Thanks for the information, so all cars should get registration and temp plates. I'll update my previous answers.
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Registering in CA
- Thread author Zulyish
- Start date
Mine came with temp Colorado plates which I had to surrender to DMV.
There is a question on the form asking what will you do with the temp plate. i think the choices you can pick from are turn in to DMV or destroy it.
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I picked up & drove my car back from i25 Kia in Colorado to the Bay Area last week and just got it registered today, so I can share some details on the registration process from my end. I had a descent gap in-between the purchase date and actual date of entry to CA so might be interesting case to some.
You can check my signature on the exact dates, but when I ordered my vehicle and got my first ETA from the dealership, I was given late November (11/23) so I went ahead and booked a flight early December to avoid the holiday pricing on airfares. Turns out the vehicle arrived to the dealership way earlier than expected (11/5), but I checked the DMV website regarding registering out-of-state vehicle and when exactly fees are due and noted (like everyone else is mentioning) that as long as I register within 20 days from when I entered CA, it should be good so I wasn't too worried.
Since I started the documentation early, I already completed all my documents by early November and waited about a month to fly over. I then drove the vehicle back to CA through i80 route last week (first week of December; luckily, it's been a warm winter year for CO/WY/UT/NV so no snow at all).
I made the trip back in 2 days, got the smog check completed yesterday and registered today at my local DMV where my dealership sent the documentation to. Even got the CA plate on the spot. Pretty smooth process overall - just make sure to smog check, line up to the vehicle inspection line first before going inside, and bring your checkbook + any other documents noted on DMV.
TL;DR as long as on your REG343 form you mention when you enter CA (for me it was beginning of December), seems like you wouldn't be penalized, even if there's some gap between purchase date and date of entry to CA.
As for the temp plate from CO, similarly to SLPV's case, DMV did not take my temporary CO plate either. Cheers
You can check my signature on the exact dates, but when I ordered my vehicle and got my first ETA from the dealership, I was given late November (11/23) so I went ahead and booked a flight early December to avoid the holiday pricing on airfares. Turns out the vehicle arrived to the dealership way earlier than expected (11/5), but I checked the DMV website regarding registering out-of-state vehicle and when exactly fees are due and noted (like everyone else is mentioning) that as long as I register within 20 days from when I entered CA, it should be good so I wasn't too worried.
Since I started the documentation early, I already completed all my documents by early November and waited about a month to fly over. I then drove the vehicle back to CA through i80 route last week (first week of December; luckily, it's been a warm winter year for CO/WY/UT/NV so no snow at all).
I made the trip back in 2 days, got the smog check completed yesterday and registered today at my local DMV where my dealership sent the documentation to. Even got the CA plate on the spot. Pretty smooth process overall - just make sure to smog check, line up to the vehicle inspection line first before going inside, and bring your checkbook + any other documents noted on DMV.
TL;DR as long as on your REG343 form you mention when you enter CA (for me it was beginning of December), seems like you wouldn't be penalized, even if there's some gap between purchase date and date of entry to CA.
As for the temp plate from CO, similarly to SLPV's case, DMV did not take my temporary CO plate either. Cheers
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Glad to hear your process was smooth. To clarify, your vehicle arrived at the dealer on 11/5 so I'm guessing you completed all of the purchase paperwork a few days after that. So it took the dealer about 3 weeks to send the paperwork to DMV? Did you finance or purchase cash? I financed via Kia and I'm trying to gauge how long I should wait before I start bugging the dealer for DMV documentation. Thanks.I picked up & drove my car back from i25 Kia in Colorado to the Bay Area last week and just got it registered today, so I can share some details on the registration process from my end. I had a descent gap in-between the purchase date and actual date of entry to CA so might be interesting case to some.
You can check my signature on the exact dates, but when I ordered my vehicle and got my first ETA from the dealership, I was given late November (11/23) so I went ahead and booked a flight early December to avoid the holiday pricing on airfares. Turns out the vehicle arrived to the dealership way earlier than expected (11/5), but I checked the DMV website regarding registering out-of-state vehicle and when exactly fees are due and noted (like everyone else is mentioning) that as long as I register within 20 days from when I entered CA, it should be good so I wasn't too worried.
Since I started the documentation early, I already completed all my documents by early November and waited about a month to fly over. I then drove the vehicle back to CA through i80 route last week (first week of December; luckily, it's been a warm winter year for CO/WY/UT/NV so no snow at all).
I made the trip back in 2 days, got the smog check completed yesterday and registered today at my local DMV where my dealership sent the documentation to. Pretty smooth process overall - just make sure to smog check, line up to the vehicle inspection line first before going inside, and bring your checkbook + any other documents noted on DMV.
TL;DR as long as on your REG343 form you mention when you enter CA (for me it was beginning of the month), you shouldn't be penalized, even if there's some gap between purchase date and date of entry to CA.
As for the temp plate from CO, similarly to SLPV's case, DMV did not take my temporary CO plate either. Cheers
Exactly, I actually started my documentation on 11/1 and got all the docusign and mail-in documentations sent back and completed by around 11/9 (the purchase date is noted as 11/5/2021, since that's when the vehicle arrived to dealership).
I think I read somewhere that it can take up to 2-3 weeks for them to send the documentations over to DMV, but for me it was already there by the time I visited today (12/7). I didn't ask/remind the dealer to send it over, but I don't think it'll hurt to check with the sales/finance person if you won't have a big gap like I did though. For reference, I financed my vehicle as well.
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From Peak Littleton Kia in CO, car came with no plates. But I got Colorado temp ones a couple days later in the mail along with the pinks of dealer sale and purchase contract. I put the plate on the back and when I went after smog to DMV they didn’t do anything with it. Just left it on. I paid CA tax with Peak so I didn’t have to pay another penny more for vin verification. I just send that paper and the smog back and my plates will be mailed directly to me.
Just recently got my Telluride from i25 as well. Was told that my Colorado temp is good for 60 days. Does that override the need to get it registered in CA <20 days? They said it may take a few weeks to get the paperwork to my DMV.
Still need to start registration process with DMV within 20 days, whether or not paperwork arrives. Temporary plate just allows use of car until real plates come. See earlier postings for steps.
For those of you who financed, how long it takes for your lien holder to receive the title? I'm in this weird state that I'm not sure where the title is (I've never seen/received it) and I can't get much info from all three party involved (DMV, bank, dealer).
I received a message from my bank saying title still not received. I registered in CA DMV 11/19 and got the card and plates, but they likely don't have the title at the time (my registration says "No title issued, contact CA DMV for CA TITLE info"). My bank is listed correctly as lien holder as I specified in reg343 though. Contacted dealer and they just said mail will be sent in the order of vehicle purchases so again I am in the dark of not knowing if they sent out the title or not.
There seems no way for me to know where the title is. Thoughts?
I received a message from my bank saying title still not received. I registered in CA DMV 11/19 and got the card and plates, but they likely don't have the title at the time (my registration says "No title issued, contact CA DMV for CA TITLE info"). My bank is listed correctly as lien holder as I specified in reg343 though. Contacted dealer and they just said mail will be sent in the order of vehicle purchases so again I am in the dark of not knowing if they sent out the title or not.
There seems no way for me to know where the title is. Thoughts?
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HairyMilkshakes
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Write up was too long. Here's a quick summary:
*Ensure you instruct your dealer to mail title to the DMV branch you will be visiting prior to going there*
1. Complete CA REG 353: https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/file/application-for-title-or-registration-reg-343-pdf/
2. Get a smog test + certificate (~$48 all in). Have hard copy on hand for DMV visit
3. Have bill of sale for the vehicle on hand (not necessary, but recommended in case CA DMV can't find records of you paying use tax out of state)
4. Wait at the DMV:
- Go to the DMV, get in line (if no appointment)
- Check in, they will review your docs on hand, and instruct you take your vehicle around to be inspected
- A DMV rep will inspect your car for mechanical/cosmetic issues and give you a certification
- Take it inside, wait to pay for plates and registration
My total including 1960 style plates was ~$600 (paid with card, so subtract 2.5% fee if you are paying debit/cash). In and out of the DMV in ~2 to 3 hrs.
*Ensure you instruct your dealer to mail title to the DMV branch you will be visiting prior to going there*
1. Complete CA REG 353: https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/file/application-for-title-or-registration-reg-343-pdf/
2. Get a smog test + certificate (~$48 all in). Have hard copy on hand for DMV visit
3. Have bill of sale for the vehicle on hand (not necessary, but recommended in case CA DMV can't find records of you paying use tax out of state)
4. Wait at the DMV:
- Go to the DMV, get in line (if no appointment)
- Check in, they will review your docs on hand, and instruct you take your vehicle around to be inspected
- A DMV rep will inspect your car for mechanical/cosmetic issues and give you a certification
- Take it inside, wait to pay for plates and registration
My total including 1960 style plates was ~$600 (paid with card, so subtract 2.5% fee if you are paying debit/cash). In and out of the DMV in ~2 to 3 hrs.
Turns out the dealer I am working with (i25) is being sold at the moment and everything is quite scrambled.
Lender requested the title from dealer and i25 sent it (certificate or origination) to them, which is no use and they relayed back it with a copy of reg343, ca tax to me. I brought it back to DMV and the clerk was a bit confused but seemed to have it sorted out after talking to their senior staff and told me they have to find my original application with the CO registration paper. Once that is done title should be generated. They also gave me a new registration card which removed the line "No Title Issued". Fingers crossed.
Same exact experience I just had… Except I was in an out for all of the above in 20 minutes! No appointment…
HairyMilkshakes
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People crowd into the facility in the morning. There's usually no one in line around mid-day so your best bet is to go near noon time.
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Just finished doing this in the Bay Area. Went relatively smoothly. Had to go to 2 DMVs because the documents were sent to another branch. I wasn't expecting the documents to make it and just wanted to get the process started ( and avoid the penalty) so it was a welcome surprise. FYI, got the car from i25. All in all, took me about 3.5 hours. Including a trip to 2 DMVs and having to get back in line 3x, and vehicle inspection.
When did you take delivery of the vehicle and how long did it take for I25 to send the paperwork to DMV? I took delivery on 12/4 and have an appt with the dmv next week on 12/23, one day before the 20th day expires. I’m hoping the paperwork will arrive before then so I don’t have to go twice. Worried the change of ownership at the dealership might slow things down.
zuhaib
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So in my case, after the car was delivered i-25 went radio silent when it came to anything about DMV. I text'ed, emailed and they never replied if they sent the paperwork or any ETA. After a while of waiting, I decided to get smog and go into the DMV
Get inspect and go inside and they say first they cant find my paperwork and the lady tells me I need to come back, and just fuge the dates if things go past 20 days. I push on her and mention I have the bill of sale from i-25 so she says let me take that and check some more. She tells me the process has already started and then informs me the paperwork came in less than a week ago and I should get the forum and everything in the mail from DMV and since I already got inspected I should be able to just mail it back. Well, the next day in the mail is a letter from the DMV saying I need to come in and finish the forum, bring smog and inspect and pay around $500 in fees but no option to mail it back. I cant find any appt so I plan sometime next week to try and show up early morning and get it all done.
All in all not bad, just wish i-25 would have replied saying "Hey we sent everything x day" so I could do some basic math to figure out when it would get to the DMV. Not sure if they knew my DMV would already process it and just mail it to me later, that seems to be something unique to my location vs what I read in this forum.
Get inspect and go inside and they say first they cant find my paperwork and the lady tells me I need to come back, and just fuge the dates if things go past 20 days. I push on her and mention I have the bill of sale from i-25 so she says let me take that and check some more. She tells me the process has already started and then informs me the paperwork came in less than a week ago and I should get the forum and everything in the mail from DMV and since I already got inspected I should be able to just mail it back. Well, the next day in the mail is a letter from the DMV saying I need to come in and finish the forum, bring smog and inspect and pay around $500 in fees but no option to mail it back. I cant find any appt so I plan sometime next week to try and show up early morning and get it all done.
All in all not bad, just wish i-25 would have replied saying "Hey we sent everything x day" so I could do some basic math to figure out when it would get to the DMV. Not sure if they knew my DMV would already process it and just mail it to me later, that seems to be something unique to my location vs what I read in this forum.
