Is it legal to get use?

toolttime wrote:
The story on this is about a friend who has been fulltiming in the US for 15 years. Lost his work visa when Trump came in. He is going back to Canada and still going to be fulltiming but he has to switch all of his drivers license, vehicle registrations etc. to Canada from US but needs to have a address to do all of this.

My wife and I have been full-time for 4 years. She works as a traveling lab tech and has worked at several hospitals around the country. When we started I looked into this issue and found that the only real regulations I could find were provisions that require a "persistent personal presence" in the community.

MY interpretation of the rule was as long as we continued to see our primary doctor, did banking (ie: safe deposit box) and basically visited once a year or so we would be fine. We lived in the same small town for all our lives until we started traveling. Currently my mother-in-law's address is our residence and have her forward our mail. Recently we purchased a lot in an RV community in a nearby town, and may eventually change our address, but the current situation is perfect for us.

I believe the big issue here is much like MitchF150 mentioned:

MitchF150 wrote:
if it's just to forward mail, that's one thing.. But if it's to get out of paying taxes and fees for where you really call home... Well, that's all on you..

If your intent is to dodge taxes or otherwise evade the law you open yourself to trouble. A PO box in a random city isn't the same as an address used for vehicle registration and voting. That being said your friend should find a community that is open to the full-time RV lifestyle and set up their "residence". Find a doctor, dentist etc. that they can get annual check-ups from and enjoy the road.

The story on this is about a friend who has been fulltiming in the US for 15 years. Lost his work visa when Trump came in. He is going back to Canada and still going to be fulltiming but he has to switch all of his drivers license, vehicle registrations etc. to Canada from US but needs to have a address to do all of this.

Z-Peller wrote:
Note that OP is in Alberta,Canada...different country, different rules. Asking a legal question on an internet forum is only worth what you pay for it...dick all!!

".....dick all!!" .....:h...:(

~

yes

When we were full-timing a few years ago, we used a Personal Mail Box (PMB) at a UPS store in the town where we were registered to vote, licensed our vehicles, etc. for our mail. The UPS store forwarded our mail, weekly, to whatever address we gave them.
One RV park we stayed at for several months refused to act as a mail clearing house for their residents, so we had to get our mail at General Delivery, the local Post Office. That is the address we gave the UPS store. No problems.
Before we relocated, we advised the UPS store to hold mail until notified of the new address, to avoid problems with the Post Office.
When we settled down and established roots again (same state, different county), we closed the UPS store account and notified the Post Office and those who regularly sent us mail of the permanent change of address. Again, no problems.
It really is simpler than some seem to think it is.

Z-Peller wrote:

Valhalla....I agree with you, but I think you missed my point. Looking for legal advise on an internet forum is what I was calling out.

Then we disagree. I wouldn't be the farm on it but not a bad idea to do preliminary research thru this method.

Z-Peller wrote:

Note that OP is in Alberta,Canada...different country, different rules. Asking a legal question on an internet forum is only worth what you pay for it...dick all!!


When you post to a US website where 90% of the members are from the US...it's pretty reasonable to assume they aren't from Zimbabwe. If you have to verify every detail and possible exemption to every rule...may as well shut the site down as no one will ever know enough to answer.

No harm but really the OP should have clarified that he is Canadian if he wanted Canada specific info.

Valhalla....I agree with you, but I think you missed my point. Looking for legal advise on an internet forum is what I was calling out.

Z-Peller wrote:
Note that OP is in Alberta,Canada...different country, different rules. Asking a legal question on an internet forum is only worth what you pay for it...dick all!!

When you post to a US website where 90% of the members are from the US...it's pretty reasonable to assume they aren't from Zimbabwe. If you have to verify every detail and possible exemption to every rule...may as well shut the site down as no one will ever know enough to answer.

No harm but really the OP should have clarified that he is Canadian if he wanted Canada specific info.

Dutch_12078 wrote:
RV'ers and boaters using mail forwarding services have an absolute right to vote where they've established their domicile. Note that "residency" is not the same as a "domicile". When you register a domicile intention, you're declaring that location as the place you intend to return to when you're no longer traveling. Whether that particular elections commissioner can prevent people from voting in local elections is a matter for the courts, but he does not have the right to prevent them from voting in statewide and national elections. Even the homeless living under a bridge or in a different shelter every night have that right.

Your domicile remains as your prior location until you establish a new one. So if you move to Thailand from Wyoming, you are still domiciled in Wymoning until you establish a new domicile. Claiming a new domicile is intended for a modest transition period not years.

The issue with mail services is people are clearly claiming a domicile when they have no intention of ever moving there...and yes, my understanding is the courts are being brought in to sort it out.

Homeless people = red herring in this discussion. They can vote in the area they live as it is legitimately their domicile and residence. Some hassles proving it but otherwise a totally different discussion.

RAS43 wrote:
Z,
Good observation, no one took notice of that before dispensing "legal" advice.

I'm sure most people noticed, I know I did. But the question was asked without regard to country of origin. So people answered with what they thought was correct and gave their opinion.