We want to go full time next year and are current residents of Washington state. Washington state doesn't come up on the usual suspects of RV'r domicile choices for some reason (South Dakota, Florida, and Texas being the three).The only mail forwarding service I have found is called Wanderers. By any chance have one of you used this?Also interested in health care plans with national coverage.We may end up switching domicile to Florida since there seems to be a big support system there for full time RVing. The initial hit on vehicle registrations is big though (we have up to 4 things that need registering, so $800 plus fees unless motorcycles and sailboat are cheaper)

We used www.travelingmailbox.com.....they have choices for addresses and one is Washington. I liked their method......I could SEE what the mail was and determine whether to have it forwarded or shredded.I don't know why people don't consider Washington.....it's one of the "tax friendly" states. It does high sales tax however, if you're on the road, you won't be paying it there.....you will in LOTS of other states.

We looked at WA and couldn't find a mail handling service that could provide a valid domicile address that wasn't in an area that required annual vehicle inspections. So we chose South Dakota. Medicare is national, so that wasn't a factor for us.Just gt our 2015 license tag notice - it'll be $87 for the car, $195 for the motorhome, including vanity plates on both.al

WA had very high health insurance costs pre-ObamaCare, and they still seem higher than many states. South Dakota costs are Way up.I imagine mail-forwarding could be found anywhere, and should not be a major factor in choosing a domicile.With no sales tax and if you have connections in WA it might be worth trying your first year.

Thanks for the replies. We are new to this and I am trying to figure out everything before we set off. That travelingmailbox looks interesting except the zip code is indeed in a zip code that requires emission inspection (our home zip now does not). You can get the inspection up to 365 days ahead of time, so it might not be a deal killer plus we likely would pass back through Washington in later years on our way to Alaska (after visiting the southern states).So if you sold your house in April and switched your mail and home address to something like that travelingmailbox, is that it? You just tell your vehicle insurance company you have moved? (but you really haven't moved...it all sounds like bordering on fraud unless you go with one of the tried and true domiciles like the Escapees Florida and Texas addresses)

I fulltime in WA (and in OR, and sometimes in ID). I rent a private mailbox at in Aberdeen, WA. Wherever you rent a mailbox in WA you'll want your mailbox in a non-emmissions testing county. For vehicle registration purposes avoid Clark County, King County, Pierce County, Snohomish County, and Spokane County.I don't receive a lot of mail anymore so I use their free “Mail Check” service and "on demand" forwarding. They have a note on my mailbox to throw away all circulars, catalogs, and flyers. When I call they read the envelopes to me. I tell them what to throw away, what to forward to me, and what to put back in my mailbox. I give them my CC number. Done. I don't have to keep an account balance with them for postage (some providers do).Basically I'm saying that one does not have to sign up with a national mail service. I searched and found a small-time operator with excellent customer service. I call them up, ask for my mail, they send it to me and put my CC receipt in the envelope. For me, that's perfect.

Long shot, anyone used WA state as home base? | Good Sam Community

21 Replies

RoadXYZ
Explorer II
Nov 21, 2014
Free Range Human wrote:
The reason no one uses WA for a domicile is that you have to have a PHYSICAL address in WA.

There is currently no insurance plan anywhere that is friendly to permanent "travelers" in the US, but stay tuned.

We do not own a house, but use a house address of a relative, and will gladly "rent" a room if it comes to that. So far after 11 years not a problem.

We use Progressive Insurance, and also use UPS as both a physical address on most things, such as CC, mailing address, etc. All of this we have done for almost 11 years .. yes, one of the rigs has the UPS address as the "physical" address, the other two have the relative's address as the physical address.

So far have not had a problem with Federal, State or County regarding the addresses. We use the UPS mail forwarding as we request it via email with a tracking number. We simply give them a Post Office with General Delivery, or wherever we are staying as a viable address. Many, many private RV parks receive mail for registered guests, and a number of state parks will receive mail for volunteers at their parks.

Our health insurance comes thru the company we both retired from. Just have to ensure that the clinic will accept Medicare (haven't found a refusal yet), and our supplemental health insurance policy. The only burr in our full-time Lifestyle has been barbers or beauty shops.

As to our vehicle license tabs - we simply go on-line, give them a CC, and pick them up at a county seat across into the Washington Border ... yes, we have to plan our trips out of state, etc., but so far have had no snags (knock on wood).
gotsmart
Explorer
Nov 21, 2014
Free Range Human wrote:
The reason no one uses WA for a domicile is that you have to have a PHYSICAL address in WA.

This is why several of us are talking about renting private mailboxes (PMB). With the exception noted previously, P.O. Boxes cannot be used for a domicile because they do not have a physical street address in the mailing address. A private mailbox has a physical street address. Examples:

John Doe
100 Main St PMB 3456
Chicago, IL 60609

John Doe
PMB 3456
100 Main St
Chicago, IL 60609

There is currently no insurance plan anywhere that is friendly to permanent "travelers" in the US, but stay tuned.

I would bet that Oregon residents who have "Continuous Traveler" listed on their driver licenses and live out of a mailbox have figured out a way.
Free_Range_Huma
Explorer
Nov 21, 2014
The reason no one uses WA for a domicile is that you have to have a PHYSICAL address in WA.

There is currently no insurance plan anywhere that is friendly to permanent "travelers" in the US, but stay tuned.
Fleetwood_Coupl
Explorer
Nov 21, 2014
We are full timing it in WA. Heck we bought the rv in MD and I was able to get tags for it from the court house 6 months before we drove it here. No hassle $111 a year no inspections. Same for my other trucks. We use a family address and that's also where we're parked for now. Change everything you can to electronic mail. Car tags and drivers license match and so does the address for the insurance, if you gone your on vacation.
n7bsn
Explorer
Nov 21, 2014
gotsmart wrote:

...

(yes I know, cancelling voter registration does not guarantee that I won't get selected for jury duty, but it reduces it. I was the presiding juror (foreman) on a criminal trial and I don't want to be the foreman again, because the foreman is the one who has to sign their name to the verdict sheet.)

Due to Washington's Motor/Voter law you will once more be both a voter and subject to jury duty in the next cycle, which I think (?) is 2016.
A friend, who has never voted nor registered got a jury duty call this fall.
Jfet
Explorer
Nov 20, 2014
I think it was easier to build our camper from scratch than understand all the nuances of maintaining/picking a domicile. :R

IF I can locate reasonable insurance for our Isuzu 19,500 GVWR truck/camper in WA from a agent who knows I do not have a physical presence in WA and

IF I can figure out a health care exchange plan that provides a decent national network, doesn't require a physical presence in WA and provides some help for balance billing/out of network care (as in we are up in Alaska and hit a moose and rack up $30,000 at the local out of network hospital before we can be transferred).

Then maybe WA state will stay our residence.

Sigh.
gotsmart
Explorer
Nov 20, 2014
...and one more item for the OP. The USPS has an FAQ that says that your address for your private mailbox has to use PMB as the first address line or on the street address line UNLESS you can't use the PMB designator. Then you can use the # sign. Figure that one out.

Now, the place that I rent my mailbox from told me that as long as my box number is somewhere on the address so that they don't have to look me up on the computer - that they don't care if I use PMB, UNIT, #, STE, BLDG, ROOM, APT, FLOOR, etc.

So for banking, insurance, pension, health insurance, credit card, cell phone, utility bills, federal/state taxes, TurboTax, etc - I type in: PMB xxxx on the street address line. If PMB isn't accepted I type in # xxxx on the street address line. If the # sign isn't accepted I look for a line (or box) to enter an apartment number and I type in my mailbox number. That's it.

I have not had the address police come after me for incorrect labeling of my private mailbox address and have yet to have any mail not delivered because I did not have the "approved" syntax for a private mailbox on the address line.
gotsmart
Explorer
Nov 20, 2014
path1 wrote:

...
There is a lot of terminology problems with "legal" address. I did a change of address for driver lic and other lic stuff and I don't think the people doing it even know what's right. Example: changed my address and can not find terminology for what WA calls "residence" address. But yet they say they will mail lic stuff to my "residence" even though I no longer have a mail box out on the street. State says it will not be forwarded as delivery confirms address. So how am I going to get it if their envelope says "do not forward"?

When asked by anybody legal wise about address, I ask them "do you want my mailing address or where you can touch me"? That lets them decide what terminology they want to use to avoid confusion. To much confusion with "domicile address, residence address, legal address, etc"

OK hope any of this helps

but wait.... it gets better...
From this link: http://dor.wa.gov/content/contactus/con_residdef.aspx
Persons are considered residents of this state for sales and use tax purposes if they take actions which indicate that they intend to live in this state on more than a temporary or transient basis. A person may be considered a resident of this state even though the person is a resident of another state.

The Department of Revenue presumes that a person is a resident of this state if he or she does any of the following:
Maintains a residence in Washington for personal use;
Lives in a motor home or vessel which is not permanently attached to any property if the person previously lived in this state and does not have a permanent residence in any other state;
Is registered to vote in this state;
Receives benefits under one of Washington's public assistance programs;
Has a state professional or business license in this state;
Is attending school in this state and paying tuition as a Washington resident or is a custodial parent with a child attending a public school in this state;
Uses a Washington address for federal or state taxes;
Has a Washington State driver's license; or
Claims Washington as a residence for obtaining a hunting or fishing license, eligibility to hold public office or for judicial actions.

Persons may rebut the presumption of residency if they provide other facts which show that they do not intend to reside in this state on either a temporary or permanent basis. A Washington resident who intends to move at a future date, however, will be considered a Washington resident.

I live in a motor home. I use a WA address for Federal taxes. I have a WA fishing license. I'm a resident!! I used to be a WA registered voter too, but I got nabbed for jury doody {sic} and I detest the vote by mail system here so I cancelled my voter registration. No more ballots or voter guides filling up my mailbox! WooHoo!!!

(yes I know, cancelling voter registration does not guarantee that I won't get selected for jury duty, but it reduces it. I was the presiding juror (foreman) on a criminal trial and I don't want to be the foreman again, because the foreman is the one who has to sign their name to the verdict sheet.)
n7bsn
Explorer
Nov 20, 2014
RE: Washington DOL and PO Boxes

If you "live" in one of the small-towns that have a PO but do NOT do to-the-door mail delivery the Washington DOL will exempt you from the "only mail to street addresses"

Well, they also exempt you if you are in one of their "confidential street address" programs. A friend is in one (stalker) and her Drivers License does not even list her street address on it.
gotsmart
Explorer
Nov 20, 2014
Jfet wrote:

Would the physical street address of something like that place in Aberdeen be usable and legal as a home address? I would hate to get in a $100,000 auto accident and have my claim denied because I used an improper address for my RV insurance.

Call insurance companies. Tell them that you have an RV and that you want to live in it full time and use a private mailbox as your domicile as you don't have friends or family who will let you use their home address for your domicile. Ask them what they require in a policy to do this.

I went through 4 insurances companies before I found one that would work with me. Much of what I posted in that link came from them. They told me about the street address. They told me that "PMB" doesn't work with the DOL and to list it as an apartment number. I asked why. They said that even they run audits against their own policy holders and PMB might generate a phone call from them about my policy. On their advice the address on my policy reads like an apartment address.

I'm not going to handhold you through the process. Don't fixate on the private mailbox so much. WA doesn't care in the least if a PMB is your domicile. Find an insurance company that will work with you and give you everything you need for what you want to do, at a cost that is acceptable to you. It's doable. Just put in the sweat equity.