awarding requires data about you lot and the seller. You lot as well must provide information nigh the transaction, including how much y'all paid for the automobile.
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Visit your local DMV. If your dealer didn't take care of the initial registration of your new motorcar for you, y'all'll need to accept a trip to a DMV field role. When you submit your awarding and fees, the DMV clerk volition register your car for y'all.^[3]
- To detect the nearest DMV field role, go to the DMV website at https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/detail/fo/offices/toc_fo. The folio contains an alphabetical list of towns and cities in California. Click on your city to see a listing of field office locations.
- To cutting downwardly on your wait time, the California DMV recommends that you make an appointment. You lot can schedule your appointment online or by calling i-800-777-0133.
5
Submit your application and fees. A DMV clerk will review your buying documents and process your awarding. Yous should also be prepared to show the clerk your driver'south license and proof of insurance.^[iv]
- Once your application is processed, the clerk will assess your fees. You can pay your fees with cash, a personal cheque, or a credit or debit carte du jour.
- The clerk volition issue your official registration document and give yous new tags to put on your car. If yous requested a specialty or custom plate, you will exist issued temporary plates until your society is fulfilled and your plates are mailed to y'all.
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Gather required buying documents. Y'all may need to register a car that was given to you, or that you bought from another person. Y'all still accept to exist able to prove that you are the rightful owner of the car. This typically ways providing either the title to the car or a copy of your bill of sale.^[five]
- If yous have the title for the car, make sure you and the seller accept completed the odometer disclosure department. Otherwise, you'll need to become a REG 262 Form from the DMV to submit an odometer disclosure for the auto. This isn't required if the car is more than than 10 years erstwhile.
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Become a smog certification. If y'all purchase a car from a private possessor, they are responsible for taking care of the smog certification. They must present you with a valid smog certificate if the car is more than 4 years sometime, unless they renewed the registration less than ninety days earlier they sold you the car.^[6]
- A smog certificate is only valid for 90 days, so make certain you get the car registered in your proper noun before the certificate expires, or you lot'll take to get another one.
- You can detect nearby smog stations by visiting https://www.smogcheck.ca.gov. You may desire to check several, since prices aren't regulated and may vary among stations.
- If car buying is being transferred between family members, you may non accept to go a smog certification. You must complete and submit a "Argument of Facts" asserting that the transfer is exempt. Just transfers between parents and children, grandparents and grandchildren, spouses or domestic partners, or between siblings are eligible for this exemption.
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Brand an appointment at your local DMV. If yous don't want a long wait at the DMV field role when you register your auto, you tin can make an appointment on the DMV'due south website or by calling 1-800-777-0133.^[8]
- If you don't know where the nearest DMV field office is, you tin also find it on the DMV's website at https://world wide web.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/detail/fo/offices/toc_fo.
5
Submit a completed application and fees. The DMV has an application for title or registration that you can either download online from the DMV'south website or fill out in person at the DMV field office while you lot're waiting for your registration appointment.
- The application requires you to provide information about yourself, including your full legal name, address, and driver's license number. You'll besides take to provide information about the sales transaction itself, such as the amount (if whatsoever) y'all paid for the car and the estimated value of the automobile.
- If you were given the car by a family member, bring a statement of facts certifying the human relationship and then you lot can claim your use revenue enhancement and smog exemptions. You lot can download this form at https://world wide web.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/?1dmy&urile=wcm:path:/dmv_content_en/dmv/forms/reg/reg256.
6
Show your driver'south license and proof of insurance. Before the DMV clerk will consummate your registration, you must be able to prove that you are a licensed commuter in California and that you have car insurance that meets the state minimum requirements.
- California'south minimum requirements are liability coverage of $fifteen,000 for a single person'southward injury or death, $30,000 for the injury or expiry of multiple people, and $5,000 for property damage.
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Check your renewal detect. Yous should receive a renewal notice in the post approximately lx days before your car'due south registration expires. Even if y'all don't receive a find, you lot're yet responsible for renewing your registration.^[9]
- There is no grace period for renewal registration fees. Fifty-fifty though your tag merely displays a month and year, your registration expires on a specific date. That engagement is listed on your renewal notice. If you lot pay your fees late, you will be assessed a penalty.
- If information technology'southward getting close to the month shown on your tag, call 1-800-777-0133 to discover out how much your renewal fees are and the exact date when they're due. Check the DMV's record information to make sure they have your correct address.
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Get a smog certificate if required. Depending on where you live, you may be required to get a biennial smog check. If you alive in a canton or ZIP code where these checks are required, you lot'll have to get a smog document every other twelvemonth when you renew your registration.^[10]
- If your deadline for renewal is approaching and you oasis't been able to get your smog certificate yet, or you demand to have repairs fabricated to your car before you can laissez passer the inspection, you tin go ahead and pay your taxes and fees to renew your registration. You'll avoid any late penalties or boosted fees, but you won't become your sticker until you get your smog certificate.
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Get together data virtually your vehicle. To renew your machine's registration online, yous'll need your license plate number and the last 5 digits of your vehicle identification number (VIN). Get this data together earlier you lot start the online renewal process.^[11]
- If yous take your renewal observe, you may detect the data you lot need on the detect.
- You'll too need to have your smog certification filed with the DMV. You typically can get the smog check staff to exercise this for you.
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Go to the California DMV website to renew your registration online. The California DMV provides a manner for y'all to quickly and easily renew your registration on the DMV website, so you lot don't take to go to a DMV field office and await in line.^[12]
- Y'all still take the power to renew your registration at a field part in person if you want to, but the California DMV recommends that you renew online if at all possible.
- To begin the renewal process, go to https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/detail/online/vrir/vr_top2. Click on the "Start" button and follow the prompts.
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Ostend the DMV record for your car. Once you pull up your information, you lot need to make sure the information nearly your car in the DMV tape is correct. If not, yous'll take the opportunity to right it.^[13]
- You should besides bank check your personal information, peculiarly if you never received a renewal notice. If you lot've recently moved, brand sure the DMV has your new address.
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Receive your new stickers. If y'all renew your registration in person, the clerk at the DMV field part will give you your stickers immediately. However, if you renew online, yous'll have to wait to get your stickers in the mail.^[14]
- Because you have to wait for your stickers if you lot renew online, information technology'due south a practiced thought to get your renewal washed well before the deadline and then y'all'll have your new stickers before your old ones expire.
- You can expect to receive your stickers inside 5 to ten business days.
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Article Summary Ten

To annals a new car in California, fill out a title app with the seller if you're ownership from a dealership, which will take care of the registration process. Alternatively, make an engagement at your local DMV field role. Make sure to bring confirmation that you lot own the motorcar, your commuter's license, and proof of insurance to your date. One time the clerk has reviewed your documents, pay the fee for your temporary plates and wait for your permanent tags to go far in the mail. For tips on how to transfer registration to a new owner, keep reading!

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