Nonresident Students
A non-resident student may maintain an out-of-state registration in lieu of Utah registration if the non-resident student is:
- currently registered full-time at a college, university or other accredited educational institution in Utah
- the institution has granted the student non-resident status, i.e., the student is paying nonresident tuition
Non-resident Student Permits are issued to students by educational institutions for a fee. The DMV makes no direct issuance–contact your school or institution for more information.
Military Personnel
Nonresident Military Personnel Stationed in Utah
Active-duty military personnel whose legal residence is in another state are permitted to register their motor vehicles in their state of legal residence. However, non-resident military personnel who purchase a vehicle in Utah must pay the sales/use tax on the vehicle if they plan to operate the vehicle in Utah; sales tax is due even if they choose to register the vehicle in their home state.
Utah Resident Service Members Stationed Outside of Utah
Utah residents who are members of the U.S. Armed Services and are stationed out of state may obtain the following exemptions in order to maintain Utah registration of their vehicles:
- Property Tax Exemption. To receive this exemption, the service member must provide his/her local county assessor the documentation required by that county assessor.
- Emissions Inspection Exemption. Complete Section 2 of Form TC-810, Exemption Affidavit of Utah Safety and Emission Requirements for Vehicles Not in Utah. If the vehicle is located in a state, city or county that requires emission inspections (as listed on the back of the exemption form), an emissions test must be obtained in that state, city or county and a copy of that test must be submitted to DMV to complete registration for Utah.
- Safety Inspection Exemption. Complete Section 1 of TC-810, Exemption Affidavit of Utah Safety and Emissions Requirements for Vehicles Not in Utah. If the vehicle is in a state that is listed on the back of the exemption form, a safety inspection from that state, dated no more than 2 months prior to registration, must be submitted to DMV to complete registration for Utah.
Note: To obtain any of the exemptions outlined above, the service person must own the vehicle; not another family member or leasing company.
Other Nonresidents Living and Working in Utah
Utah law requires you to register your vehicle in Utah within 60 days if you:
- have established a permanent home for yourself and your family in this state;
- live in Utah, continuously or non-continuously, for a total of six months, regardless of having a permanent residence in another state;
- engage in a trade, profession or occupation in Utah, or accept other than seasonal work in Utah, and you do not commute into the state;
- declare yourself a resident of Utah to obtain privileges not ordinarily extended to nonresidents, including going to school, enrolling your children in local schools without paying nonresident tuition or fees; or purchasing resident hunting or fishing licenses;
- obtain a Utah driver license.
The only exceptions in the law are for full-time nonresident students attending a Utah college or university, and for military personnel temporarily stationed in Utah.
In addition, company vehicles owned by any individual, partnership, limited liability company, firm, corporation, association or other entity must be registered in Utah if that business:
- maintains a main office, branch office or warehouse facility in Utah and bases and operates a motor vehicle in this state, and,
- operates a motor vehicle in intrastate transportation for other than seasonal work.
If a person moves to Utah from another state and establishes residence here, whether temporary or permanent, and is not able to provide the title of the vehicle being registered in Utah to the DMV because the title is held by a lien holder, the vehicle may be registered as a foreign vehicle without surrendering the out-of-state title.
A foreign vehicle registration may also be processed for a vehicle owner required to register their vehicle in more than one state, commonly called a dual registration.
Procedure
The owner of the foreign vehicle must surrender the vehicle's current out-of-state registration. A copy of the out-of-state registration is acceptable, especially if the customer wishes to retain registration in both states (dual registration).
Normal plate/title requirements apply, including:
- Property tax clearance from the county assessor;
- Emissions test;
- Safety inspection; an out-of-state safety inspection may be accepted, providing it is not more than two months old;
- Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) inspection; a Utah safety inspection is an acceptable VIN inspection providing the VIN is written on the inspection accurately;
A non-resident may wish to retain dual registration for various reasons, such as non-resident is in Utah on a temporary work assignment, after which he will return to his home state. Procedures for this are the same as above, except, a copy of the vehicle's current out-of-state registration may be surrendered instead of the original registration.