QuestionQUESTION: I will be moving to CA on June 1st. I currently live in VA, and my brother is giving me his car(which is in MA) I want to avoid paying Title fee/Registration fee, insurance requirement fees for a few weeks, and then having to do the same out in CA. This will be the first time that I will be owning a car, and I lack the knowledge at this point to know the right answer...can you help me?
I want to ship the car on May 30th(since it will take a week to get to CA) I'm not sure whether to ship it from Va or from MA. Can you give me a step-by-step breakdown on what course of action to take days before and days after this date? I get confused with Title change, who would be insuring the car while its being shipped, when should my brother drop insurance and I pick it up, should I have the signed Title transfer papers in my hands when I fly out to CA?
Thanks again for any help you can offer.
ANSWER: Lucca,
This is a very detailed question, and required a very detailed answer, so I apologize in advance for the length of this answer.
Lets approach this one step at a time. First, you do not have to pay title and registration fees twice. You have 30 days to register the vehicle that is being given to you. If your brother gives it to you around 30 days before you move to CA, then you are fine. Just make sure that you have some sort of identification on you and your brother stating that he has given you the vehicle and the date in which the transaction took place simply to protect yourself if you happen to be pulled over by a police officer. You will need to make sure that you have insurance on the vehicle from the day in which you take ownership. Your brother can drop insurance on the vehicle that same day. It doesn't really matter from where you ship the vehicle from. It simply depends on whichever is easiest for you. Most freight companies that will ship vehicles will require that you have full coverage insurance in order to ship the vehicle. This simply protects them. During the actual shipping process the shipper or freight company will be insuring the vehicle while it is in their hands. They will have to provide you with that proof that the they have current insurance, and they will. You will need to call the freight company and explain the whole process. Let them know that the vehicle will be in your brothers name and make sure that they do not require some type of documentation as to that affect. They probably won't, but you need to be prepared just in case. Secondly, upon the vehicles delivery in CA, you will need to register it quite quickly. In fact it needs to be one of the first things that you do. I would call the California title office in the county where you are moving, and request information as to what they may need since the vehicle is currently in your brothers name. If the vehicle has no lein, and your brother has the title, he will need to sign the title over to you and you will probably need to have a copy of this drivers license as well just for the title office to verify his signature on the title. You will then surrender the MA title to them, and they will issue you plates, registration, and within 4 to 6 weeks you will receive a CA title in the mail. So to answer your last question, you need to have all of the signed papers and transfer paperwork for the state of CA signed and filled out when you get to the title office in CA. If you call the title office they can tell you exactly what you need so that you have everything. You can also go onto the website DMV.org and print out a title application for the vehicle and have that filled out as well.
I hope that this has answered your question.
If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact me with those questions.
Good Luck, and Thanks -
Jeremy
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: For starters, I can't thank you enough for the information you provided, AND I apologize in advance for my embarrassing lack of knowledge in car ownership. After reading your detailed response, I was confused with 2 things(which has nothing to do with how you labeled it, it has all to do with my not knowing)
You mentioned "you will need to make sure you have insurance on the vehicle from the day in which you take ownership. Your brother drops the insurance that same day"......Does taking ownership mean when the car is dropped off to me in VA? If so, does that mean the insurance for the car is under my name even though the transfer of Title has not taken place, since that will happen in CA?
The rest I believe I understand fully(i.e. Calling the CA county where I'm moving to, and determine the paperwork that needs to be completed in terms of Title Application, along with having the paperwork of my brother signing over the title to me)
AS stated before, I apologize for my ignorance in this matter. I truly appreciate all your time and help.
Lucca
ANSWER: Lucca,
There is no need to apologize for any lack of Knowledge. If everyone knew everything we would never need sites like this.
To answer your questions, yes the minute that you take ownership or possession of the vehicle you need to have insurance. It doesn't matter if the vehicle is under your name or not. You just need to protect your investment.
I hope this helps. If you have any other questions about this process, please do not hesitate to ask. No question is to stupid.
Thanks -
Jeremy
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Thanks! And one final question: The insurance company I select MUST be licensed to do business in CA, right?
Thanks again for all your time and help!
AnswerLucca,
Yes, it must be licensed in the State of California. Most insurance companies are. I would call the insurance agent and tell them of your plans, and what you are planning on doing, and they will make sure that it is handled correctly on their end.
Let me know if you have any other questions. I will be glad to answer them.
Thanks - Jeremy
