Tax, Tag, and Title Nightmare in Georgia

[John & Mary 1]

My husband went to an Atlanta tag office today to register his new car. He bought a brand new Honda from a Honda dealership at the end of July with temporary tags that expired on Aug 29. The title to his car, in his name only, arrived yesterday with a letter from the dealership advising him to go to the tag office with his title receipt, his driver's license, and proof of insurance.

The woman at the counter informed him that he could NOT register a car in Georgia without having a Georgia Driver's License. Georgia will not issue a driver's license to a non-US citizen without an EAD. (We just applied for AOS on Aug 17.) However, you are allowed to drive in Georgia for up to one year with an international license.

I am infuriated because the state of Georgia was HAPPY to take John's money for sales tax on a new car. They were HAPPY to take his money for title fees. Our insurance company was HAPPY to cover him and his new car. However, THEY WON'T LET HIM REGISTER THE CAR and so it's illegal for him to drive it. Sure, we can add me to the title and then I can register the car in my name, but that will take another MONTH for a new title to be issued.

I keep thinking there has to be a loophole somewhere, but I couldn't find one on the tax commissioner's website. Has anyone else had a similar situation?

[Kathryn41 3,205]

That is why my car was registered with my husband's name even though the ownership is in both our names and it is my car. I wasn't eligible as I didn't have a Georgia DL yet when we bought it. There is no way around it that I know of except waiting until you get the EAD to provide proof of immigration status and get a Georgia's DL. He will also need his SSN to get a DL as well as proof of Georgia residency (official or business documents mailed to him count, ie bank statements, household bill, etc.). He will also have to redo all of his tests - vision, written and driving test - as well as turn over his foreign DL to get the Georgia DL.

Edited September 3, 2009 by Kathryn41

[Otto 83]

I'm not sure about a loophole but you guys may be able to obtain a(nother) temp. plate (either from the dealer or the state).

[JeremyR 8]

I'd certainly recommend contacting the dealer and seeing if they can help you out. They may not be able and/or willing to help you but it can't hurt to ask them

As for turning over his foreign license when the time comes to apply for a GA DL... I looked into the implications of this quite carefully before I visited DDS. I'm not going to suggest he does something against Georgia law of course but here's some food for thought:

If he turns in the photocard and the paper portion of his UK drivers license and subsequently returns to the UK, he will be able to drive on his US license for one year (with some restrictions, I think). However, once that year is up, he will not be able to exchange a GA DL for a full UK license, even though he held one in the past. He would be required to obtain a provisional license (along with it's restrictions) and take the UK theory and driving tests all over again. I think that the reason for this is that US states are not allowed to enter into the reciprocal agreements with other countries that the UK DVLA requires for such exchanges.

If he turns in just the photocard portion of the licence, I think that satisfies the requirement to turn in any foreign license. He can then use the paper counterpart portion of his UK license to renew his UK DL should he ever need to. The paper counterpart of a UK driver's license does not have an expiry date.

I am not a lawyer and am by not 100% confident that this is entirely accurate but think carefully before handing over both parts of a UK license to the GA DDS.

Sources: direct.gov.uk and also this tool.

[Anh map 2,098]

I had to obtain a GA license prior to registering my car as well. No different for US citizens.