Seeking advice: Registering vehicle after PCS from OCONUS, and at a temporary duty station (school, course, etc)
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Hopefully this is post is in the right place. I’ll get straight to the point. I just PCS’d from an OCONUS duty station to a temporary duty station for basic recruiting course. (Though this should apply to anyone else in a similar circumstance) I’m in California, however, I will only be here for a short time. I shipped my vehicle from Germany to California. I have to register my vehicle in order to drive it. The problem that arises is that It doesn’t make sense to register my vehicle with the state of California if I’m not going to reside here and leave soon. The Registration fees, smoke test and other meticulous fees come out to $400-$500. California does not issue temp plates unless you intend to register in the state. I spoke to the DMV about the unique circumstances as I found the website lacking any substantial information or guidelines for folks in my situation. They told me two things. They mentioned I could get a “one trip permit” which will allow you to legally drive your vehicle out of the state of California to your next destination. They then referred me to the DMV HQ to seek a permission letter for temp plates so I can drive my vehicle around while I’m here and not just the day prior to leaving. This in turn would solve the issue and you could legally drive your vehicle not only from duty station to duty station but also around the local area while here. This however is not a guarantee, and I have yet to get ahold of them as the telephone wait time is outrageously long. I am also going to attempt reaching out to the DMV of the location I will be going to, to see if they can work with me to get temp plates. I will update as I see results, or lack there of. Hopefully this post gains some momentum or gets some feedback so it can help not only myself but folks in the future who find themself in a similar predicament. If anyone has had a similar experience and have some advice, it would be greatly appreciated!
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