Can I continue to register a vehicle in RI if I live elsewhere part-time? | Ask the DMV
Q: I’m a Florida resident and own a home in Rhode Island. I have one vehicle in Florida and two in RI. One vehicle in RI has a Purple Heart plate. Can I continue to register this vehicle in RI since I live there five months out of the year?
— Joseph D.
A: In order to register a car, and keep a car registered in Rhode Island, you must show proof of identity (ID, driver's license, military ID, passport, etc.) and proof of residency (tax bill, utility bill, etc.). Proof of identity does not have to be a RI credential. Proof of residency must be a physical address in Rhode Island where the vehicle is primarily kept and garaged. Your physical address cannot be a P.O. box. Your mailing address can be an out-of-state address or P.O. box, but remember that all DMV mailings will go to that mailing address and not the physical address.
It is also important to remember that each time you register a vehicle in Rhode Island without a Rhode Island license or state identification card, you must show proof of your Rhode Island address.
On our website (www.dmv.ri.gov), in the “Forms” tab and “Checklists” tab, you will find various checklists. The “Registration Checklist” will provide you with information on each of these proofs, as well as the documents that are required for certain registration transactions.
The “Checklist for Licenses/IDs/Permits” expands the list of acceptable documents for proof of identity and residency. This second checklist is helpful especially for those people who want a REAL ID, or a Rhode Island credential for the first time, but it can be used for registration purposes, too.
Remember that the REAL ID deadline is May 3, 2023. A REAL ID or other TSA acceptable documents (passport, military ID, etc.) will be required to fly domestically and enter certain federal facilities.
Q: My daughter is 19 years old and has a driver's learning permit that is not expired but will expire soon. She has already renewed her permit two times, which I believe is the maximum allowed.
The last time she renewed, she did pass the written test. She just has not had access to a vehicle to practice her driving and has not been comfortable driving on her own until now.
How does she go about getting another permit before her current one expires if she is only allowed two maximum renewals?
— Janet C.
A: Learner's permits may be renewed for two additional, one-year periods, after which the permit holder shall be required to pass the knowledge exam again if the permit holder has not obtained a full operator's license.
If your daughter has exhausted her two renewals, and her permit expires before she gets her driver's license, then she would have to take the “Knowledge Exam” or permit test again.
Knowledge exams are only at the Cranston DMV and require a reservation.
Instructions on how to make a reservation are found on the front page of our website: www.dmv.ri.gov. It’s a navy blue box: “Schedule Reservations and Road Tests.”
On the next page, it is the third box down “All Other Reservations.” (The first two boxes are for scheduling Road Exams.) “All Other Reservations” includes licenses, state IDs, REAL IDs, registrations, permit exams, and the offices of Adjudication, CDL, Research, and Cashiers. Choose “Written & Computerized Permit Test.” Follow all the instructions to the end, until you get a reservation confirmation email or text. If you do not get either immediately, then you didn’t complete your reservation.
Chuck Hollis is assistant administrator of the Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles. Please email your questions to cars@providencejournal.com with “Ask the DMV” in the subject field.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Ask the RI DMV: Can I continue to register a vehicle here if I live there part time?
