Reviewed and updated October 12, 2026 by the SearchSystems.net editorial team. Every fact on this page was read from the California DMV's own pages that day, and the DMV page each fact came from is linked where it appears.
What the California DMV expects from a new resident, and from a Californian leaving: the residency test, the license and ID card, the 20-day vehicle registration rule, plates and placards, and the change of address and release of liability when moving out. The license application is on the driver's license guide, registering an out-of-state vehicle on the vehicle registration guide.
In this guide: Who the DMV counts as a resident, Your license or ID card, Your vehicle: 20 days, Moving out of California, Questions about moving to or from California
Who the DMV counts as a resident
The DMV's New to California page says you are a California resident if you intend to live in the state for six months or more in one year, and lists the signs of that intent: presence in California for six months or longer within a 12-month period other than as a visitor; registration to vote in California; employment or a place of business in the state; resident tuition at a California public college or university; dependents attending a primary or secondary school in California; a homeowner's property tax exemption; renting a California property as your primary residence; claiming California residency for a license, privilege or benefit not available to non-residents; holding a current California license or ID card; or any other acts showing the presence is more than temporary. The DMV notes that military personnel are not covered by this list; the veterans and military guide has their rules.
Your license or ID card
A person who intends to be a California resident needs a California ID card or driver's license, and one who intends to drive must apply for a California license. The DMV's motorcycle licenses page puts the deadline at 10 days after residency is established, and its driver's license page lays out the application for a driver licensed in another state or country: the online application, an office visit with Social Security number, identity and residency documents, the fee, thumbprint, vision exam, photo and knowledge tests, with a driving test for a driver from another country. The steps are on the driver's license guide; the REAL ID choice on the REAL ID guide.
Your vehicle: 20 days
A vehicle previously registered in another state or country must be registered in California within 20 days of becoming a resident or bringing it into the state, and the DMV's fee calculator page says the same 20 days run from accepting employment or establishing residency, with late registration subject to penalties. The DMV asks nonresident vehicle owners to bring the vehicle to an office for verification of the vehicle identification number, by appointment, and bases the fees on the market value shown by the cost to the purchaser or a pricing guide. The documents, the smog rule and the fees for an out-of-state vehicle are on the vehicle registration guide; special plates, decals and placards on the DMV's plates page. Nonresident military personnel stationed in California are exempt from the vehicle license fee under conditions on the military guide.
Moving out of California
The DMV's moving out of state page asks a Californian who leaves to report the change of address within 10 days, online or on a Change of Address (DMV 14), whether the vehicle will be registered in the new state or stay registered in California. If a California renewal notice arrives for a vehicle now registered elsewhere, write the date the vehicle left California and the name of the new state on the back of the stub and mail it to the DMV, which updates the record. Renewal notices are generated more than 60 days before expiration, so one can cross in the mail with a sale; a notice for a vehicle you no longer own means the DMV did not receive a complete Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability (REG 138), which the DMV requires for a sale, a gift or a donation, and another must be filed. The address change itself is on the change of address guide.
Questions about moving to or from California
How long do I have to get a California license?
The DMV's motorcycle page gives 10 days after establishing residency; its New to California page says a person who intends to be a resident and drive must apply for a California license, and defines residency as intending to live in the state six months or more in a year.
How long do I have to register my car?
20 days after becoming a resident or bringing the vehicle into California, according to the DMV, with late penalties after that.
What makes me a resident?
The DMV's examples: presence in California for six months or more in 12 months other than on a temporary basis, registering to vote, employment or a business in the state, resident tuition, dependents in a California school, a homeowner's tax exemption, renting a primary residence, claiming residency for any benefit, or holding a California license or ID. Military personnel are excluded from the six-month test.
I am moving out of California. What do I tell the DMV?
Report the change of address within 10 days, and if a renewal notice arrives for a vehicle now registered elsewhere, write the date it left California and the new state on the back of the stub and mail it back.
I sold my car before moving but still get renewal notices. Why?
The DMV says it probably never received a complete Notice of Transfer and Release of Liability (REG 138), which is required for a sale, a gift or a donation; file another one.
Written by SearchSystems.net from the California DMV's New to California, moving out of state, motorcycle licenses and fee calculator pages, read on October 12, 2026.