I have an older car that most likely will not pass emissions. I plan on moving to Chicago in July of this year. My car is registered in TN, where I live. I will maintain this address as well when I move. But, I NEED to have a drivers license in the state i work in for my profession. I will notify my insurance about my move.
So now that you have that info, Can I get a drivers license in IL, have car insurance in IL, maintain my residency and also my car registration in TN?
I would change everything over if my car was worth more than the repair cost to pass emissions, but it isnāt. My car is completely sound and looks great otherwise, so theres no reason to get rid of it. If itās really illegal to have a DL and registration in different states, Iām just going to have to pick somewhere else to move without emissions testing.
I was told by my spouse that theres no way it would pass emissions. I trust her since she is from there. But any info you have on why a car would fail emissions that is under a 800 dollar fix is usefulā¦ but Iāve been told itās more expensive than that.
You are asking for legal advice. Laws vary by state. You have to read Illinois laws.
Without a LOT more information about your car, no one here can tell you why your car would fail emission testing and/or what it would cost.
If your mechanic is telling you it is āmore than thatā, how did you come up with less than $800?
Your carās registration shouldnāt have anything to do with you getting a license. The issue is more ācan I live and drive in IL with a car registered in TNā, isnāt it?
Did you even bother to do a Google search such as ( Does Illinois have emission testing ) . I did and found a very informative site that listed the counties that required testing and more information than non Illinois residents on a forum can provide.
Each state is differentā¦but in general you need to register your vehicles within a certain time period (usually a couple months) after moving to that state. There are exceptions - like if youāre working/living there temporarily. But youāll need to keep your drivers license in the state where you register the vehicle.
Canāt speak for other states but in Oklahoma you donāt need a vehicle to have a drivers license and you can own a vehicle without a drivers license . Our esteemed moderator Carolyn is an example of that .
Reminds me of the case few years back, riding with my boss in his F150 in Virginia, which was registered at his Florida residence.
He was pulled over for making 50+ in 35 MPH zone:
B: officer, Iām sorry Iāve probably did not notice a signā¦
O: to help your vision, here you go with citation for speedingā¦ hey, your safety inspection is expired!
B: oh, sorry, I forgot about itā¦
O: here you go with citation for inspection violationā¦ hey, when did you get to Florida last time?
B: around May?
O: here you go with citation for failure to register your car in Virginia within 60 daysā¦
that was quite a ride to catch 3 citations in one go
No. But since his vehicle must be registered where his a residenceā¦and your drivers license is your proof of residenceā¦then the vehicle registration state will need to match his drivers license. Get pulled over by a cop and with a vehicle registered in TN and a drivers license registered in another stateā¦you stand a good chance of getting a ticket.
It happens all the time here in MA. People live in MA and have a MA drivers license, but they register the car in NH (for cheaper insurance or no insurance). MA is really trying to crack down on these peopleā¦itās a never ending battle though.
Noā¦itās BOTH. Same scenario as above, but this time the DL and registration match (doesnāt matter what state)ā¦you wonāt be given a ticket for driving an unregistered car.
I have a guy that works for me right now with a DL and vehicle Registration from NC. Been here for 2 years. Heāll switch when he gets caught and is forced to. But right now heās enjoying the 40-80% less insurance rate. If he got a MA license (where he rents a Condo), then heād be forced to get his vehicle registered in MA. So far heās been lucky,
Yeah best check with DMV. Interesting that it applies to boat licenses too. We have a cabin in South Dakota. If I have a boat with a MN license where I live, but store it in South Dakota, it is supposed to return to Minnesota something like no more than 60 days or requires a South Dakota license. I donāt think you can have both plastered on the side of the boat. So legally you couldnāt have your boat at a SD storage facility for the winter. Gets a little nuts but what do you do if you are stopped and questioned by DNR? Lie which is a crime, or confess which is a crime?
There are a lot of considerations in the situation you want, and the following are some that you might consider.
You should look into, and possibly rely, on two related but different legal concepts: domicile vs residence.
Generally, domicile is a physical address where a person intends to reside as a permanent home, even if the person currently resides elsewhere. Domicile has both residency (either current or future) and intent to remain as factors. Residence is only about current residency and intent doesnāt matter.
Unless revealed by you, your intent is only known to you, and only pieced together by everyone else.
So IF you have a TN address that is your intended domicile, it fits with you having a car registration tied to that address. If your car is titled in TN, thatās more evidence of your intended domicile.
Living in IL, and getting an IL driverās license, does not necessarily change your intent regarding your domicile.
As for practical matters, you can see about (legally) getting an IL license without giving up your TN license. It might mean going thru the full IL driverās test, as opposed to an shortened test, but it would let you avoid the practical problem of being pulled over in IL with only an IL license and a TN registration for your car.
You can also look into whether there is an IL requirement for cars used in IL to be registered in IL ā in some states, registration is used to assess property tax on cars, so those states care about the registration
Last, you should be sure that your insurance policy covers the arrangement you want BECAUSE insurance companies set rates and coverage based on the registration address as indicating where the vehicle will be primarily used, and TN is not the same as IL.
If His license is a CDL. he can NOT have a license issued by more than one state.
I worked for a trucking co. in ny and we had one dispatcher from Ohio who moved to NY but kept his plates and insurance in Ohio because it was much cheaper. One of the other dispatchers borrowed his car to go out with one of the women in the office. He got in an accident, put the woman through the windshield and they both wound up in the ICU, she was scarred for life and the insurance company denied all claims because of fraud.
In NY, when you move from another state you have 30 days to get NY registration and inspection.
I had a co-worker friend who owned a Honda Prelude, registered in Vancouver Canada BC. The BC license plates look very similar to Calif plates, so she just kept using the BC plates. Never had any problem, other than she had to park inside her garage at night. Other people at the same business trying to do this same trick eventually got caught. If the plates are obviously non-California, like a completely different color, the Calif police will eventually catch on to that and give you a ticket on your way to work one day. In Calif youād be better of just removing your license plates than driving with plates from a different state. Can drive all you like w/no plates here.
