We're moving to the US in July and plan on full-time RV'ing as soon as we can get a truck and a 5th wheel. We're not US citizens but will have a long-stay work visa. Working from home, we figured we might as well make our home on the road.Flying into Florida and that's where we'd want to set our domicile. The plan is to go out to the northeast for hurricane season (and heat) and come back to Florida in November. I have a LOT of questions and would hugely appreciate some help.1. Assuming we get our SSN and a Florida driver's license, how difficult would it be to buy and register a heavy-duty truck + 5th wheel? As in, how long do you think it could take. Especially the registration part. Do we have to stick around for our license plates or can we get on the road right away?2. Let's say we don't find the 5th wheel of our dreams in Florida. We're thinking maybe we can buy a truck there, and drive up to New England (staying in hotels on the way). Then find a rig up in the north, later in the summer. I'm thinking maybe now that covid is almost over, and winter will be coming soon, maybe more people will be selling up in the north?If we do that, can we buy an RV in a New England state and register it in Florida? Would we have to drive back to Florida to do that? Or can we somehow remotely register the RV with a Florida DL? I assume buying insurance remotely shouldn't be an issue. Any thoughts or tips on how, where and when to buy both pickup and rig would be very welcome!

Florida is one of the best places to start. They have very few restriction in place regarding the virus which makes doing things there much easier. Florida also has a number of large RV sales locations which should make it easier to find the fifth wheel you want. Since you have internet access, check out Lazydays RV in TampaLazydays RVAnd also General RV near TampaGeneral RV TampaThose are two of the largest dealers in the USA. They also have used RVs so maybe check those out also. There are others in Florida but that will give you a start.Regarding the legal requirements for purchasing, call one of the places listed above, or maybe someone living in Florida can comment. Should not be terribly difficult.Welcome to America! Hope you have a wonderful time here.

Talk to Scott at SBI ... he knows the ins and outs of Florida residence and travel. He is owner of a mail-forwarding company in Florida - a good one. You will need a mail service if you travel, and want all your license and registration documents in Florida.https://www.sbimailservice.com/

I don't know the ins-and-outs of long stay work visas. If it allows or requires you to establish a domicile, you'll serve yourself well by using FL. Look into getting mail services thru the Escapees group, which also gives you an address so you can title and register your vehicles in FL. The actual title and registration can be done the same day or next business day following purchase. I think it will be too difficult, maybe impossible, to buy up north and try to register in FL. You should probably get some professional advice on how to handle potential income taxes since you will be working in different states.

AnneM wrote:We're moving to the US in July and plan on full-time RV'ing as soon as we can get a truck and a 5th wheel. We're not US citizens but will have a long-stay work visa. Working from home, we figured we might as well make our home on the road.Flying into Florida and that's where we'd want to set our domicile. The plan is to go out to the northeast for hurricane season (and heat) and come back to Florida in November. I have a LOT of questions and would hugely appreciate some help.1. Assuming we get our SSN and a Florida driver's license, how difficult would it be to buy and register a heavy-duty truck + 5th wheel? Dealer will file all the required paperwork for you As in, how long do you think it could take. Especially the registration part. Do we have to stick around for our license plates or can we get on the road right awayTypically dealer will issue you temporary plates so you can get right on the road.?2. Let's say we don't find the 5th wheel of our dreams in Florida. We're thinking maybe we can buy a truck there, and drive up to New England (staying in hotels on the way). Then find a rig up in the north, later in the summer. I'm thinking maybe now that covid is almost over, and winter will be coming soon, maybe more people will be selling up in the north?If we do that, can we buy an RV in a New England state and register it in Florida? Not sure about that. Try goggling the states "Secretary of State" office of the particular state you're thinking you might buy from. Would we have to drive back to Florida to do that? Or can we somehow remotely register the RV with a Florida DL? I assume buying insurance remotely shouldn't be an issue. Any thoughts or tips on how, where and when to buy both pickup and rig would be very welcome!currently both are in limited supply so expect to pay a premium and to not have as many choices.Answers in red

If the dealer is willing to do the out of state paperwork, yes. State sales tax is another issue.

Can you buy in one state and register in another

Edd505
Explorer
Jun 30, 2021
I'll keep this as simple as I can, bought in AZ from a WA dealer, signed papers in CA and live in NM. Registration & plates were not an issue, NO ONE wanted to do warranty work. Did you buy from us? No sorry we can't help you, that was an issue, I should haul it 1800 miles one way to get something done.
Mike_W
Explorer
Jun 29, 2021
Just for consideration. If you buy a new RV at a dealer in Florida make sure you can have warranty service done elsewhere. Most new RVs have some issues that you'll want to have addressed.
Michelle_S
Explorer III
Jun 26, 2021
You can put Florida plates on an RV or Auto and have the address on the registration be in another state.
We had planed on xfering our NY tags, but they suggested putting FL tags on to save us money. So we had FL tags with address on registration to our home base in Western NY.
AnneM
Explorer
Jun 26, 2021
Again, thank you everyone for the feedback. I ended up calling LazyDays in Tampa and talking to their registration department. Sharing the information here for the benefit of future readers.

To register a vehicle or RV in Florida you need an address and an ID. That ID can be your local driver's license or a passport. The dealership (LazyDays in this case) can take care of registering the RV for you. They will give you temporary tags to drive off the lot with and will send you the papers and plates to your address later on.

Using a mail forwarding service we can then get those FedExed to us wherever we are in the US.

So, Florida it is for us. And more specifically, Tampa, as suggested here. I now have TONS of questions about choosing the right rig for our needs, but I'll start a new thread to keep everything neat and tidy.
Ro_n_Joe
Explorer II
Jun 20, 2021
Need to set up your new domicile address 2-3 months ahead to show bank, credit card or bills showing the new address to the DMV and Tax office to prove that you "moved" to the new address. It's not difficult setting up a domicile. escapees.com used to have an excellent guide on how to set up a domicile.
Ro_n_Joe
Explorer II
Jun 20, 2021
The out of state dealer will provide temporary plates if you purchase outside of Florida. It's fairly easy to register a vehicle in Florida and suggest making an appointment with the Florida DMV to save time waiting. Consider setting up your domicile in Crestview, FL with MyRVmail.com who has been great to work with.
Terryallan
Explorer II
Jun 19, 2021
honestly. A dealer in SC will probably not be able to register your RV in Florida. I know we bought ours out of state, and had to hand carry the paper work to the DMV. The dealer would not, and could not do it out of state. He did give us a tag to get it home on. But registration was up to us.
AnneM
Explorer
Jun 19, 2021
Thanks so much for all the info! Lots to dig into! I'll be making some calls on Monday.
Spent the day looking up floorplans and even just "on paper" still having a hard time finding the ones that would work for us. We'll definitely have to spend some time looking once we get there.
monkey44
Nomad II
Jun 19, 2021
Just a note on the above. We moved into a Townhouse in Florida and I still had a Mass license. Bought a new truck. The dealer registered truck AND gave me a Florida plate the same day I bought it. Some dealers can do it - not sure all can, but the larger dealers probably can do that registration and plate process same day. Ask first at the dealer where you purchase.
Lwiddis
Explorer II
Jun 19, 2021
If the dealer is willing to do the out of state paperwork, yes. State sales tax is another issue.

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