Badger

Hey folks,

I'm currently travelling through the US and I bought myself a beater in Seattle about a month ago. I gave the dealership my mum's UK address for the title, and the address of the hostel I'm in, in LA, for the new tags (old ones ran out a week ago and they included renewal in the sale).

Neither have arrived, so my car is currently "untagged" and languishing in a carpark. I also have a limit to how long I can stay here (not to mention the fact it's costing me money) as the hostel has limits on continuous stays.

So, can anyone give me an idea of how long it usually takes for a title to get processed and mailed out? And how long it should take tags to get generated and mailed?

Also, can I contact (the DMV I guess?) someone somewhere directly to try and sort it out or do I need to keep hassling the dealership?

Cheers for any help that anyone can give.

aklucsarits

In the US, it depends on the individual State's DMV to get the title done and sent to you. Some States have slightly different rules. But in all US states I know of, the State DMV will normally issue you some sort of temporary registration and tag while you wait for the title and license plate. Normally the only thing you need is a bill of sale or the original owner's title + proof that you have the vehicle insured. The temporary tags and registration will allow you to legally drive the car while you wait (possibly weeks) for the actual title and tags.

Andrew

Badger

I do have the temporary title and stuff, yeah, but I'll be wanting to sell the car on within the next month or so. And I assume I need the "permanent" title from the DMV to do so?

Temporary tags are on there, but they are the ones that expired last week (about a month after purchasing the car).