Car registration in HOR
I’m stationed in California and my home of record is New York. My current car has NY plates and i’m trying to buy a new car and have my NY plates transferred to it. The dealership keeps telling me it has to be registered in California for it to be driven off the lot and the only way I could register in NY is if it was shipped there. This is what they sent me when I kept pressing the issue.
“California Law: Legal Requirements for Leaving the Lot
• Temporary License Plates: Under California law (AB 516), if a vehicle does not have permanent metal plates to transfer, the dealer must print and securely mount scannable paper temporary plates on the front and back. [1 (https://www.iadac.org/blog/2022/03/22/2019-New-Laws-7), 2 (https://scalirasmussen.com/insight/2019/01/08/dealer-alert-temporary-license-plates), 3 (https://www.dealereducator.com/2025/09/07/california-temporary-license-plate-requirements/)\]
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• Expiration Date: These temporary tags remain valid for 90 days, giving the California DMVenough time to process and mail the permanent metal plates and registration card. [1 (https://www.iadac.org/blog/2022/03/22/2019-New-Laws-7), 2 (https://www.dealereducator.com/2025/09/07/california-temporary-license-plate-requirements/), 3 (https://glasseylaw.com/failure-to-provide-vehicle-registration/)\]
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• Dealer Filing Deadlines: The dealership is legally required to submit the registration paperwork and fees to the DMV within 20 days for a new vehicle, or 30 days for a used vehicle. [1 (https://www.autolawfirm.com/blog/2024/02/california-dealership-failed-to-transfer-title-learn-your-legal-rights/)\]
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• No Bill of Sale Exceptions: Driving with only a bill of sale and no plates or temporary tags is illegal and can result in a citation by law enforcement. [1 (https://www.quora.com/In-the-state-of-California-lets-say-I-just-bought-a-car-yesterday-and-im-driving-it-around-with-no-license-plate-but-I-have-bill-of-sale-Can-I-still-get-a-ticket-for-not-having-any-plates-or-even-temporary-plates)\]”
I feel like this doesn’t really have anything to do with what they are trying to tell me because I know that I don’t have to register in California. What is the simplest way that I can go about this? Temporary tags and register with NY myself?