registrating a car from Ohio in Florida

We need to purchase a new van next week in FL. It may be cheaper from an individual than a dealer (e.g. craigslist) but how difficult are the registration laws to do ourselves when we live in Ohio, and our license plates from Ohio would be on the new car.

Also, are registration offices open on Saturdays (e.g. Dec 29)

It depends on the county. In Manatee county you could do most (but not all) things at the tax collectors office, and they were very efficient. Florida (at least in Manatee) had the best system that I've ever used. You could make appointments or show up with no appointment, and the people working there were actually efficient.

Anyway, you should be able to find everything you need to know online for Florida. You can start here:

http://www.hsmv.state.fl.us/

There's some sort of VIN verification form you have to get somebody to sign for you. The information is there on the web site.

I'm not sure why you are worried about doing it on a Saturday. As long as you have insurance coverage from the moment you make the purchase, you should be ok.

-David

Boy, you have me confused!

You live in Ohio, but want to register the vehicle in Florida, but you want to put OH tags on it.

Do you have a FL residence also?

I'm guessing that you are in FL temporarily, and want to purchase a vehicle while you are there, to take back to Ohio. Is that about it?

I found this:

Non-residents also are eligible to secure a temporary license plate for "in-transit" purposes if they purchase a vehicle in Florida and want to drive it back home. However, proof of insurance (from Florida or home state) and sales tax in the amount required by the home state must be paid. If you feel you may be eligible for a temporary license plate, inquire through your local tax collector's office or the regional DMV office that serves your area.

here:

http://www.hsmv.state.fl.us/dmv/faqmotor.html#2

A few years ago I got a better deal on a VW Beetle in PA then I could find in my home state of OH. When I picked it up in PA they put temp tags on it and when I got back to OH I had it titled and paid OH state taxes on the purchase price. I did not pay sales tax in PA since it was going to be registered in OH.

Doug

JLB said:

You live in Ohio, but want to register the vehicle in Florida, but you want to put OH tags on it.

Click to expand...

Yeah, I missed that part of it.

-David

Thanks, Jim, David, etc and everyone
well, guess my question wasn;t too clear: we had our van break down at the side of I-75 south of ATL on the way to FL Daytona Beach to be exact since we had airline tickets to Seattle for Thanksgiving leaving from there - then tickets from SEA to Hawaii for 3 weeks here (we are still here), flying back to Seattle Friday for Christmas and then flying back to Daytona Dec 26th.

We thought our friend in Daytona would be keeping our car for us - thus, leaving out of DAB, but then, since it broke down in GA, he's not!! Instead it is in a motel parking lot in Valdosta GA, where we had it towed (thanks to AAA Plus 100-mile free towing arrangement - Hey, I thought when AAA asked, Where do you want to be towed to? We're going SOUTH - let's be towed south - (we were sitting in front of a mileage sign that said, Valdoesta 101miles)

we are not getting the van repaired (long story) so need to replace it near Daytona and yes, licensed and registered in OH, the OH tags on van will transfer to new vehicle, so will drive up to Valdosta and transfer all our stuff in the van to the new vehicle and then continue our FL snowbirding/timesharing trip.

Thus my questions about FL temp registering....
thanks all for info

Virginia Tags On eBay Florida Minivan.

ronandjoan said:

We need to purchase a new van next week in FL. It may be cheaper from an individual than a dealer (e.g. craigslist) but how difficult are the registration laws to do ourselves when we live in Ohio, and our license plates from Ohio would be on the new car.

Click to expand...

Nothing was wrong with our old 1998 Plymouth minivan. But just as soon as Chrysler & Dodge came out with Stow & Go middle & rear seats, that's what we wanted. Goodbye 1998 Plymouth. Hello 2005 Dodge.

The Stow & Go Dodge we zeroed in on, via eBay, was for sale by an independent dealer in Orlando FL. We go for his "buy it now" price & he picks us up at MCO, gives us 2 Disney tickets, & provides 2 nights of motel accommodations for 2. The price was right, so we sprang.

We sent the guy the full amount by EFT. He sent us the bill of sale & signed assignment of title. We went over to Virginia DMV, paid sales tax, got new Virginia title, & new semi-permanent Virginia tags -- "permanent" in that they were the real deal, the 1s still on the car today; "semi-" in that at the time they were good for just 1 month, to allow time to run the car through emissions inspection, which we did after we got home with the car.

We showed up at MCO, met the independent dealer, rode with him to where our newish Stow & Go minivan was parked a few miles away, screwed on the Virginia tags, collected the Disney tickets (but put off taking the motel chit), shook hands, & went on our way. Had a nice time in Orlando FL, staying at an outstanding timeshare resort with friends we've known since before any of us had kids.

That was in November 2004 -- so the 2005 minivan really was newish. It had been an airport rental car in New Orleans, with some 18,000 miles racked up on it before Hertz or Avis or Alamo or whoever it was auctioned it off in Orlando. Back then, Virginia & Florida had not worked out any arrangement for reciprocity in state auto taxes. The Florida dealer was supposed to collect Florida taxes from us. If he had, Virginia would have collected Virginia taxes from us when we got home without any credit for what we had just paid on the same car down in Florida. I hope the eBay dealer did not get in trouble for going along with our way around that situation (i.e., getting the car permanently titled up here before we went down there to pick it up), because he definitely stuck his neck out by not collecting Florida sales tax on it.

I am not sure, but I think that since then Virginia & Florida have it worked out so that taxes paid in Florida are credited up here in Virginia & vice versa. If so, that could simplify matters for us next month. We are considering springing for a 2007 Mazda-5 down in Florida that we could pick up when we head to Florida for our annual after-Christmas timeshare vacation -- 2 weeks this year for the 1st time, instead of just 1 week. Mazda or no Mazda, I can hardly wait.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

redkayak said:

A few years ago I got a better deal on a VW Beetle in PA then I could find in my home state of OH. When I picked it up in PA they put temp tags on it and when I got back to OH I had it titled and paid OH state taxes on the purchase price. I did not pay sales tax in PA since it was going to be registered in OH.

Doug

Click to expand...

this is exactly how my out of state car purcahse went. Temp Tag issued so I could drive it home. I had to provide a copy of my DL and proff of insurance for the new car covered in my home state. Once home I paid the taxes and received my tags & title.

Yeah, I sensed you were going through a rough spot vehicle-wise. Like, it was going to stay on vacation longer than you.

Another reason why we now opt to fly and drive (rent) someone else's vehicle on our January FL trip. If it breaks down, our inconvenience is only how long we have to sit for someone to bring us another one. We had a minor problem last year, a leaky tire, and after calling an 800#, all we had to do is have it fixed. We got reimbursed.

I stuck my nose in this thread because we useta operate a driveaway business, so we useta carry a 10-pack of trip permits.

A trip permit is for a one-way, direct trip, so you might need something more than that, like a 30-day permit if FL offers one. Sometimes we would use trip permits for a little more than a trip, but car dealers in every state I am familiar with have the 30-day permits, and put them on cars to give you 30 days to get it registered.

From what it said on the FL DMV it sounds like they will want you to settle up on sales tax, probably the amount you would owe in OH, show proof of insurance, and then put a temporary permit on it until you get home to register it in OH. You may have a sticky wicket on sales tax, unless you have actually disposed on your dearly departed vehicle. If you have not, you can't figure a trade difference, to minimize sales tax.

FL appears to have a $100 flat fee for first-time registration of a vehicle, another reason not to register it in FL (as if not being a resident wouldn't be enough of a reason).

Can you register in OH via the Internet, and transfer your old tags to the new vehicle. We can do vehicle stuff on the Internet now, and I have not had to stand in a DMV line for the last two years.

I assume you wisely took the tags off your old one, right? You wouldn't want the cops knocking on your door because your vehicle was involved in a crime! (That happened to me once. They came looking for me because of all of the traffic fines against my car. It was in a state where the plates went with the car, and the new owner never registered it.)

thanks everyone for these stories and ideas

Yes, Jim, our car went on vacation!!!! Permanently!

BSQ said:

this is exactly how my out of state car purcahse went. Temp Tag issued so I could drive it home. I had to provide a copy of my DL and proff of insurance for the new car covered in my home state. Once home I paid the taxes and received my tags & title.

Click to expand...

Yes, this is the procedure,except that we won;t be back in OHio until March so we wonder how we can get it registered there after so long

I will check with my friend who just bought a truck in florida which he intends to license in New York and won't be bringing to New York til April. i know he bought a temporary Florida license plate.


I thought my story was bad after getting totaled in Branson.

A woman here was driving from New Hampshire to Estero. whe was at a rest area on I10 between I 95 and I75. A woman in a new van (3 days old) came barreling off the ramp at 80 mph. She didn't know how to turn off the cruise control she totalled 4 cars when she hit them at that speed. My frined's truck was repaired, very extensively repaired. They sat at a picnic table for a few hours with all their possessions waiting for the rental car.