Trip Permit?

Joined
28 December 2005
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426
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Portland, OR
There is always more paperwork ... thanks DMV! So, if I purchase a car from out of state and want to drive to back to my home state to be registered, I guess I need a Trip Permit. But is it to be issued by the seller's state or the buyer's state? I am thinking seller's state because that is where I will get the title in hand. Please provide some feedback. Thanks.
 
I would think that if the car has up to date registration in the state that you are purchasing it from, there should not be an issue with driving it back to your state? I drove my NSX home across 2 state borders, about 600 miles, with tabs that had expired many years prior, though I would not recommend this.
 
I had to get one from my Virginia DMV when I went to New Jersey to pick up my car. Did I *need* to? I certainly never got pulled over, but I just felt better playing by the rules.
 
In most states where you're buying the car, you're required to get a temporary registration, good for 10-30 days, which will enable you to drive from there to your home state, where you'll then need to get the title transferred and the vehicle permanently registered. The temporary registration is usually very inexpensive. In some states it consists of a cardboard temporary plate which goes in the license plate holder; in others it's a sticker that goes onto the rear window.

If you don't get a temporary registration, you may not get pulled over on the way, and if you are you may or may not get cited for a lack of registration. But I wouldn't risk it. It's easy enough to stop by the local DMV office with the seller, to pick up the temporary registration.

You should NOT use the seller's plates, which belong to the seller and which he may wish to transfer to another vehicle. If you use the seller's plates and you then get pulled over, you may be putting yourself in a difficult situation, even if you have the signed vehicle title with you. Don't do it!

Most state DMV websites are very informative and have all the information you need to proceed. For example, the Oregon DMV website tells you what you'll need to title and register the car bought out of state (click here). In which state are you buying a car?
 
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Not sure yet, but chances are high it is going to be CA or WA :)

In most states where you're buying the car, you're required to get a temporary registration, good for 10-30 days, which will enable you to drive from there to your home state, where you'll then need to get the title transferred and the vehicle permanently registered. The temporary registration is usually very inexpensive. In some states it consists of a cardboard temporary plate which goes in the license plate holder; in others it's a sticker that goes onto the rear window.

If you don't get a temporary registration, you may not get pulled over on the way, and if you are you may or may not get cited for a lack of registration. But I wouldn't risk it. It's easy enough to stop by the local DMV office with the seller, to pick up the temporary registration.

You should NOT use the seller's plates, which belong to the seller and which he may wish to transfer to another vehicle. If you use the seller's plates and you then get pulled over, you may be putting yourself in a difficult situation, even if you have the signed vehicle title with you. Don't do it!

Most state DMV websites are very informative and have all the information you need to proceed. For example, the Oregon DMV website tells you what you'll need to title and register the car bought out of state (click here). In which state are you buying a car?
 
I drove without a plate from SF to NC.

Bill of sale + insurance + bags under your eyes = legit

On any private party transfer that I have done I have always let the buyer take my plates for a few days while they get everything squared away, and I have got that in return for all of my PP deals.
 
I drove without a plate from SF to NC.

Bill of sale + insurance + bags under your eyes = legit
Looking over the state DMV websites, that may be sufficient. For example, the California DMV says that when you buy a car, you have 10 days to transfer the title and register it. So assuming you're driving it back home within a day or two of buying it, presumably you don't need anything from California, and you can wait till you get back to Oregon to do all the paperwork.
 
all of my cars that i had to drive back i politely asked the seller to leave the plate on and they didnt have a problem as long as i had insurance and signed a paper saying i would cover anything that happened. overnighted the plates back and no issues with any of em.
 
my tsx I drove with no plates back no issues, but it was middle of the night and speed limit the whole way lol.

I bought the NSX in CO and got temp tags from the dmv for like 7 bucks.
 
I flew to Baltimore once to purchase a car and just drove it back & wrote "in transit" on it.. probably not the most legal way to do it.
I spent the night at a Motel 6 in Columbus, OH and there were shots fired around 3 am.
I ended up checking out shortly after figuring I wouldn't get much more sleep the rest of the night. I drove by quite a few officers with no issues. It was a crazy night.

As for my NSX I flew to Reno, NV, but the owner worked at the Honda Dealership and they had a bunch of DMV transport permits on hand and he just filled it out and gave it to me.

In both cases I had a bill of sale and had proof on insurance. I've had my NSX for 5 yrears. The other car I purchased approximately in the spring of 2000.

I did get pulled over in the NSX on my trip home. So it was probably good I had the DMV permit. I was doing 80 in a 75, but didn't have plates and it seemed like the Utah State trooper was just wanting to give me some grief.

You should be able to check on the state's DMV.

I know, I wasn't much help. In my NSX situation having the previous owner working at a dealership, helped cover all the bases for me. (It was his personal car)
 
I used the sellers plate and registration. As soon as I got home, went to my DMV and mailed back the plate. As long as the seller is willing to wait a few days to transfer the plate, I think this is the easiest way to go. This is no different than borrowing a friends car. You have their permission. If you get into an accident, your insurance should cover you.
 
Looking over the state DMV websites, that may be sufficient. For example, the California DMV says that when you buy a car, you have 10 days to transfer the title and register it. So assuming you're driving it back home within a day or two of buying it, presumably you don't need anything from California, and you can wait till you get back to Oregon to do all the paperwork.

I live in CA and recently bought an NSX that was in Texas. Prior to leaving CA I went to local DMV and purchased a trip permit for less than $20. IT was blank and to be filled out when trip was started. I bought the car, filled out the registration, slapped it on the right lower corner of the windshield and drove the NSX home over the next 4 days, taking my time and enjoying Rte 66 along the way. I passed by MANY police vehicles and never got pulled over and there was no visible plate on the car front or rear.
 
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