To become a Texas residence you need to first establish s street address that you can receive mail at. As bill mentioned, most use Escapees mail service and from first personal experience and a tour of the facility, I feel they are hard to beat. The next step is to get you vehicles state inspected at a certified location. Then you will take this inspection sheet with you to the tax office in the same county as your address to transfer vehicle titles and registrations to Texas. You will also need the current titles and current registration with you to do this along with a photo I.D. such as your current driver's license. After you get the vehicles registered, you can now get your drivers license as you have a Texas address and Texas registered vehicles. Be aware that if your GVWR of your RV is above 26,000 lbs, you will be required to get a non-commercial class A (trailer and truck) or Class B (motorhome) license which will require a written test followed by a driving test that may or may not include parallel parking the rig. After this is all complete, your can be considered a Texas resident.

Texas has a 6.25% motor vehicle sales tax and SD has a 3% excise tax. On a $100,000 rig, that's a $3,250 savings.

South Dakota drivers license is good for 5 years and then can be renewed for 5-7 years depending on your age. So you don't have to return to the state if you don't want to.
All the vehicle registrations can be handled over the phone as well. It helps if you own the vehicle outright, but once you're signed up with a mail forwarding company, everything lse can be handled remotely.
The decision between SD, TX, and FL is pretty much a personal decision. The only thing I would recommend is looking into your health ins if your under 62 and need coverage. Other things to consider, in SD we did not have to take a road test, TX you do, don't know about FL. In TX for larger motorhomes and most non-commerical vehicles that scale over 26000lbs you need a non-cdl class A license. Not a big deal, but something different. Tx was our 2nd choice and might still become our home state if health insurance gets worse.

Florida does require info on the wife w/ name change..

No road test for licenses.. just A eye test.

Not sure about the other states.. But Here in FL, There is also a vin inspection for new resgistration. They walk out to the parking lot and verify..

I thought you had to go back in SD for renewls.. I know they extended it to 5 years, with a online renewal for another 5? Then you have to go back?
I'd call and verify.. I can't believe they don't verify the vin?.. live. I can title someone elses rig then?

It seems to me that what state you pick for residency should be more about what will be most convenient for you as a whole and not whether its cheaper for one thing or another.  In the sum of things, while you might save on licensing here or health insurance there, expense "X" in state "Y" vs expense "A" in state "B" will ultimately add up to roughly the same in overall budget dollars give or take some.  So, again, it comes back to convenience for your chosen lifestyle and/or travel plans.  From that perspective any state is as good as any other depending on your needs. Focussing on too narrow a field of view will cause you to miss the rest of it.

JMHO, Brian

ALIE AND JIM, yes please post the info. Thanks

Go to the http://www.dakotapost.net/ and follow the links to registering a vehicle without having to be there in person. It lays out all the paperwork you need.

I believe others have done the same in Texas.  Buy a Jeep in Arizona and register it in Texas.

-- Edited by Alie and Jims Carrilite on Saturday 1st of November 2014 08:28:57 PM

-- Edited by Alie and Jims Carrilite on Saturday 1st of November 2014 08:30:34 PM

We will be full-timers in a teardrop beginning in April and are looking at Florida, TX, and SD to establish residency. My biggest concern is about health insurance. My husband is on Medicare and I will retire in March and lose my health insurance. I will be 62 in May so won't qualify for Medicare for a few more years. Any insights into health insurance regarding these 3 states? Thanks! Diane

birder526: There are discussions on health care for those under 65 here and there on this forum. SD is not good for those of us who are pre-Medicare and have to buy our own insurance, so TX and FL are your choices since they have many more choices due to much larger populations.

We are WA residents for health insurance reasons, so we have no commitment to the 3 states and can remain unbiased.

With the defeat last weeks govenor election in FL.. All hopes for obama care are gone here... 700000 people will not receive heathcare in FL now...
I'd look to a different state that FL.. sorry I became a resident here.. that will change.

Glenn West wrote:

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What makes you think you won't be able to get health insurance? It has been available as long as I have lived.

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 It's medicaid  .. 700k people will not get it now.. It's a shame.

 

Does TX participate in obama care? does SD? 

 

it matters if you make like less that 20k as couple. insurance could be subsidized and cost you less.I don't know the details.. but to me, I think it's a good thing for low income homes.

-- Edited by The Junkman on Sunday 16th of November 2014 05:07:01 PM

TheNewhalls wrote:

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The Junkman wrote:

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With the defeat last weeks govenor election in FL.. All hopes for obama care are gone here... 700000 people will not receive heathcare in FL now...
I'd look to a different state that FL.. sorry I became a resident here.. that will change.

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 Maybe I missed something but I think there are over 19 million people in FL. Which 700k are not getting insurance? Who gets to pick and choose?

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 The governor does by not opt in for obamacare and medicaid...The same 700k that had no insurance last year..

 

Florida and Texas have the highest uninsured in the entire country... we all pay, either way..

 

edit-- 26% of florida people have no insurance.. if 19 million is correct.. that means about 5 million are uninsured.. of them 700,000 would have received insurance .

-- Edited by The Junkman on Sunday 16th of November 2014 05:09:01 PM

-- Edited by The Junkman on Sunday 16th of November 2014 05:12:03 PM

-- Edited by The Junkman on Sunday 16th of November 2014 05:25:06 PM

Glenn West wrote:

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I'm dropping the ACA. Going with a Christian share plan. I personally don't want a hand out from the government. Yes Texas still uses ACA. Steve why don't you start a new post about this. This is interesting. I can't find anything on net about it.

-- Edited by Glenn West on Sunday 16th of November 2014 05:15:13 PM

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 I'm not sure if the healthcare piece ventures into politics.. 

 

Maybe let the admin folks weigh in? 

 

Here's some reading...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/09/obamacare-medicaid-uninsured_n_5572079.html

 

http://www.advisory.com/daily-briefing/resources/primers/medicaidmap

-- Edited by The Junkman on Sunday 16th of November 2014 05:19:22 PM

Terry and Jo wrote:

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From my perspective, as long as no one brings up a particular politician or political party in the discussion of the Affordable Care Act, I don't have a problem with the discussion of the ACA as a reason for residency in the various states.  If the discussion becomes a blame-game one, then it will get closed.

With respect to the ACA, keep in mind that the U.S. Supreme Court will hear and rule on a new challenge to that law in the next 6 or 7 months.  It is a question as to whether the subsidies can be granted in those states that did not "opt into" the "exchanges."  According to the reading of the law, the subsidies can only be granted in those states that started their own exchanges.  Since there are something like 34 states that did not opt into the exchanges, if the Supreme Court rules in favor of the challengers of that provision, then all bets could be off on the ACA.

Terry

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 Looks like they are down to 20 states that have chosen not to opt in so far, at some level...of course , rv friendly states top the list as non-supporters... Florida, Texas are the highest in the country for uninsured, and south dakota is on the non supporting list..

From my fast reading.. the problem is the supreme court left the option open for states to opt in.. that was a mistake. Maybe they will fix that in this new challenge, and mandate ALL states participate. Obviously , It's doubtful some folks will not allow that to happen... but we can hope.

 

The reason I brought this up..

 

If you are receiving medicaid health insurance at any level.. You need to know, the same service you have in your existing state, may not be available in the domicile state. Equating to a $800++ per mo increase to you, and your spouse.. as you now have to PAY for healthcare in tx, fl or SD. If you don't pay for healthcare.. you don't receive any. In Fl , for medicaid, you will need to be disabled as judged by social security to qualify, of have a child.. otherwise, you get nothing.. period.

As this expense outweighs any sales tax, or even income tax issue, or registration fees, or any other cost, I believe.. it should be the number reason for choosing a dosmile state if you require medicaid.. And assuming after that.. I'm betting these states are not friendly to ANY low income, or poor people programs. So any state goverment program you are dependant on , should be fully evaluated before moving there.. 

A side note.. coming from NV to FL.. was a eyeopener..New york and Lasvegas has it's share low income folks .. or even no income, these days.. I used to call these folks poor. I was / am one of them. I didn't know what poor was till I hit fl. I wondered why so many had so little.. example-- young person standing in line the other day wanted to put gas in her car .. she handed the teller $2.50 in change.. and ask if the teller could run her credit card for $2.. yep.. $2 more.. teller gave her attitude, and I started getting pissed. I threw a $10 bill on the counter and told her to put that in.. and I refrained myself from telling the teller what I really wanted to say.. as she was leaving , wife and I seen a child in a car seat in the rear .. 

Over and over I see this in FL. The economy has hit this state really, really hard. Maybe the hardest in the country. as I have been looking at real estate to flip down here, I don't see much recovery going on in the villages area of FL.. Which makes you wonder why the state would refuse federal money to help people in this state. Maybe they want those folks to move to a medicaid friendly state? 

To say the least, I am rethinking my residency in FL. I've already made the changes. I will wait 6 mo, and go from there.. see how it goes. Very unlikely I will attempt to flip any cheap real estate down here either now.. but that remains to be seen. Hard for me to do business with a state that does not care about it's people.. Maybe why 2 months ago it was a ghost town around here.. now it's mobbed here.. license plates from all over the country.. seem like a nice place to vist, but wouldn't want to live here, I guess. Starting to see why...

 

-- Edited by The Junkman on Monday 17th of November 2014 05:06:12 AM

For those in states that increased their Medicaid enrollment threshold you might be surprised at who would qualify. For those full timing on $1500/month or so, they could become eligible.

Barb