Moving and have questions!

[surfmore72]

I'm leaving Hawaii in 6 weeks!   Traveling the US for the summer in a van and hopefully finding a job/ place to set roots.  So the plan is to buy van and fix it up in NJ where I have access to tools and shop.   My main concerns are how and where to register the van and get insurance/ all the other legal things.  Do we have to become residents of the state in which we register the van?    My fiance and I have family in New Jersey and New Mexico.  How do we do this?   What's the best way to get legal.  We are leaving Hawaii for good and I'm just concerned about making the transition from Hawaii to where we end up after the 5 month trip.    We are also trying to keep costs low if that makes a difference.   Any help is appreciated. 
E

 

[DuneElliot]

Become residents/get licenses/register the vehicle in New Mexico...you don't want to deal with NJ

 

[akrvbob]

By far the cheapest and best would be South Dakota. Get a mail forwarder and they can do everything you need to register your van but you must go there to get your drivers license.

 

[CautionToTheWind]

Best of luck!

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

To expand on what the others have said:

It may be convenient to buy a van and fix it up in NJ.  It may also be convenient to register it in Jersey to get started.  But as soon as you leave Jersey, you want to drive straight to somewhere else and change the registration and drivers licenses.  The idea is to NOT become a "resident" of Jersey, so you don't owe them any income taxes.  I don't know if NM has a state income tax or not.  FL, TX, and SD DON'T, and are very RV friendly, so they are the usual choices.

Unless, of course, you LIKE paying taxes . . .

 

[RVTravel]

Nevada has not state taxes?

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Nevada has not state taxes?

All states have SOME kind of tax.  Some states have no state income tax and rely heavily on a high sales tax.  Some states have a state "income" tax, but tax only income from investments like stocks and bonds, not salaries.  Some states with state income taxes tax Social Security, in others Social Security is tax exempt.

I believe Nevada has no state income tax, that's part of the reason our founder and fearless leader (akrvbob) has his "residence" in Pahrump, NV.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

BTW, I suspect it's going to be a lot easier to find a relatively rust free vehicle in NM than in NJ.  I believe they do use road salt in NM (though probably not as much as in Jersey)  but they don't use it in TX or AZ on either side.  Also, it would be easy to skip over to TX to become a resident from NM.  See:

https://www.escapees.com/images/pdfs/texan.pdf

 

[VanGrrl57]

By far the cheapest and best would be South Dakota. Get a mail forwarder and they can do everything you need to register your van but you must go there to get your drivers license.

Yes, Bob is correct. I researched it myself for a friend who wanted more information about residency in South Dakota.

I live in South Dakota and while I don't have a mail forwarder because I use my daughter's address, I know people who do use mail forwarders and they tell me it's a fairly simple process and have had no problems. Even though I'm leaving in April to work at Yellowstone, I'm still planning on keeping my residency here in South Dakota. I just renewed my license and it's good until 2022 so I'm good for 5 years. I paid $28.00 for my license.


The mail forwarder my friends use is one here in Sioux Falls which is called Your Best Address. The address is 401 E 8th Street  Suite 214  Sioux Falls, SD 57103 and the phone number is 1-800-419-1690. Here is their website address: http://www.yourbestaddress.com/

VanGrrl57

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Accidental duplicate post. Ignore.

 

[VanKitten]

I've registered in Florida.  Both the RV, car, and my license.   Florida has no income tax, inheritance tax, no inspections or emissions inspections.   So, seems like a good choice to me...and not a bad place to spend winter once every couple years.

I like the fact that my license has the license plate number on it instead of my address...plus the zip code of the DMV..not my zip code.   This worked really well..had my purse stolen..when the thief tried to use my card at the pump...the zip code didn't match my actual zip code and access was denied...and it set off a credit flag besides.    

But, I don't think it establishes domicile.   Escapees would let me do that too...but, if I use the Florida address....has to go to Texas...I pay extra to have the mail sent from Florida to Texas...because they will not do it any other way.   So I would pay twice...once to send to Texas..then again to send to me.     Not very friendly.

Only thing I wish I had was a mail service that would email a scanned copy of my mail.  Then I could just avoid having any mail in the post office at all.   Right now, I have to pay extra to have someone tell me where the mail is from...so I get all of it..even the junk

So..only question I have...when I am no longer living somewhere..where do I get them to forward the mail to?   Bouncing around on BLM land....bet the rangers won't bring it to me...eh?

Is NV just as easy as FL?  I might just change once my license gets close to expiring.

 

[SternWake]

I grew up in NJ, I have not been there since 2009, and that was briefly, for a funeral .

Every time I recall NJ bureaucracy, I am consumed with a fiery contempt for each and every human that is part of it. Fist shaking rage does not come close to coveying the absolute overwhelming contempt and hatred that that state fills me with.

My Van was purchased in Florida, Been registered there, Oregon and California. Florida minimum liability insurance was a double fisting prostate exam for me, but perhaps as i had been out of country for 3+ years, surfing greener pastures.

Oregon was much better for insurance/registration, but California Nabbed me as they do not tolerate out of state plates for long.

Stragely Califorina registration on my 89 Van is 77$ per year and minimum liability only insurance is a fraction of NJ florida or Oregon., I pay 180$ per year to AAA, minimum liability insurance with a clean drivintg record, and could likely shop around and pay less.

If finding a NJ van, scope out the chassis for rust. Lots of people there have no Idea driving a vehicle through oceanic flood waters is like dipping your genitals in battery acid. And those that do know, don't care as it will become some other person's problem, and they will laugh at that prospect as everything is a competetion to get the best of some other person.

My friends in NJ like to tell me NJ cops and officials are not the arrogant contemptible Nazis They once were, But **** that state, **** their cops, and **** their politicians, lobbysts, tourists, landowners, and self important confrontational douchebags who simply enjoy being douchebags because it amuses them.

But Surfwise, if you can handle cold water from late October to June, You will get barrelled there, more than on any other east coast state, including North Carolina. Florida's got the oranges, but Jersey's got the juice, but it takes a commitment and timing to score, that few out of staters will ever bother with.

But way back when, When we had some visiting Islanders present for a swell, they were comparing it to 4 to 6 foot pipeline, with 1/50th the crowd, and of course, brown water.

 

[Belinda2]

Being on the East Coast, I have found NJ is a 100% bureaucracy.
It is expensive if you do anything in mid to upper NJ.
I know many people who work in mid to upper NJ because the jobs pay well, but live in another state for economics and sanity.
Southern NJ pays less in a lot of careers then in a 5 state area.
If you can't find a private mail forwarder that is cost effective, here is what I suggest:

Pick a town and state that IS normal, that is grief-free, and you are familiar with how to maneuver the system.
Every post office has a mail forwarder service through a division called the USPS.
Have all your items go to your P.O. box at that post office.
Have your drivers license be a residential address preferably in the same town. List the mailing address on your drivers license as your P.O. box. Your drivers license will only show the residential address on the license. All motor vehicle mail will also go to the P.O. box.
Every week, or what ever the frequency you choose, the post office will forward your mail to an address or another post office via "general delivery mail".
It can cost around $21.95/week. If you change most of your mail to online and do not get too much mail to your P.O. box, you can "make a deal" with the post office to forward with a $6.95 envelope every "so often".
The post office does not scan mail. Most services on the east coast with mail scanning and forwarding options are $49.95/month.
I hope this helps,
Belinda2

 

[surfmore72]

What a pain.  Ok so this is only my 2nd move ever... So I need to a state driver's license to register car in either state.  And to get that I need to prove residency... What can I do from Hawaii now that will help this along?  Change address for banking or cc's?  I need 2 forms in nm.  It's seems as though theres not a system designed for this type of thing (I won't know where I will live until after the summer in the van).  So... What's the easiest way?  Buy van out west, register in nm, drive and fix up in jersey?  Our trip starts on East coast asap! 

There are so many vans in tri-state area though!  Are they all as bad as it seems?! 

Thank you all for the help! 
E

 

[surfmore72]

What a pain.  Ok so this is only my 2nd move ever... So I need to a state driver's license to register car in either state.  And to get that I need to prove residency... What can I do from Hawaii now that will help this along?  Change address for banking or cc's?  I need 2 forms in nm.  It's seems as though theres not a system designed for this type of thing (I won't know where I will live until after the summer in the van).  So... What's the easiest way?  Buy van out west, register in nm, drive and fix up in jersey?  Our trip starts on East coast asap! 

There are so many vans in tri-state area though!  Are they all as bad as it seems?! 

Thank you all for the help! 
E

 

[abnorm]

I've registered in Florida.  Both the RV, car, and my license.   Florida has no income tax, inheritance tax, no inspections or emissions inspections.   So, seems like a good choice to me...and not a bad place to spend winter once every couple years. 

But, I don't think it establishes domicile.   Escapees would let me do that too...but, if I use the Florida address....has to go to Texas...I pay extra to have the mail sent from Florida to Texas...because they will not do it any other way.   So I would pay twice...once to send to Texas..then again to send to me.     Not very friendly.

Only thing I wish I had was a mail service that would email a scanned copy of my mail.  Then I could just avoid having any mail in the post office at all.   Right now, I have to pay extra to have someone tell me where the mail is from...so I get all of it..even the junk

Escapees can help.......I'm a long-time Florida resident........You use the Fl address for "official" mail that needs a Florida domicile address (Insurance....DMV.....Bank "but sign up for electronic messaging-I never get mail from my bank")..........use the Texas address they provide for your general mail..........

Sign up for their B or C plans.........most expensive "C" is $235 a yr PLUS postage........then add the $10 a month Scan-all-first-class-mail option sent as a PDF (Additional $.50/page scan fee....that can add up!).........You decide what and when they re-send to you by USPS General Delivery in one package.....(Like No Junk mail....or just the AARP magazine....or everything) ..........I'm planning on using it....I'm changing all my accounts to E-commerce(no paper mail)........I figure my usage based on my current mailings at $40-50 month..................YMMV

Here's the mail service link:

https://www.escapees.com/support/mail-service


Here's a post on how to set up a Florida domicile........with info about using 3 different mail services....and insurance options

https://winnieviews.blogspot.com/2015/12/how-to-move-to-florida-in-1-hour.html?m=1

doug

 

[VanKitten]

Like I said...If I the Florida address costs extra with escapees. Not willing but to have a Texas mailing address. So escapees would require me to pay to have the mail sent to Texas....then pay again to have the mail sent to me.

After seeing the price you are paying...I guess $10 a month including the postage is OK.
I'll get junk and all.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Here's an odd thought:

I live in upstate NY, near a small liberal arts college.  I remember years ago seeing a VW bug with Hawaiian plates on campus.

Is there any way you can retain your Hawaiian address, come over here and buy a van, and register and insure it in Hawaii by mail?  This is something you'd have to check on with the Hawaiian DMV before you leave, I would guess . . .