Moving to South Dakota … to move to Mexico?

I posted a photo of my new South Dakota license plate, and, well, that caused a lotta confusion!

“BUT I THOUGHT YOU WERE MOVING TO MEXICO?!”

Lemme explain …

I will be taking my car with me to Mexico. I upgraded my vehicle for exactly this reason. It gives me a sense of independence, knowing that if I need to get up and take off, I can just up and take off. Also, I have two large dogs that need to make this move with me, and there’s no way I can fly them, so the car is a must. And like, it’s just nice to have for running errands, hitting the beach, exploring the area, etc. I don’t have to explain the love of a vehicle to Angelenos.

Now, depending on where you are in Mexico and your residency (or tourist) status, a few things need to be done to legally bring a foreign-plated car into the country. I’ll only address how to bring one's vehicle into what’s known as the “free zone” in Mexico (all of Baja California and Baja California Sur are “free zones”). For other areas of Mexico, the requirements are more strict, to the point that some are not allowed to bring their foreign-plated cars in at all, so do your research.

To legally operate my vehicle in a “free zone” in Mexico as a temporary resident, the vehicle must be legally registered in its home state (or province) and be covered by Mexican insurance. The insurance is easy; I can purchase an inexpensive policy online a few days before I set out, but keeping it legally registered in its home state was a bigger issue. As those living in California know, an in-person SMOG test is required each year to register and renew your vehicle. That makes keeping my vehicle registered in California a challenge - as that would mean each year I’d have to drive the 1,000 or so miles north, cross the border, get a 15-minute SMOG check in Calexico or San Diego or some other border town, then drive 1,000 miles home, all just to renew my registration. No gracias! That’s where South Dakota comes in. South Dakota, being cool as they are, will allow out-of-staters to register their vehicles in their state. Why is this beneficial for the likes of me? Their state has no yearly SMOG requirements, meaning you can renew your registration online easily from anywhere. Yay! Crisis, and 2,000 miles of driving, averted. (This is also great for RV’ers who don’t have a sticks & bricks house/address to call home)

The process to register my vehicle in South Dakota could not have been easier. Lemme tell ya, the customer service by government organizations in South Dakota is next level. Per instructions provided by Anytime Mailbox (more on them later), I reached out to the County Treasurer in Lawrence County, South Dakota via email (Sally Atkinson - satkinso@lawrence.sd.us), and she sent me the document I needed to submit to get the title sent from California to South Dakota. (Side note - I’m fairly certain she sent the document to me within an hour or two of my inquiry. California could NEVER). I filled it out, sent it back, and once the document was processed, Sally called me (like, on the phone! Again - California could NEVER), I provided payment for the registration (less than $100), and Sally popped the plates in the mail to me same day. I got them a few days later. The whole process was easy peasy, lime in my margarita squeezy. (Note - if there’s a lien on your vehicle - it may take a few weeks for the treasurer to get what she needs to process the title - so be sure to start this process with enough time to get it done. And be ready to stay on top of the lien company to ensure they’re doing what they need to be doing.)

“But what about getting your sticker when you renew?” you ask? Also easily handled. Before registering my vehicle in South Dakota, I acquired an address in Spearfish, South Dakota, through the company, Anytime Mailbox. All my mail will be sent to this address (and it will act as my US “home” address after I leave) and Anytime Mailbox provides a service that will scan any incoming mail (the exterior of the envelope) and email me to let me know it’s arrived. At that time, I can opt to have them open it and scan the contents for me, recycle it, shred it, or, as would be the case for the renewal sticker, FedEx or DHL the mail to wherever I happen to be in the world at the time. It’s incredibly convenient.

I could stop there and just register my vehicle in South Dakota, and things would already be much easier for future me, but I am also going to legally move my residence from California to South Dakota (to the address provided by Anytime Mailbox) in the coming weeks. That process is more involved, as it requires me to complete a minimum one-night stay in South Dakota and a visit to a DMV office in the state, but the benefits are worth it!

Part two of moving-but-not-moving-to-South-Dakota coming soon!

Oh - also, I’ll be spending a day in Deadwood, which my Western-movie loving self is so excited for!