Trying to figure out legalities

X2

We have used ALTERNATIVE RESOURCES for 7 years. They have a lot of info on their site about using SD as your legal domicile. SD is very full timer friendly. They even excuse you from jury duty.

You might want to take a look HERE
for info on what constitutes a legal domicile.

Establish a residency thru Alternative Resources in Sioux Falls, SD. No
state income tax, personal property tax, insurance rates are low, drivers
license good for 5 years. No vehicle inspections and plates for MH and toad
can be done on line. Banking is done thru US Bank in Sioux Falls.

Golden_HVAC wrote:
I would not recommend Texas as a state to register your truck and RV, you have to return there every other year to have it inspected.

Fred.

I don't care for TX but not for that reason.....which I don't think is true.

Yes you have to have a yearly vehicle inspection but from what I have been informed by TX 'residents' if you are out of state you just get the inspection done the NEXT time you are in TX whenever that may be.

There are other reasons for not using TX..........but one needs to check all issues that affect each ones particular needs.

I would not recommend Texas as a state to register your truck and RV, you have to return there every other year to have it inspected. Many states do not require inspection of the frame, brakes, and such, they trust the owners to not drive broken down vehicles.

I would suggest looking into Nevada. I hear they do not have excessive high vehicle regerstration, don't think they have smog certificates, and no state income tax. You can also hire a mail box service that can sign for certified mail, and run a small business if you like from that address. You can have your mail forwarded to anyplace in the United States.

Yes it has been done before. Look at the Exscapee's club, they forward mail for many members to all areas of the country! You do need to pick a state, there are advantages to several of them. One being Oregon, where RV registration the first year is kinda expensive, but after that it is fairly low cost, and the sales tax on a replacement vehicle, or anything else is $0 !

Yes you will need to register all your vehicles in one state, and get the drivers license there. Get insurance, and make sure that the policy you get is not void if you spend more than 60 days at a time out of state. Heck you might decide you like to stay in Oregon, less humidity, and very green!

Fred.

You mentioned that your son has "left the nest"...are you still close? If so, just use his address as your residence...heck, he used yours for years:)

As mentioned, you can have mail forwarded by an agency, or just ask your son to put the important stuff into an envelope and send it to whatever CG you are staying at....or General Delivery at the local USPS Office.

Having an on-line bank might not be a bad idea either. I'm not sure the SS is gonna want you to use their card as a savings account....assuming you don't use every penny every month? With a national bank (Wells Fargo, Bank of America, etc) you can do all your banking online, and have your SS checks direct deposited, and direct the money where you want...savings or checking/Debit card.

There is tons of information on this forum, so do some searches...

Good Luck:)

It may seem a little confusing but the state that you choose to be a resident of will not require you to actually live there.Uncle Sam will need you to have an address,if only to send you tax information.At the end of the year Soc.Sec.
will need to mail you some paperwork.Pretty near impossible to be completely "off
the grid" if you have any ties to government programs.IE drivers license,vehicle registration, Soc Sec,Medicare etc.Be sure to do the research,get all the ducks in a row,before you drive off to your new life.

RIA wrote:
No longer have credit bills to pay. SS card can be used as a credit card to pay insurance over phone & in stores. I don't want to be chasing to any one post office to retrieve registration renewal papers. My insurance provides me w/paperless policy. I am on my own since my son has left the nest. Do not want to have to return to NY, EVER! The worst state to live in. I am PA born but want to roam south.

If you are going to drive/have vehicle registered and remain legal, at some point in time you will need to renew.

You will have to go to a DMV station to get your drivers license. You will need to have a legal recognized 'physical' address and you will need to provide documentation to prove who you are in accordance with the requirements of that state.

Mail forwarding service provide that 'legal address', they will 'forward' your mail (if you have any....we are virtually paperless but use a mail service) you do not have to go to them, they 'forward mail'........it's what they do.
Vehicle registration can be done on-line and a mail forwarding service can do it for you for a fee.

So pick a state that you want to be a 'resident' of.
Check out state residency requirements and what is needed for license/tags
Do an internet search for mail forwarding service in the state of your choice.

Simple.......it's not complicated

No longer have credit bills to pay. SS card can be used as a credit card to pay insurance over phone & in stores. I don't want to be chasing to any one post office to retrieve registration renewal papers. My insurance provides me w/paperless policy. I am on my own since my son has left the nest. Do not want to have to return to NY, EVER! The worst state to live in. I am PA born but want to roam south.

Favorable states for full timers are FL., TX., and S.D. due to lax or non-existent vehicle inspections, liberal residency requirements, and no personal State income tax. But, you should look at all your financial and medical needs in determining domicile. While Escapees in Livingston, Texas has passed court muster with regards to providing mail service and domicile to RVers in compliance with Homeland Security, there are mail forwarding companies in Fl. and S.D. that are similarly patterned.

For your edification see:

Escapees TX
St. Brendan's Isle Fl.
My Dakota Address S.D.

Need to have a 'physical' address for renewing drivers license, getting mail, insurance coverage, all the little things in life that require an address.

Find out from local DMV what they will accept as a legal address.

Don't know if US PO Box or a UPS Box qualifies.......don't think they are 'legal' addresses. Can accept your mail but don't meet 'legal residency address'

Mail forwarding services do......most FT'rs use one to satisfy the legal issue and use them as a 'domicile' in SD, FL, TX

Here is a service in NY with a street address vs a PO Box #.
Should work for 'residency' depending on what NY State requirements are in regards to the FED ID Act
NY Mail