<p>I am trying to help my D22 figure out where she should register her car. She has tried making some phone calls and has not received a clear answer.
For text purposes she is our dependent and a resident of Ca. She has a Ca drivers license.
She has been going to school in Florida for the last 18 months. She bought a car with her own money in Florida. She registered the car in her own name. Purchased car insurance in her name for Florida.
She is going to be a transfer student in the fall in Indiana. She will be driving from Florida to Indiana. Her Florida car registration expires in August.
After talking to the Indiana DMV it appears that only Indiana residents can register a car in Indiana. Full time college students from another state are not considered Indiana residents. She is now totally confused as to where she can register her car. She knows she needs to have it registered somewhere.
She can not register the car in our home state of Ca since the vehicle is not presently in Ca. She could renew it in Florida before she moves but that doesn’t seem legit but it gives her some time to figure out what to do.
Her car insurance is with Geico so she can switch her policy by just making a phone call. She could end up with a car registered in Florida, a license from Ca and insurance in Indiana. It doesn’t seem quite legal.
Any advice?</p>
<p>If she lives off-campus in Indiana, can she just register the car there and shut up about being a college student? It’s only if she lives on campus that her address obviously indicates her occupation, right?</p>
<p>Or maybe she should just re-register the car in Florida. It’s not quite legit but neither is the fact that the “system” can’t accommodate college students. Having to drive the car to California to register it would be ridiculous.</p>
<p>I think she should re-register it in Florida to buy herself some time to figure it out.</p>
<p>She may not be able to establish Indiana residency for purposes of in-state tuition, but she can register to vote, get a driver’s license, and register a car, I would think. Check with the school she will be attending to find out if there is an ombudsperson who can help her find out more. Good luck.</p>
<p>She re registered the car in Florida. Florida registration is fairly inexpensive. This will give her time to figure out if she can register it in Indiana without being without any car registration. This is my high anxiety kid who worries.
Lorelei- that is what she was able to do in Florida. Register to vote and register the car. She prefers to keep the Ca drivers license as she plans to come back here after graduating.</p>
<p>Keep the Florida registration. If she drives the car home during the long winter break, then re-register it back to your California address.</p>
<p>Some states require the owner of the car to have a drivers license from that state. Probably the car insurance needs to be where the car registration and usage is. It is an intricate maze. Good luck!</p>