Registering a Vehicle in FL without actually being there?

[TucsonAZ]

I'm preparing to switch my life to full time RVing at the very least for 2023 so I'm trying to figure out how to navigate a truck I just bought. I will be heading to FL, I will likely make it my actual home base so I would prefer to just register in there right from the start. Has anybody else done this or will I need to be there in person?


It will be going in a Wyoming Corporation name if that changes things. When I get the motorhome in a few months I would like to do the same thing with that though I can drive that there if need be.

[klspahr]

You could try eTags.com

I used them for my Roadtrek registration and plates. Back in December you had to make an appointment to do it in person and there were no appointment slots available for over a month! That was in the Cape Coral area.

[TucsonAZ]

Originally Posted by klspahr

You could try eTags.com

I used them for my Roadtrek registration and plates. Back in December you had to make an appointment to do it in person and there were no appointment slots available for over a month! That was in the Cape Coral area.

Interesting, I mean, they let me just wiz through the process and don't ask for anything but a fee at the end with some future fees to go along with it. I wonder how it actually works with them? What were things like for you, did you go through the online process too?

[twinboat]

I registered my RV and one car in person in FL., but needed an address to give them, used a friend's house.

My old pickup, that never left NY, was done by phone and mail.
The agent told me what was needed and the address to send it to. They even refunded 1/2 my fee due to the age of the truck.

FL requires a VIN check that they do in person if your there. They also have an affidavit that you can use. It gets signed by a LEO after they verify the VIN#. My son was a NYPD cop and he signed off on it.

There is about a $500. first title fee and each county adds a surcharge, so you want to shop for a low surcharge County. The county you use will also effect your insurance rates.

I've been told that Hendry county is cheap.

[Hpozzuoli]

Unless you already have property or an address to use in Florida you won’t be able to register it there yet. I have a place in Naples (Collier Country), but I use an address in Pompano. My main home is in RI so I use etags for all my Florida dmv needs. Etags only operates in a select number of states.

When buying an already registered Florida vehicle you don’t have to physically go to the dmv. Etags can be your proxy. I bought my current rig from someone who had it registered in FL. His main home was in RI as well, but since we both had Florida property (and had it already registered down in FL) it allowed us to do everything via the internet.

Not to mention no annual inspections down there. Only draw back is insurance was almost double using my Florida address vs RI.

[hohenwald48]

Yeah, you may save a few bucks on tags in FL but you'll likely come out way behind on the insurance. Might not be worth it.

[Danny969]

You need an address in FL to register there. Sign up with a mail forwarder in Florida and they will give you an address. Not sure if you can register a vehicle the first time online as they need to verify the VIN, but you can probably get an affidavit.

[capecodbob]

Seriously, consider a Montana LLC. All done by online get tags sent to you, no sales tax, no need for residency. You will be traveling full time so perfectly legal.
Decide what state you will use as your domicile and use a mail forwarding co that allows you to use their address as a legal address. Many in FL that are rv parks and forward mail.
Escapees, Good Sam and many smaller rv parks do this.
Luck
Wish I had done that.
Texas, South Dakota are states that are listed as friendly to RV'ers but you have to go there.
Montana just call a law office. You can google them . Some specialize.
You may find a source on this forum.