Drivers License and vehicle registration

[mherzberg]

We just moved in from Georgia and my wife and I (and our car) are licensed there. I see there is a DMV location on 466. Are there any "good" or "bad" days to go as far as waiting time, etc.? Any advice on what not to forget to bring, etc.? Are there any "taxes" due on transferring registration? Thanks!!!

[twinklesweep]

We just moved in from Georgia and my wife and I (and our car) are licensed there. I see there is a DMV location on 466. Are there any "good" or "bad" days to go as far as waiting time, etc.? Any advice on what not to forget to bring, etc.? Are there any "taxes" due on transferring registration? Thanks!!!

As I recall, there are no "taxes" such as there would be if purchasing a car. HOWEVER, when registering a vehicle in FL for the first time, one must BUY the tag (license plate) for each car, and these are incredibly expensive. Of course, this is true only for first-time registration; when renewal time comes, it's only a registration fee, as the owner of the vehicle already owns the tag.

Check to be sure, but I believe you have to go to the motor vehicle office in the new government building on 466A between Buena Vista and Wildwood. I don't think the office on the corner of Morse and 466 does licenses. My experience has been not good or bad "days" but rather good or bad "times." If you get there when they open, you will have practically no wait, so I've been told. You will need several proofs of residency/address (I forget how many); the Office of Voter Registration is right next to Motor Vehicle, where you can register to vote and the voter registration certificate given to you on the spot will serve as one of the proofs.

Bring your checkbook or lots of cash! And good luck!!!

[mherzberg]

Thank you twinkle sweep..... ...I think!!!

[CFrance]

One thing... We were told that you need a marriage certificate to prove that you (wife) are who you are, since you (may have) changed your name when you got married. My friend waltzed in without that and was turned away. So I made sure we had that (much searching through our papers) only not to be asked for it.

However, while we were waiting, another couple was turned away because they didn't have it. If you have changed your name when you got married, I would take the marriage license.

car registration: make sure you have your release of lien letter if you have paid off your car. If you had a loan for the car, you have to have this, or a title that is free and clear and lists no lienholder. Also, they will not go outside to verify your VIN if it is raining. So be prepared to wait if that's the case.

Otherwise, they are pleasant and efficient. You take a number. There is a man there who will make sure you have everything needed before you begin the wait for your number to come up. Take some reading material or your iPad. We were there early afternoon, and waited about 20 minutes. They said it's much more crowded in the winter months.

[chuckinca]

I couldn't believe they wouldn't step out into a light rain to check the vin - but they wouldn't! Had to come back the next week - but saved $350 on pickup truck license plates vs California.

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[jnieman]

I'm thinking you need proof of Florida insurance also.

[Skybo]

As Twinkle indicated, titling/registering your vehicle for the first time in Florida is very expensive. Ours was around $500.00, which included retitling/registering one car and two Florida driver’s licenses.

The easiest thing to do is to stop by the the DMV on 466a and pick up their checklist of required documentation. But I can tell you, the first thing you will need to do is obtain Florida car insurance. You can get a Florida driver’s license without Florida auto insurance, but you need the insurance to register your vehicle here, so you may as well get the insurance in place before you even go to the DMV because everything can be done at the same time if you have all the documentation you need..

The bad news (beyond the expense) is that Florida is among the strictest (paperwork wise) states to get a driver’s license. The good news is that the DMV personnel are efficient and pleasant.

As others have mentioned, be aware that if the name on your current identification doesn’t match the name on your birth certificate, you will need to provide a “paper-trail” showing how you ended up with your current name. That’s not normally a problem for men, but for women, they will need to show a marriage certificate...and women who have had previous marriages/name changes might need to provide marriage (and possibly) divorce documents from their previous marriages.

[Villager Dude]

As Twinkle indicated, titling/registering your vehicle for the first time in Florida is very expensive. Ours was around $500.00, which included retitling/registering one car and two Florida driver’s licenses.

The easiest thing to do is to stop by the the DMV on 466a and pick up their checklist of required documentation. But I can tell you, the first thing you will need to do is obtain Florida car insurance. You can get a Florida driver’s license without Florida auto insurance, but you need the insurance to register your vehicle here, so you may as well get the insurance in place before you even go to the DMV because everything can be done at the same time if you have all the documentation you need..

The bad news (beyond the expense) is that Florida is among the strictest (paperwork wise) states to get a driver’s license. The good news is that the DMV personnel are efficient and pleasant.


As others have mentioned, be aware that if the name on your current identification doesn’t match the name on your birth certificate, you will need to provide a “paper-trail” showing how you ended up with your current name. That’s not normally a problem for men, but for women, they will need to show a marriage certificate...and women who have had previous marriages/name changes might need to provide marriage (and possibly) divorce documents from their previous marriages.


I think it is about $ 400. per car.

[Snookie]

when you go make sure to take your birth certificate or passport...they will ask for it. If you are close to 466A you can go to the court house on the Wildwood side on 466A also.

I don't know how crowded they are I would say, get there when they open....Good Luck and welcome to The Villages.. To meet people from Georgia..Try the Georgia Club and the Heart of Dixie. We belong to both and love them.

[Wkcarter]

Went to the one on 466A last week, you need picture ID , proof of address ( deed or a bill with address on it) something with your social security number ( either social security card or check stub will do).
Your vehicle tags are $ 78 and the one time transfer fee goes on the weight of the vehicle ( mine were $ 396 and $ 435). You will need title and proof of florida insurance.
The people there were very friendly and the whole process took about 1 hour and that included wait time.

[zcaveman]

Here is a list of the documents needed. Down near the bottom of the page. Apparently you can also make an appointment.

Official Website Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (http://www.flhsmv.gov/html/dlnew.html)

Title Registration:

http://www.flhsmv.gov/html/titlinf.html


Z

[dotti105]

When you receive your fla driver's licesnse do you have to give up your license from your former state?

[Villager Audio Video]

Yes, you can't have two current drivers licenses from two different states. They take it. The good new is I believe they are good for like 7 years

[Buckeyephan]

Just did ours 2 months ago. Someone when we got ours was refused because their birth certificate was from a hospital and they require one with the state embossed seal. I took my passport and Medicare card and things went through without a hitch. Husband's car was a nightmare b/c it had been titled in his name DBA his company. Four trips later, it was finally resolved. They told us that before noon on a Tuesday or Thursday was the best. Also, they take credit cards but charge a 3% fee or so to use it. Checkbook or cash is the best way to go. Needed to remove my glasses for the photo but they don't put weight on the card!

[John_W]

If your car is less than six months old, as in my case. You must pay the sales tax difference between your old state and Florida. For example, Sumter County has a sales tax of 7 cents, I came from Baltimore where the sales sales was 6 cents. I had traded cars five months earlier and had paid $9,000 along with my trade in car. They said I owed 1% on the $9,000, or $90. The worker there was nice, he said just come back in three weeks when your car is six months old and you won't have to pay the $90, which is what I did.

This was at the Gold Dome on CR466A. My first tag was about $435 for two years. I just renewed my tags for two more years. You can go through the drive-thru if you have your renewal notice. It was only $115 for the next two years. Also, if you take your birth certificate, they wouldn't accept the one from the hospital with the gold seal, they wanted to see the one I had from the health department.

[LeeM]

Just did ours 2 months ago. Someone when we got ours was refused because their birth certificate was from a hospital and they require one with the state embossed seal. I took my passport and Medicare card and things went through without a hitch. Husband's car was a nightmare b/c it had been titled in his name DBA his company. Four trips later, it was finally resolved. They told us that before noon on a Tuesday or Thursday was the best. Also, they take credit cards but charge a 3% fee or so to use it. Checkbook or cash is the best way to go. Needed to remove my glasses for the photo but they don't put weight on the card!

My dad was military so my birth certificate is from England as I was born overseas...wonder what I would do in that case?

What is involved in getting a drivers license? Do you have to take a driving test if you have a license from another state?

[janmcn]

Florida driver's license information can be found at www.gathergoget.com.

[chuckinca]

Yes, you can't have two current drivers licenses from two different states. They take it. The good new is I believe they are good for like 7 years


Got a Fla DL last fall - good for 10 years.

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[chuckinca]

No written driver test, no in car test. Just vision test - be sure to press down hard on the vision device to see all the letters.

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[janmcn]

Got a Fla DL last fall - good for 10 years.

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That depends on your age. As you get older, your FL driver's license has to be renewed more frequently.

[CFrance]

My dad was military so my birth certificate is from England as I was born overseas...wonder what I would do in that case?

What is involved in getting a drivers license? Do you have to take a driving test if you have a license from another state?

As long as you have a valid DL from another state, you take no tests except the vision test. Just make sure you have all the ID you need, plus something that has your FL address on it. We didn't have that because all our billing is e-bill and I didn't have the utility bill, our only bill that's mailed.

No problem--they had us go across the hall and register to vote, and that registration served as the paper with our address on it.

One word of caution: if you wear monovision contacts (one for near, the other for far), one of the lines of letters in the vision test will not show up. It was so very faint I didn't even think it was there till they told me I skipped a column. I thought I was going to flunk it until I screwed my face around by accident trying to find the column of letters and ended up reading it with the other eye! I think it is the contact for near (reading) that caused the column to disappear, because I ended up finding the column with my distance contact eye.

So take your contacts out and use glasses if you have monovision contacts.

And yes, you have to have proof of insurance before they will complete your car registration.

[Paperboy]

when you receive your fla driver's licesnse do you have to give up your license from your former state?

yes!

[Indydealmaker]

I couldn't believe they wouldn't step out into a light rain to check the vin - but they wouldn't! Had to come back the next week - but saved $350 on pickup truck license plates vs California.

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All you have to do is get the form online and find a policeman to verify the VIN. They can even be an out of state cop.

[DonH57]

I have to agree the staff there are always friendly. When we were there to do our stuff I asked the young man who came out with me to verify the vin number if it were true about not coming out during rain. He explained to me it had to do with liability issues dealing with wet pavement.

[ken747pilot]

Do not forget to wear your "Magic Green Hat" to the DMV.
I am new to the BB and cannot post "links" yet so go to Google and enter Magic Green Hat and click on the first link.
LOL

[DonH57]

Kbowgren, I googled it. LOL. Never actually had to wait more than an hour at this DMV though.

[stroglass]

How do i get tile if i have a car loan? Do they assist you or do you need a letter fom the bank

[SouthOfTheBorder]

ZCAVEMAN provided the official source (links) to answer all these questions in post #11 above.

We used those two sources and found the whole process quick and easy.

Cost about $800 for two vehicles.

[jbdeb114]

We just moved in from Georgia and my wife and I (and our car) are licensed there. I see there is a DMV location on 466. Are there any "good" or "bad" days to go as far as waiting time, etc.? Any advice on what not to forget to bring, etc.? Are there any "taxes" due on transferring registration? Thanks!!!

We moved here also from Georgia. We did all of the 'transferring' in January when we got here. We were told to bring our checkbook, bank account, etc. That is correct. We got our driver's licenses, titles, tags and the bill was $1135.60. Granted, we have a pick up and an Expedition and I got a specialty tag, but that was only an extra $20.

You have probably already done this by now but make sure you bring your marriage license. I also had to bring my birth certificate because my middle name on my license is my maiden name.

BTW...welcome to the Villages!

[mixsonci]

Got a Fla DL last fall - good for 10 years.

.

Do you have to take a written or driving test to get a Florida driver's license? I have had a Massachusetts or New Hampshire driver's license for many years, but heard that doesn't matter, you still need to take a test in Florida?

[CFrance]

No written test as long as you are surrendering a current DL. Just an eye test (don't wear monovision contacts or you won't be able to read one of the columns!)

[Finallyfree]

We moved here with a car loan, the DMV staff faxed a request to the credit union in GA for the title; took about three weeks but when all done it only cost $400.00 to register a six month old car. Try to get that price in Georgia.