Vehicle Requirements for New Residents –
Step 2: Vehicle Title/Registration

If you are a new Texas resident and own a motor vehicle, you must title/register your vehicle within 30 days of moving to Texas.

Vehicle Title/Registration Process

1. Get a vehicle inspection.
2. After your vehicle passes inspection, take the inspection certification and proof of insurance (required by law) to your county tax office.
3. Provide the vehicle's odometer reading if it is less than 10 years old.
4. Present an original out-of-state title or current foreign/military ownership document. If your title is unavailable, take your registration document and proof of sales tax payment.
5. Submit a vehicle title/registration form [pdf, 2 pages, 157kb].
6. Pay the following for each vehicle you title/register:
   1. registration fee [pdf, 1 page, 155kb],
   2. title application fee of $28 or $33, depending on the county, and
   3. new resident tax of $90.

Additional fees may also be due at the time of registration. For more information, please contact your county tax office. For information about the new resident tax, please contact the Comptroller of Public Accounts.

Exceptions

You are not required to title or register your vehicle if you are a non-resident active duty member of the U.S. Armed Forces or a non-resident full-time student attending a Texas college or university, as long as your out-of-state registration remains current.

For more information about the vehicle title/registration process, please call (512) 465-7611 or send us an e-mail.

Vehicle Requirements for New Residents

• Step 1: Get a Vehicle Inspection
• Step 2: Apply for a Texas Vehicle Title/Registration
• Step 3: Apply for a Texas Driver License

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