If you have moved to California and the car is titled elsewhere, there is a decision worth making before you spend a morning at the DMV: you may not need to register it here at all.
Different situation to yours? This page is about a car that is here in California on a title issued elsewhere. If the car itself is in another state and you are not with it, see selling a car that is in a different state to you.
Registering a car in California costs money and a morning. If you are selling it anyway, you may be able to skip the whole thing.
A car titled in another state can generally be sold on that title. The buyer deals with whatever registration applies at their end. If you are selling to a licensed dealer — us, or anyone else — that is routine, because dealers handle out-of-state titles constantly.
So the question is not "how do I register this" but "am I keeping it?" If the answer is no, registering it in California first may be money and time spent for nothing.
Where it gets more complicated: if you are already a California resident and the car has been here a while, the registration requirement has already attached whether you sell it or not. That is worth being straight about rather than hoping nobody notices.
New residents have 20 days to register an out-of-state vehicle under Vehicle Code §6700. Penalties begin on day 21.
The part people miss is how residency is decided. It is based on intent, not on a form you fill in. Taking a job in California or enrolling children in school here can start the clock, under Vehicle Code §12505 — you do not have to have done anything at the DMV for the twenty days to be running.
So if you moved for work three months ago and the car still wears out-of-state plates, the window has already closed. That does not stop you selling the car; it just means "I will register it when I get round to it" was never really available.
The usual requirements, though sources disagree on several of the details and the DMV is the authority:
Registration generally has to be done in person.
Straightforward, and usually faster. A licensed dealer takes assignment of the out-of-state title and handles the rest; it is ordinary business for them.
Two things make it smoother:
Our estimate works the same regardless of where the car is titled — it prices from live retail listings near your ZIP, not from your registration.
A car that cannot pass California smog. Plenty of vehicles legal elsewhere do not meet California standards, and a car bought out of state with under 7,500 miles can run into direct-import rules. Selling it to a dealer, or out of state, avoids the problem entirely. Our guide to cars that will not pass or will not run covers the exemptions that do exist.
A lienholder in another state. The payoff and lien release run through that state's process, which can add days. Start it early.
An inherited car titled elsewhere. Two sets of rules at once. Our guide to selling after the owner has died covers the California side; the titling state governs the rest.
Generally yes. The car can be sold on its out-of-state title, and a licensed dealer handles out-of-state titles routinely. If you are selling rather than keeping the car, registering it in California first is often money and time spent for nothing.
Twenty days under Vehicle Code section 6700, with penalties starting on day 21. Residency is based on intent rather than paperwork, so taking a job here or enrolling children in school can start the clock under Vehicle Code section 12505.
Usually, but sources disagree on the detail. One says the newer-vehicle exemption does not apply to vehicles arriving from out of state at all, while others cite a 4-year or 5-year threshold. Confirm for your specific vehicle rather than assuming the exemption a California-registered car would get.
Form REG 31, an in-person check that the vehicle matches its paperwork, required when bringing a car in from another state. It can be done at a DMV office, the CHP, or by a licensed verifier. Reported fees vary from free to about $15, so check before you travel.
Possibly, though a vehicle owned for more than 12 months before you established California residency is generally exempt. Worth confirming with the DMV or CDTFA for your circumstances.
The payoff and lien release run through the lender's own process, which can add days compared with a California lienholder. Start it early, and see our guide to selling a car you still owe money on.