My car is registered in NY but I now live in NC. The registration actually expired in December 2008 but I still have the insurance on the car. As the car needs work I don’t drive it.
I now have to get an NC license. You need liability insurance to do this. My insurance company knows the car is in NC but I haven’t had them re-write the policy to NC yet.
If I change the insurance to NC to get my license will this affect my standing in NY? In other words, will I be fined because I have NY plates but not NY insurance. I can’t get NC plates until I get their insurance and apparently you turn the old plates into them.
Any help is most appreciated. Thanks.
Since you don’t drive it, yo should be able to keep it without having to register it and get plates…unless, of course, you have to park on the street.
If you now live in NC why would you be worried about affecting your “standing” in NY?
Why not just get it insured and registered in NC?
I’m afraid that if I have NC insurance on a car with NY plates that NY will fine me.
You live in NC now, correct?
Why would you not get NC insurance and registration?
What are you avoiding?
If you are now a resident of N.C., New York State is no longer in the picture. The N.Y. plates are expired, invalid. End of story. Register and insure the car in Carolina or don’t bother until you wish to put the car back in service. If it’s on private property, no problem. If it’s on the street, sooner or later it will be ticketed and you will be forced to register it, move it, or dispose of it…
Don’t worry about it. You might get fined for driving expired NY plates, but only if you drive it. Just do whatever it takes to register and license the car (and you) in NC. A nice bonus may be a big reduction in insurance cost, depending of where your old home was and new home is.
I appreciate the responses folks. I don’t drive the car and it is on private property. I don’t drive it because the reg is expired as is the inspection. My main concern is that I don’t want to be fined for holding on to NY plates. Apparently, that’s not an issue. Now, I need to change a hazard switch so I can pass inspection. That ought to be a blast.
When you go for you NC driver’s license take the title for the car, the old NY plate and a copy of the NY registration. Fill out the paperwork, pay the fees, and see if you can turn in your NY plate to the NC DMV office. If so, get a receipt for the plate you turn in so you can prove to your insurance company and NYS that the plate was turned in properly.
When you get your NC plate you can put it on the car and drive it immediately. You will have a few days, 14 in most states, to get the car inspected. If it fails for some reason you have a few days to get repairs and have it reinspected.
Since 911 many states have upgraded their proof of residency and ID requirements. Typically you’ll need some utility bills, or bank statements showing your NC address, valid credit card, social security card, old Driver’s license, birth certificate, and if you have a passport bring that too. The more you have the more likely you can get it all done in one trip.
Relax. You’ve done nothing wrong by holding on to NY plates. NY has no limit on holding their plates for folks who’ve moved. You keep the physical plates eternally and they simply deactiave the number of you don’t reregister.
The controlling statute is in NC. It’ll require a NC plate within a specific time of your having moved to NC IF you drive (or park) the car on the road. As long as it’s on private property and not being driven there is no requirement to register it. It in essence just becomes a lawn ornament.
Vehicle regulations are for the safety of people on the roads. They’re to control the driving, not the property.
NY nor insurance will not fine you. The only fine may be if you are caught driving with expired plates. They could care less about current state as long as you are not driving it around. If you are caught driving any state with expired plates you will be fined.
Before you get involved with the hazard switch, make sure it is part of the Carolina inspection…Go to a near-by station and ask them…
Thanks for the info folks. My assumption it that most states probably do inspect hazards. Its sort of an intermittent problem and the fuses are OK. I’m thinking what it might be is the turn signal relay.
The insurance agent you delt with in NY can NOT issue you insurance in NC. You MUST see an agent in NC.
I’d be very surprised if you can actually get insurance (LEGALLY) in NC with NY plates. Insurance is NOT national. Yes there are insurance companies that are nation wide…but they are actually different charters in each state. Mainly because each state has their own set of laws governing auto’s and insurance.
Second…wouldn’t it just be easier and cheaper to just register and insure the car in NC??? Doesn’t NC have any laws against this??? Are you in the Military???
If I change the insurance to NC to get my license will this affect my standing in NY?
What standing in NY are you talking about? I don’t understand.
Something is really confusing here!! Are you talking about a drivers license??? Why do you need ANY insurance to get a drivers license??
You can have a drivers license in one state and have the car registered in another. But only under special circumstances.
You can NOT have a car registered in one state, but insured in another. You need to register it and insure it in the state you live. MA has been cracking down on people who register and insure their cars in NH because it’s cheaper here in NH. Which makes me wonder why someone would want to keep their car registered and insured in NY then NC.
I’m not quite sure what the poster is asking but I do know you have to have liability insurance in NC to get a driver’s license:
http://www.ncdot.org/dmv/driver_services/drivingpublic/applying.html#Step%201
This applies even if you don’t have a car. They put restrictions on your license if you don’t. Can’t you just call your insurance company and have them rewrite the policy to NC?
From the NC DMV website:
Proof of Liability Insurance:
Proof of liability insurance includes providing insurance documents such as:
* DMV form DL-123;
* or an original liability insurance policy binder;
* or an insurance card with: your name, policy number, issue and expiration date.
The liability insurance documents must show your name, the effective date of policy, the expiration date of the policy, and the date the policy was issued.
Even if you do not own or drive a currently registered vehicle you may still apply for a license, but a restriction will be placed on your driver license. This restriction limits you to only driving “fleet vehicles” and costs $10.00 when you are ready to remove it from your license.
For the complete description of liability insurance visit the Driver’s Handbook: Chapter 1 - Requirements.
Did you read the link you posted??
Says you must have proof of Liability insurance on your car. If the OP keeps the car registered and insured in NY then the NC DMV has no record of his car and thus the Liability insurance is NOT needed. If for some reason he does NEED to get liability insurance in NC then it MUST BE REGISTERED THERE. Insurance is issued from the state the car is registered in. And a NY insurance agent can NOT issue a NC insurance policy. He’s NOT LICENSED in NC to issue a NC insurance policy.
What if you don’t own a car?? I work with 3 people who have drivers licenses and don’t own a car…All three single and take public transportation (Boston) to and from work.
This comes back to my earlier question about having LEGAL residence in NC, yet having the car registered in another. I’d be very surprised if NC allows this. Again I’ll ask this question to the OP…ARE YOU IN THE MILITARY???
Questions need to be answered. We’re all guessing here.
Thankfully, it’s not MA.
Here, you must turn in your plates or you can’t cancel your insurance.
Secondly, if your car is visible, even on private property, it must be registered.