# US Expat returning to the US - Logistics on registering a car and renting an apartment



## ReturningExpat (Mar 14, 2021)

Hi,

I've lived abroad for the past 13 years, but will be returning to the US this year with my wife, who will be a newly arrived immigrant (but has visited the US with me numerous times). 

The two biggest logistical things I'm concerned with right now are registering a car, and renting an apartment. 

For the car, I am currently a Florida resident, but am not intending to return to Florida at all, instead opting to move directly to Austin, TX. 

As I understand it, I would need to be a TX resident with a TX driver's license to be able to register the car in TX. I guess I could buy it in TX, but wouldn't do much good without being able to register it. 

I know I will be able to switch my residency and driver's license to TX if I lease a place in Austin, though that will likely take time and Ideally would like to avoid having to rent a car when we arrive for longer than a week or so - I have the cash to buy a car so could feasibly buy one the day we arrive and drive it off the lot - although wouldn't yet be able to register it. 

For leasing an apartment, I'm concerned my situation while living abroad will scare off most landlords. While I do have an 800+ FICO score, and earn $9k per month paid to me from my own company, all my income on my tax return shows as foreign earned, and the only record of it is the transfers from my business account to my personal account. no W2 or paystubs. 

As such, I was planning on starting out in Austin the first few months with short term rentals, and will have a few friends taking 1-2 month trips out of the city when we first arrive which would help us on the apartment side of things while I restructure my company and pay myself in a more traditional way as a US person. Of course, that wouldn't help us much to establish TX residency to be able to buy and register a car in TX. 

Is what I'm trying to do too complicated here, and I should just resign ourselves to at least 1 month spent in Florida to buy and register a car, before driving it over to Austin and then figuring things out from there? 

Or is there maybe some sort of workaround I could use here that will help me accomplish both the car and the apartment without needing to go to Florida first?


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

Proof of residence is a requirement to register a vehicle in all but one or two US states. 

Texas Department of Public Safety goes into minute detail about what is considered such proof. Drier's licenses are issued by Department of Motor Vehicle.

Why does it take a month to buy and register a vehicle anywhere? 

Security deposit and first year's rent generally do the trick for expats when it comes to rentals. Corporate housing is a convenient short term option but pricey.


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## Italia-Mx (Jan 14, 2009)

ReturningExpat said:


> Hi,
> 
> I've lived abroad for the past 13 years, but will be returning to the US this year with my wife, who will be a newly arrived immigrant (but has visited the US with me numerous times).
> 
> ...


If you're an American citizen who has spent at least 14 years in the USA before you moved abroad, none of the above should apply to you. As for TX requiring you to be a resident with Texas driver's license in order to register your car, is this something new? In 1990, I transferred to Austin from the East Coast and drove a rental until my personal vehicle arrived by tractor-trailer. At that point, and while I was still living in a hotel, I had 30 days to transfer my registration but on the 4th of July, I got stopped by the police and ordered to register my car immediately and, "don't let me catch you driving in Austin again with those Delaware tags". The next day on July 5th, when I went to register, I was told the July tags were not yet available and I had to take June tags but still pay the full price. But register I did without a permanent address and with my Delaware license. I got a TX license a few weeks later after I had purchased a home.


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

Italia-Mx said:


> If you're an American citizen who has spent at least 14 years in the USA before you moved abroad, none of the above should apply to you. As for TX requiring you to be a resident with Texas driver's license in order to register your car, is this something new? In 1990, I transferred to Austin from the East Coast and drove a rental until my personal vehicle arrived by tractor-trailer. At that point, and while I was still living in a hotel, I had 30 days to transfer my registration but on the 4th of July, I got stopped by the police and ordered to register my car immediately and, "don't let me catch you driving in Austin again with those Delaware tags". The next day on July 5th, when I went to register, I was told the July tags were not yet available and I had to take June tags but still pay the full price. But register I did without a permanent address and with my Delaware license. I got a TX license a few weeks later after I had purchased a home.


Nobody in Texas gives a hoot about OP having lived outside the country. It is 2021 not 1990 and OP can read up on current requirements. You transferred registration/driver's license from another US state. Count your blessings if you went over the aloted time frame for new residents to get a Texas license or simply did not get caught. Misdemeanor for "driving knowingly without valid license" and all the associated little charges is not only expensive but does not really look good on any back ground check.


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