McKayla Girardin, Car Insurance Writer
@mckayla_girardin
No, out-of-state college students don’t need to register their car in the state their school is located in unless they establish residency and change their permanent address. In most states, your car must be registered to whatever your permanent address is.
Students who still legally reside at their parents’ address, regardless of where they are going to school, are typically able to keep their registration in their home state as long as they do not establish residency in the state they are studying in. Even if they bring their car to school with them, they may be able to avoid registering the car in their new state. This is especially true for students who are able to stay on their parents’ car insurance policy, rather than purchasing their own.
However, students who buy their own insurance policy using their school address or who change their license to the new state also need to register their car in that state.
When Out-of-State College Students Need to Re-Register Their Cars
- They establish residency. When you become a resident of a state, you are essentially saying that you permanently live in that state, meaning you’d need to change your insurance and vehicle registration. Out-of-state college students may be able to establish residency in their school’s state by registering to vote, paying for utilities in the state or changing their driver’s license, for example.
- They change their permanent address. Your vehicle registration and your car insurance always need to match your permanent address.
- They purchase their own car insurance using their school address. If you purchase your own car insurance policy and list your address while away at school, you’ll need to update your registration so it matches.
- They change their license to the state they are studying in. If you get a new driver’s license in the state your school is in, you’ll likely have to change your registration as well. In most states, your license and registration must be from the same state.
- They stay on campus year-round. Students who live on campus for the entire year instead of just during the school year may need to talk to their state’s DMV and their insurance company to see if any modifications to the vehicle’s registration or insurance policy are necessary.
While most states do not have any requirement for college students to register their car in their new state, it is always good to contact the DMV. College students and military personnel sometimes have different rules for vehicle registration and insurance because they are more transient than the average resident.
Additionally, speaking with your insurance company can help you determine if you’ll need to change your registration while going to school in another state.
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