NH Residency Requirements

[LIforrelaxin]

Originally Posted by Kamper

I don't think there is a minimum stay requirement for residency.

This is a touchy area..... Although most times it is easy enough to change your state of residency.... I have moved many times, you sign a Mortage or a lease, open a bank account and get your license and registration switched over....

Now as for you license most states take your old one from you. This is so that you never have two valid licenses on your person.

As for your vehicle registration and plates, not every states take those and some require you turn them back in (Massachusetts for instance). Now having moved from Massachusetts several times to other area's let me tell you this, you are a Massachusetts resident until you turn those plates back in....The MDR looks at this date for tax purposes of when you residency ends.

Now back to the minumum stay requirement, this gets touchy when it comes to Taxes, ultimately Voting and Taxes are really where your residency gets established or denied. Most states, say if you spend 180 or more days in there state then you are a resident and must file income taxes, now NH doesn't have an income tax so this may not apply....However I do believe NH taxes residents on certain investments etc.

[Kamper]

Originally Posted by LIforrelaxin

...

Now as for you license most states take your old one from you. This is so that you never have two valid licenses on your person.

...

That is mostly correct. Most states have a clause that if you have a domocile or are a temporary resident for more than X days you need to get a license there. Others require it if you work there but that is more flexible and is only pushed if your jobs requires you to drive a commercial vehicle registerred in that state and even then you can probably get through a stop.

I lived in Florida for a while and since I knew about this rule I went to the local DMV office. First they looked at me like I was nutz. Then they checked their rule book. I had to take the written and driving test and received a license endorsed "Only valid in Florida." I got to keep my NH license.

[Lakepilot]

I have a NH license and also like you a Florida only license. The only reason I had to have Florida only license was that I own several pieces of property there and keep a vehicle in Florida. To register that vehicle in Florida I needed a Florida only. Before I bought that vehicle, I spent a lot of time their and didn't need nor have to get a Florida only license.

I read a legal case one time, of a couple that lived in state A. They bought property in state B through the mail, never having set foot in that state. They sold their property in state A intending to move to state B and make that their home. They died in car accident on the way in state C. They were millionaires and three states wanted a piece of the action. In which state were they residents? Which state got a piece of the action?