DMV vehicle registration st. louis MI and San Diego, CA
 

I'm trying to assist my husband on this issue.

His STEPDAD Navy based on ship in Japan (at the moment) is giving the 1999 Cadillac to my husband (his STEPSON) . Legally they do not shared the same SURNAME.:huh: (If that makes any difference)


The car is at a navy base storage in St.Louis MI (where his stepdad is from).

We are here in San Diego, CA

Which forms at the DMV will he need signing?:confused:

As I understand his stepdad is in the process of shipping it from the navy base in MI to the navy base here in SD. But in terms of legal title and ownership is what I am trying to help my husband with.

Any help much appreciated!:)

Re: DMV vehicle registration st. louis MI and San Diego, CA
 

His stepdad would normally just needs to sign the title and send it to his stepson. When the stepson registers it in California, he will pay a users tax (same as sales tax) on the value of the car.

However you better check with the DMV as to whether he will be able to register that car in California since California has more stringent smog requirements than other states. I believe that California will allow out of state cars to be registered in California if that person owned the car out of state for a specific period of time. That may not be the case for someone that didn't own the car previously.