SC DMV…Surprisingly Pleasant!

If you’re coming south from the Northeast, you will be delightfully surprised by your DMV experience for a change!!!

If you’re coming from up north, you are probably coming for many reasons…the weather, the people, the family atmosphere, and oh yea, the low property taxes! Well, with that, we want to make sure you are all aware of some of the key processes that come with moving to the Palmetto state – registering your vehicle being the first!

There are a few phases to getting your vehicle registered and dropping your front license plate that sticks out like a sore thumb in the south! Keep in mind, you have 45 days to apply for a South Carolina vehicle registration certificate after moving to the state and the registration is good for 2 years from the date of registration

1. Property Taxes – yes property taxes paid yearly on your vehicle
2. Registration fees & infrastructure maintenance fees (paid to get your plates)
3. New License

Before registering, you must first pay your county’s vehicle property tax with your county auditor. The property tax is based off the KBB value of your vehicle. You will need the following to pay the property tax:

• Registration; or
• Title; or
• Bill of Sale
• And if you have a lease – Power of Attorney from the financing company (this one took about 10 days for us)

Be sure to secure an original paid vehicle property tax receipt after paying. You’ll need this to register your vehicle with the DMV next! To register you will need:

• Vehicle title
• Proof of insurance
• Vehicle property tax receipt
• Payment for your registration fees
  • Passenger vehicles: $40
  • Vehicle owners 64 years old: $38
  • Vehicle owners 65 years old and older or disabled: $36
  • Motorcycles: $10
  • RVs: $40
  • License plate transfer: $10
  • IMF (see below)

You will also have to pay the one-time Infrastructure Maintenance Fee (IMF) – Infrastructure Maintenance Fee. The amount of IMF you owe is based on the sales price of the item you buy. You will owe five percent of the purchase price, but it will be no more than $500. If you purchase an item that is $9,999 or less, your IMF will be five percent of the sales price. This is a one-time fee, paid when registering your vehicle for the first time or purchase a new vehicle. This money goes towards the infrastructure in the county.

Finally, you will need to get your SC license. A new license runs $25 in South Carolina. If you’re coming from NJ, as we were, you can finally smile in your license photo. Be happy, you’re in the Palmetto State!!!

For more – http://www.scdmvonline.com/