HOME > Cars >

RENEWING YOUR CAR'S REGISTRATION MADE SIMPLE

Written by Menswear Style in Cars on the 14th June 2021

Owning a car in is the second big thing after acquiring a house. If you just acquired yours, congratulations! First thing, if you recently bought a car, you must register it with the state and pay all the necessary fees so that you can drive it freely. The registration doesn’t apply to new car buyers only, but also to those coming from other states to live in another such as California. You are responsible for registering your out-of-state car in California within 20 days after you establish residency. If your vehicle is registered, you should renew your registration every year. If you just received an email that your registration is about to expire, you are in the right place. Here, we shall take you through a step-by-step guide on how to renew your car’s registration.

Gather the needed documents

You can’t renew registration for a car that doesn’t belong to you. Therefore, you will have to bring documents to prove to the DMV that you are the vehicle's legal owner. This means that you’ll need to bring your title to the DMV’s office. What happens if your car is financed and the title is being held by the company that financed you? Well, in such a scenario, the bill of sale can work to prove the ownership. You also need your identification card to back up the vehicle title. Other documents of information that you may be asked to present include:

- Vehicle’s license plate number

- Vehicle identification number

- Address or name changes, if necessary

- Proof of insurance

Calculate your registration fees

How much do you need to have your vehicle registration renewed? It’s important to note the figure before heading to the DMV office. One thing to note is that there is no exact figure for the renewal because many factors are considered when determining the final cost. They include:

- Type of vehicle Your car’s declared value

- The date you bought your vehicle or when it came to California

- Your city

- Gross vehicle weight

- Any special license plates your vehicle may have

- Whether you have toll evasion bail or unpaid parking violations

However, it would help if you didn’t stress yourself trying to figure out the cost by yourself. By visiting DMV’s website, you have access to a calculator that you can use to check the cost of renewing or registering a new vehicle.

Visit your local DMV

Now that you have all the essential documents and a rough estimate of the cost of renewing the registration, the next step is to visit your local DMV offices. Things can turn ugly there because these offices are known to be busy all through. For this reason, the California DMV recommends that you book an appointment in advance by calling their landline. Although booking an appointment can cut the waiting time, it doesn’t guarantee that you will be served instantly. According to quickautotags.com, Californians no longer need to stand in those long lines you find in DMV offices. Time is precious, and once lost, it’s hard to recover it. For this reason, you should have an expert run this tiring errand for you. Through assistance, you easily get to meet your legal requirements quickly without putting in the boring work. This means that you will have all the time to be with your family or attend to your business.

Submit your application and fees

If you have all the time at your disposal and you are willing to keep up with the long queues at the DMV’s offices, then you should submit your documents and fees for review. The DMV clerk goes through all the requested documents and then processes the application. The fees will also be calculated. Here, you can choose to pay with cash, credit or debit card, or a personal check. Once everything checks out, the clerk will issue your official registration if it’s a new car. If you have requested a custom plate, you will be issued with temporary plates until your order is fulfilled so that the custom plates get mailed to you.

Owning a car comes with many responsibilities. Among the many things you need to fulfill as per the law is renewing the vehicle’s registration. For many people in California, renewing the car's registration can be a tedious process. However, it shouldn’t be that way. As long as you know what you are doing, the process should be as easy as ABC. Highlighted in this article is a step-by-step guide on how to go about the renewal. By reading through the blog, you will find the process smooth.