Couple from UK buying their first RV!

Magor wrote:
Hi Everyone
Not sure where to start. I have so many questions. Here’s our story. We currently live in the UK. Starting in early 2014, we want to buy an RV and spend part of each year (3-6 months) touring around the US and Canada but starting in the US. The US is a big place so I can see us doing this for many years to come! My wife is English, I’m Irish but as we are both non-residents of the US, it creates some complications.

We will not have a permanent address in the US so we need to figure out how to buy, register and insure a vehicle. From research, buying an RV won’t be such an issue but the registration and insurance might be more complex.

Because we are not permanent residents (we will be visiting on a B2 visa that allows for stays of up to 180 days), I do not think it is possible for us to apply for a US drivers license. We will apply for an International License based on our UK license. I believe that these International Licenses are recognized by the authorities in the US and certainly good enough for renting a car but might be harder to find an insurance company to work with?

So my first few (of many) questions to come….

Have you any advice on how to buy, register and insure an RV in the US as a non-resident?
Will a temporary address be acceptable for the registration of the vehicle?
Can I register the vehicle in my name but at the address of a friend or colleague?
Once the vehicle is initially registered, do you need to re-register if you subsequently change address?
If Insurance is hard to arrange in my name, can I have a US friend insure it but include me on the policy? Is there any down-side to doing that?
Is it possible to apply for a driving license as a non-resident in ANY state of the US?

So if there is anyone out there who has experience of Expats like us trying to join the great RV community then please help!!!

Kind regards

Magor

Hi Magor
We are Australians who are doing what you plan to do so let me just start by saying it is not as difficult as you may think.
Yes you need a permanent residential address in order to be able to license and insure vehicles however an easy way to do this is through a group called Escapees in Texas. They can provide an address, mail forwarding service and access through their membership to banking facilities.
You do not need to purchase your vehicles in Texas however if you are registering them there then you will need to pay taxes in Texas. We bought our F250 in North Carolina and the 5er in Indiana.
I do not believe there is no need to obtain an international drivers' license. We have driven around for over 2 years on our Australian licenses and when we have been required to present them to law enforcement officers they have never been queried. I think there is some sort of reciprocal agreement between some countries - you may want to check it out between UK and US but I would suspect it is the same as for us.
Once the vehicle is registered unless you change address to another state I don't think it would need to be re-registered although US citizens would probably be able to answer that more accurately.
Insurance is not hard to arrange in your name however be prepared that it is expensive. Without a US driving record we foreigners do have to pay a heftier rate. We insure our vehicles with National Interstate through Explorer RV. We did have cause to make a claim and couldn't speak highly enough of the assistance and response we received from them under extremely difficult circumstances. (We were leaving for Australia the next day)
I do not know the situation with other states however I do know that you can obtain a Texas driver's license as a foreigner however we have never felt the need.
I am very happy to help with other questions so please PM me if you would prefer.
Cheers
Paula