Moving to North Carolina? Guide to obtaining a NC driver’s license, registering a vehicle, and getting auto insurance
I’m a recent transplant from Pennsylvania to North Carolina. In this post, I’d like to share with you my experiences obtaining a North Carolina driver’s license, registration, and vehicle insurance.
I found North Carolina’s DMV website (ncdot.gov) as the best source for information. Please be advised North Carolina driver’s licenses are handled by the NC DMV office, while title / registration / license plates are handled by a license plate agency. These are two separate entities. License plate agencies will typically contract with NC DMV to offer these services.
I highly recommend obtaining the North Carolina driver’s license first, then going to a license plate agency afterwards. As you’ll see later, depending on whether you’re currently financing your car or leasing your car will determine how quickly you can get your registration done after getting your NC driver’s license.
Obtaining a NC driver’s license
- Go to the ‘ncdot.gov’ website (https://www.ncdot.gov) and search ‘moving to NC’ in the search bar on top of the page. *Or, simply search on your browser for ‘moving to nc’.
- Under section ‘Getting a License’, click the link ‘...an NCDMV driver license office’.
- Note: You’ll need to make an appointment prior to going there! Do not just show up.
- Scroll down until you see ‘Driver License Office Appointment’, then click the box ‘Make an Appointment’
- Scroll down on the following page until ‘Ready to Schedule an Office Appointment?’
- Click ‘Make an Appointment’
- On the following page, click ‘Make an Appointment’
- Click ‘Driver License - First Time’. Type your zip code to show nearest office.
- Select a office, then click ‘Next’ without filling out desired date/time. You’ll see an available date(s) in green like this below. For this example below, the only available date is January 15th. All other dates are NOT available.
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| Note available date of January 15 for this office location |
- If this available date works for you, then simply click the green colored available date to book it. All available times will then show up. Select the one that works for you. ***If you don’t like this available date, try other office locations and repeat the steps above.
- Once you successfully book the date/time, you’ll get a confirmation text message.
- Be sure to show clerk at DMV this confirmation text message to gain entrance when you get there.
- You’ll need to take a quick test to get a North Carolina driver’s license. This will test your knowledge of signs (stop, yield, railroad crossing, etc.) Be sure to brush up on your signs prior to going there!
- Once you pass this test, you’ll be given a temporary driver’s license. Permanent one will get to you via regular mail within few weeks.
-One document with full name showing identity and date of birth
-One document with full name and full social security number confirming social security number
-Two documents showing current North Carolina residency
-For non-US citizens, one document with full name proving legal presence/lawful status
Getting your vehicle registered from out of state
Before you stop by a license plate agency, be sure to get all your documents ready. As mentioned above, registering a financed/paid off vehicle is different than registering a leased vehicle.
For financed/paid off vehicles:
- For financed vehicles:
-Current registration from title state
-Proof of insurance from a company licensed in North Carolina
-Current mileage
-Valid NC driver’s license
- For paid off vehicles:
-Proof of insurance
-Current mileage
-Valid NC drivers license
For leased vehicles:
-Copy of the title front & back (or actual title if applicable)
-Power of attorney (Original only) from leasing company
-Proof of insurance
-Current mileage
-valid NC drivers license
***Very Important!!! You’ll need to contact your leasing company for the first two items listed above (copy of title and power of attorney). Have your leasing company send over these documents to your home. When you receive these documents, go to the license plate agency, but NOT before!
My leasing company took quite a time to turn these around. I needed to get a relocation form filled out along with NC DMV requirements listed above. I ended up needing to speak to a supervisor to get mine done. Plan for this as it may end up taking up the longest time like mine did...
When going to the license plate agency, bring some cash as they don’t take anything but cash to notarize your application document. I paid $6 for this.
Another thing to bring is another form of payment to register in NC. I paid about $600 to register my vehicle (2020 Chevy Equinox), which include one year of registration and NC license plate. This amount can be paid via credit card/cash.
Buying NC car insurance
Before moving to North Carolina, I didn’t realize NC has one of the best auto insurance rates in the country. With savings coming from auto insurance, I didn’t mind paying that $600 to register my car.
I searched for ‘auto insurance broker near me’ which got me names of brokers in my neck of the woods. I then contacted a broker who was friendly and he gave me great rates on my car.
I highly recommend using a broker as a broker can shop multiple insurance companies on your behalf. I believe I’ve saved at least several hundred dollars by using a broker compared to shopping on my own. It was also time saving as well. I didn’t want to contact multiple insurance companies myself then deal with multiple people...
Tip: It’s important to find a broker that deals with multiple insurance companies and not one insurance company. Your results may vary, so try my way, then try a different way.
I hope this information helps someone who’s currently in the process of moving to North Carolina. Thank you all for reading!
Jake
Wandering Money Pig
***Disclaimer: Information listed here are true as of this writing. Please consult NC DOT to get more up to date information. Please confirm with a local license plate agency regarding the document requirements for registration as they may change...
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