Temp Plates in the US

I am currently discussing a possible purchase of a car from MD. I will be heading to Philadelphia in March and the current owner has indicated that he would be willing to meet me in Philly with the car and then I could drive it home. He has however indicated that the state of MD would require him to pull the plates immediately and return them.

Is there a way for me to get a temp plate in the US to drive it home? I am not sure I can get a plate here because I will not have the car in my name yet, and I am not sure I could get a temp plate in PA, since the car is not from there.

If I'm not mistaking, and by all means I could be, my state (MO) will insure a vehicle for the drive home. I take the plates off and if I get pulled over, my MO ID and the paperwork will get me home. I've never run into the issue, but did it this way half way through IL and into MO. Never got stopped by the po-lice.

May be something to look into.

Typically as long as you have some sort of temporary permit from the state where the car was purchased, you should be fine as long as you have the purchase paperwork and some insurance with you in the car.

Here in Oregon, you just need something official with the vin (title or registration) and proof of insurance and a valid license to get a temp permit. It doesn't need to be in your name as they are generally used to get a car to/from emissions testing, repairs, inspection, etc. to get it completely legal.

I would check the motor vehicle services websites for the states you'll be dealing with and see what the rules are. I suspect you'll need a temp tag from either the seller's state or your state to get the car home.

You need plates in IL and IN, even if the car is on a tow dolly. Now, the police may very likely let it slide, or just give a warning...or not.

Is there any way you can get the title beforehand and have plates with you when you go pick it up?

Best route, call the DMV in your state. And/or call the highway patrol and ask, usually they are pretty cool about answering questions like that. (if you plan on breaking the law, dont tell them when/where etc.)

The MD thing through the MVA is that you register it there and they will give you a 30 day temp (only ONCE, I have BTDT and didnt get it inspected in time) BUT, that is registering a car there, which you are not interested in.

The state of Iowa doesn't issue temporary plates in private sales and only requires a bill of sale or the title (not both) to be present in the car for up to 30 days pre-registration (after that, you need plates and reg). If you get pulled over, you show the signed bill of sale and you're golden. Insurance is obviously required.

Driving interstate without plates isn't a huge issue, the whole constitutional right to interstate travel and all. It's only a hassle if you get pulled over and don't have the paperwork expected of your home state.

Depends on the state. Ohio will issue a 30 temp tag. When I bought a car in Arkansas to drive home they issued a "drive out tag" that was was good for the length of time I told them my trip was. Same with TN when I bought a car there.

And then there's the question of what they'll say about an untagged car when the OP crosses the border... I'd check with your province to see if they have some way to issue a temp tag for you.

Check with your state's DMV. It doesn't matter how they do it in other states.

As wae noted - my State is a Province! I guess I should have mentioned that. I will call the MTO.

Oh well that was a dry well. Ontario will not issue a temp permit without me having a bill of sale and ownership (title). They indicated that I will have to obtain it from the appropriate US state.

Does anyone know if Pennsylvania will issue a temp permit for a an out-of-state car?

BTW - motivation here is an affordable rust-free car to replace my WRX's rusty shell. A business trip has offered the possibility of doing this with no cost for the trip down.

PA doesn't do temporary tags. Delaware and NJ do, if that helps.

IMHO, the best thing to do is get the bill of sale and title in your possession ahead of time, assuming that your province will allow that with the car still on the other side of the customs checkpoint.

I would just throw a set of plates on it and drive it home. You should not need to insure it, if you already have a car insured, as your own insurance automatically covers you on a new car for 10 days, or one month if you insure with SF.

Oh well. Here it's just a ticket. I assumed they wouldn't know that it wasn't an Ontario temp thing.

Datsun1500 wrote:

Zomby Woof wrote: I would just throw a set of plates on it and drive it home. You should not need to insure it, if you already have a car insured, as your own insurance automatically covers you on a new car for 10 days, or one month if you insure with SF.

The penalties for driving a car with plates that do not belong to that car are much bigger than driving without plates at all. Driving with the wrong plates is a criminal offense, and the car will be impounded.

That is a state law and changes from state to state. Ohio allows you to put your old plates on the new car for up to 30 days. From here:

https://www.oplates.com/Faq/FeedSearch.aspx

"When a new car is purchased, is it permissible to put the old car tags on before the transfer of title is made?"

"Yes, however, the new title must be presented to the deputy registrar within thirty days to complete the transfer of registration. [O.R.C. 4503.12 A (4)]."

I bought a car in Md last year. It was a major pain in the ass to get a temporary plate for someone that does not live in the state, as in impossible.

The seller let me use the tags that were on the car and gave me his registration along with the signed title and a bill of sale. Once I got to Florida, I went to Fedex Kinkos and overnighted it all back to him.

Sounds simple, but you need to find a seller that will trust you with his plates. Most sellers will not do that.

My second option was to drive the car back with no plates, just insurance and a signed title. As Datsun1500 mentioned, it is a felony to drive with plates that do not belong to a car ... No matter if you own the plate or not.

In Pennsylvania, the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is responsible for registering vehicles and issuing license plates. When you buy a new or used vehicle the registration must be updated at the time of title transfer. A temporary plate will be issued if you do not have your own license plate to transfer to the vehicle. Temporary plates are valid for 90 days and may be obtained from the DMV or from an authorized Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) agent

Read more: http://www.ehow.com/how_8577153_do-temporary-plates-pennsylvania.html#ixzz2qKFR40ht

Instructions

1

Obtain proof of insurance. Before you can be issued temporary plates you must verify current insurance coverage. You'll need a copy of your insurance identification card or the declaration page of your insurance policy.

2

Go to your local DMV office. You may also go to any tag service or motor vehicle dealership that's an authorized PennDOT agent. To find authorized agents, go to dmv.state.pa.us and click on "Find a PennDOT location near you."

3

Complete the Application for Temporary Registration Plates (MV-351). The DMV and authorized agents will have this form available. You may also download and print the form from dmv.state.pa.us.

4

Prepare your payment. You'll need to have a check or money order payable to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The fee for each temporary registration plate is, as of this writing (June 2011), $5.

5

Receive your plates. If you apply in person, temporary plates will be given to you then and there by the DMV or the authorized PennDOT agent. Your permanent Pennsylvania license plates will arrive by mail within 8 to10 weeks.

Read more: http://www.ehow.com/how_8577153_do-temporary-plates-pennsylvania.html#ixzz2qKFbmmTJ

I made the mistake of trusting a buyer with my plates and he kept driving on them until well after they expired. He got a parking ticket and guess who had to pay it? That's right, me! So I had to report them stolen to prevent any future tickets from being my responsibility. Needless to say my plates come off as soon as a car is sold from then on.

Datsun1500 wrote: In reply to mad_machine: Pa has nothing to do with this other than a meeting place. The car is registered and titled in Maryland, and sold to someone in Canada. PA will not issue anything for this car since neither the buyer or seller lives in PA

Correct. The guy that owns it is in MD but has offered to drive the car to Philadelphia since his father lives there. I am heading to Atlantic City on business and I will be flying into Philadelphia. All my travel expenses will be covered except the gas for the return drive. I would be leaving Philadelphia on a Sat. I would be looking at about a 13 hour drive from Philadelphia to my house according to Mapquest.

The other option would be for me to take the train from Philadelphia to MD and get it there but that makes a longer drive and it doesn't help me with a temp plate.

Sounds like your best bet is to buy the car before you go on your trip, that way you have your new plates to bring with you. This presents the problem of buying a car sight unseen and then letting the present owner keep the car in his possession while waiting for you to arrive. How long is your business trip? If it is long enough you could probably buy the car on the way to your meeting and then FedEx paperwork back home and have plates and registration Fedex'd back to you before you leave. Either way sounds challenging, but if the car is just what you want it could be worth the hassle. Good Luck!

imgon points an interesting idea. Come down and look at the car, buy car, send paperwork home via fedex overnight.. get somebody there to take care of it and send it back with plates?

I had this problem when I bought my motor coach. Insurance was no problem. I bought a policy in BC before I flew out. All they needed was the VIN make and model. But when I went to buy a permit in Michigan they wouldn't give me one because the coach was registered in Colorado. So I ended up running all the way to Colorado with no tags at all.

Datsun1500 wrote: I assume in Canada, just like here in MD, the owner will need to sign paperwork at the dmv. FedEx will not work. I have sold a few cars to out of state buyers, including 2 to Canada. All drove home with no tags. If you buy a car from a Maryland dealer, and are out of state, they send you on your way with no tags. You guys are making it more complicated than it needs to be. If you have insurance, bill of sale, and title, a reasonable cop with say ok when you explain it, if you get stopped. If you drive like an idiot, don't have insurance, etc. it won't work, but if you're a regular person with a coherent explanation, things usually work out. That being said, I'd drive it straight home, not from PA to NJ for a week, etc. buy it at the end of your trip, not the beginning.

Purchase will be at the end of the trip. I would be leaving directly heading for the border.