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South Dakota license plates

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Wallvestor
  6/19/2021 16:11 EST

We are in baja south and from cabo to la paz, we've noticed many cars with south Dakota plates.

Anybody know why so many folks from SD are here?

NA
  6/19/2021 16:45 EST

Many expats have SD plates because you do not have to be a resident to get SD plates. You can do plates and registration by mail, and they will send them to any address in the US. Since you don’t need to be a resident, you don’t need a SD driver’s license to register your car.

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cheshirecat4591
  6/19/2021 17:04 EST

Do you have to be a resident to get a SDdrivers license though

cancunkid
  6/19/2021 19:47 EST

I have heard there is at least one county in SD where you don't need to be a resident to get a license, either.

Jubilacion
  6/20/2021 10:41 EST

We have been South Dakota “residents” for about one year and we also live in Jalisco. In order to become a “resident” you do NEED to stay 1-night in a hotel/AirBNB and bring that receipt with each of your names and the SD address of the place you stayed to the DMV where we easily secured our SD Travelers Driver Licenses and then the County Treasurer for our initial registration. I just renewed auto registration online for 1 car at $63 and South Dakota does not require auto insurance or auto inspections either so I’m not paying for unnecessary US coverage as other states require while we’re in Mexico.

In order to keep your SD “residency” you must spend at least on night in SD every 5 years or before your DL expires. It’s worked great for us so far with our SD Mail Service called Your Best Address. They have tons of great info about this process that South Dakota loves to offer.

Why? Free money to the state because all those cars and “residents” pay fees to keep SD roads maintained but don’t put much if any mileage on those same roads as infrequent residents. Win win.

jamarcj
  6/20/2021 11:46 EST

Is it cheaper to get SD plates and registration than California?

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wannamove
  6/20/2021 13:32 EST

SD does not have an income tax. CA does. As a "legal "resident of SD you can register there to vote. To get CA plates you must be a legal resident. You would register there to vote. Legal resident of CA pays state income tax and their vehicle registration cost are very high.

Intransit1
  6/20/2021 14:19 EST

What you are seeing are people skirting the rules and laws of the country that they have chosen to live in. Eventually, the Mexican government will "catch on" to the scam and begin impounding these vehicles for not complying with the immigration laws that the owners have supposedly agreed to. Actually, it has already happened in some parts of Mexico.

Jubilacion
  6/20/2021 15:00 EST

Much cheaper and far less regulations than CA (mandatory auto insurance, smog check, etc.)

The travelers DL and Registration e primarily set up for RV’ers that travel full time without a home base, but as we were told at the DMV it has morphed into people like us who live much of the year in Mexico or other countries.

Wallvestor
  6/20/2021 23:39 EST

I get the impression from my informal research, that expats in Baja are exempt from the mainland requirements of expats having to nationalize their vehicles in Mexico.

Apparently that's the reason why there are so many SD plates here.

But, do you need a SD license to complete the strategy legally?

hrlee7804
  6/21/2021 09:42 EST

"But, do you need a SD license to complete the strategy legally?"

This process of using SD plates is basically for vehicles that don't leave Mexico is my understanding. If you are driving around the US with a drivers license from one state and a vehicle registered to you from another is a 'no no'. Being in the 'free zone' like the Baja and Northern Sonora gives you some advantages like the SD plates, etc. Keep in mind the 'free zone' is an advantage for those there as tourists not with residency. PR's are not allowed to drive non Mexican vehicles. I think that is a major reason many go Temporary Residence first so they have 4 years to figure out the car thing.

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cancunkid
  6/21/2021 15:19 EST

For people who live full-time in their RV, giving up their permanent home, it is necessary to set up residence in some state. SD is one of the most popular choices for that. Those people will pay a SD commercial mail receiving agency to have mail delivered to and forwarded to them, will have SD licence plates on the RV and SD driver's licenses. That's all fully legal.

Some states make you jump through some hoops to prove that you're no longer a resident of that state because they want to keep taxing you, so you have to be careful if you are from one of those states (virginia is notorious, and I think CA can be difficult).

You can find more info about all this by surfing RV web forums targeted at full-timer RV people.

Jubilacion
  6/22/2021 10:15 EST

Intransit1, you shouldn't make comment if you're not sure what you're even commenting on? What does this even mean related to legal SD registration..."What you are seeing are people skirting the rules and laws of the country that they have chosen to live in..."

This travelers program of DL's and Registration and residency in SD is sponsored by the State and the US gov't recognizes my residency too for retirement benefits.

Now if you are talking about individuals skirting rules by not registering or nationalizing their cars in Mexico if they are Permanente that has absolutely NOTHING to do with SD plates. If some idiot chooses to drive around in a foreign plated car (US or CAN) with a Permanente Visa they chance having their vehicle confiscated. That's just stupid and has nothing to do with SD, It could be any state or province.

You do know that those of us a Temporal visa can NOT even register our vehicles in Mexico, right? I'm not sure you do.

Very unusual comment of yours related to a question on why the original poster saw so many legal SD plates in Baja and MX.

Jubilacion
  6/23/2021 09:53 EST

Cancunkid is correct. While we are not RV’ing now (it was a consideration before Mexico). We sold everything and didn’t want to use any of the kids homes as our legal state residence because of how their States handled taxes on retirement benefits and income.

South Dakota fit our need tax-wise and their excellent travelers residency program for our vehicle. So yes,, it’s part of a plan if these benefits fit your needs.

Buena suerte!

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