Licensing, insurance and the law
You move to California bringing your car with you. How long do you have to register it here?
- 20 days from becoming a resident or getting a job in California. Correct answer
- 30 days from becoming a resident or getting a job in California.
- Five days from becoming a resident or getting a job in California.
Why
Twenty days, counted from becoming a resident or taking a job in California. The other two numbers are real, and both belong somewhere else. The 30 days are how long your vehicle can sit impounded if an unlicensed person is caught driving it. Five days is the deadline on the selling side, for filing a Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability after you sell a vehicle. And registering here carries a condition of its own: every vehicle registered in California must meet California requirements, emission controls included, and DMV cannot register one that does not qualify.
Where this comes from
California Driver's Handbook, DL 600 ENGLISH (REV. 6/2025). The correct answer is 20 days from becoming a resident or getting a job in California..
- Section 11. Vehicle Registration Requirements › Out-of-State Vehicles , page 79
- Section 11. Vehicle Registration Requirements › Buying or Selling a Vehicle , page 79
- Section 7. Laws and Rules of the Road › Evading Law Enforcement , page 53
- Section 11. Vehicle Registration Requirements › Out-of-State Vehicles , page 79