How to Register a New Car You Just Bought in Jacksonville, Florida

Jacksonville, Florida, is intersected by two major highways, Interstate 95 and Interstate 10. Situated where the St. Johns River meets the Atlantic Ocean, traffic patterns in the area are often intense. For insurance purposes as well as to avoid a ticket, be sure to register any new vehicles you buy in Jacksonville as soon as possible to comply with state Department of Motor Vehicles requirements. In case you are in an accident or asked to show your current registration as part of a routine traffic stop, it is to your advantage to have your registration materials up-to-date.

Instructions

1

Ask the dealer or person who sold you the car to fill out and provide you with a copy of the bill of sale and also a certificate of title showing that the vehicle is signed over to you. You need these documents to apply for a new title in your name. Some dealers or car sellers may accompany you to the nearest tax collector/title office to do the title transfer on the spot. Others may simply turn the old title over to you, in which case you need to have the vehicle identification number checked to make sure that you have purchased a legal vehicle.

2

Verify your vehicle identification number if you did not buy your new car in Jacksonville from a dealer who provided this service. You can do this online by putting your VIN into the Vehicle Information Check page provided on the website of the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (see link in Resources). Print out the verification that your vehicle identification number fits the vehicle you purchased and mail it to the DMV-Neil Kirkman Building, 2900 Apalachee Parkway, Tallahassee, FL 32399-0500, accompanied by your completed application for a certificate of title as well as sales tax on the car and a one-time new registration fee.

3

Wait to receive your new title. In the meantime, use the temporary 30-day tag from the dealer or person who sold you the car. Since Florida tags are not transferable, you must display this temporary tag while you are waiting to receive your title, proof of insurance cards and other documentation required to register your new car.

4

Go to one of the nine Jacksonville-area Motor Vehicle Service offices (see list of locations in References/Resources) with a copy of your car title, or your loan papers if you do not own your car outright, as well as your proof of insurance and residency. If you do not have one of the new Florida licenses, keep in mind that you must prove citizenship as well as residency. You receive registration papers as well as a metal license plate with a registration sticker for the current year. This replaces the temporary tags you received when you bought the car.

5

Install your new Florida/Duval County license plate on your new car. Keep your new car's registration as well as your driver's license and your proof of insurance with you or in your car at all times. You are required to produce all three upon request of law enforcement, especially when you are pulled over or involved in an accident.