Tips on Buying Cars: Used Car Paperwork, georgia department of revenue, motor vehicle division

Question
Buying my dad's car.  He lives in VT and I live in GA. Once the bill of sale and title are complete, what needs to happen next?  Assuming I have insurance already, can I drive it to GA on the VT tags or do I have to register in VT, drive to GA, and then re-register there?

Answer
You need to contact the Georgia Department of Revenue- Motor Vehicle Division.  Here's the web page for registering a vehicle in the state of Georgia:

http://motor.etax.dor.ga.gov/motor/titles/needed/anotherstate.asp

If the registration, plates and insurance are all current in VT, then you should be able to drive the car to GA on the VT plates.  Once you've registered the car in GA, you may then be required to return the plates to VT.  Here's their website:

http://www.aot.state.vt.us/dmv/SiteMap.htm

If the vehicle is not currently registered, then you need to get a temporary tag that will allow you to drive the vehicle between the two states (here in NY, they call it an "in-transit permit").  This can be obtained in VT or GA.  If you can't find the info on the website, just look for a "Contact Us" link on their page, and give them a call.