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Skip the DMV Surprises
How the California DMV treats military families. When you can keep your home state plates, how the military registration exemption cuts the bill if you register here, and what to do about your license, smog and insurance.
Two legal ways to handle your car
| Keep your home state plates | Register in California | |
|---|---|---|
| Who can | Active duty members and spouses who are not California residents | Anyone |
| What it takes | Plates that are current, issued by your home state or last duty state, in your name or your spouse's, with insurance | A trip to the DMV, a smog check for most cars and form REG 5045 |
| What it costs | Your home state's renewal | California registration fees, minus the vehicle license fee |
| Good to know | You must keep the home state registration current | Simple if your home state plates are about to expire |
Neither choice makes you a California resident for taxes. See California military taxes.
The military exemption, form REG 5045
California's yearly registration bill has several parts. The largest is usually the vehicle license fee, 0.65 percent of the car's value. On a $40,000 truck that is about $260 a year.
The Nonresident Military exemption waives the vehicle license fee and the transportation improvement fee. You qualify when all of these are true:
- You are an active duty member, or the spouse of one, and not a California resident.
- You are stationed in California.
- The vehicle is not used for a business.
File form REG 5045 with your registration, and again with each renewal. You still pay the base registration fee of about $76, the California Highway Patrol fee of about $34 and small county fees.
Your driver license
- Nonresidents 18 and older can drive in California on a valid license from their home state.
- If you become a California resident, you have 10 days to get a California license.
- California licensed members stationed out of state can carry an extension card, form DL 236.
- A REAL ID or a military ID gets you through airport security. Your military ID gets you on base.
Smog checks
There is no military exemption from smog checks. If you register in California, most vehicles need one. Newer gasoline vehicles are exempt for their first several model years.
One trap: California restricts registering a new vehicle built to federal emissions standards with fewer than 7,500 miles on it. There are exceptions for new residents and for military members on orders. Call the DMV before you buy a brand new car in another state on your way here.
Insurance
California's minimum liability coverage went up on January 1, 2025, to $30,000 per person, $60,000 per accident and $15,000 for property damage. A policy written to an older, lower minimum needs an update. Tell your insurer your new garaging address either way.
When you separate or retire here
If you stay in California after discharge, you become a resident. You then have 20 days to register your vehicles here, and the military fee exemption ends.
A few things get better:
- Veteran designation on your license. Get form VSD-001 from the Ventura County Veteran Services Office, then take it to the DMV.
- Disabled Veteran plates. For veterans rated 100 percent with a qualifying mobility, limb or vision condition. Registration fees are waived on one vehicle. The form is REG 256V.
- A property tax break on your home, if you have a qualifying disability rating. See the SB 296 page.
More on staying after the uniform is in the getting out guide.
Questions people ask
Do military members have to register their cars in California?
No, not if you are a nonresident on active duty and your home state plates are current, in your name or your spouse's, and insured.
What is the California military registration exemption?
Form REG 5045. It waives the vehicle license fee and the transportation improvement fee for nonresident military members and spouses stationed in California. Base registration, highway patrol and county fees still apply.
Do I need a California driver license while stationed here?
No. Nonresident members and spouses 18 or older can drive on a valid home state license.
Are military members exempt from California smog checks?
No. If you register a vehicle in California it follows the same smog rules as everyone else's.
Last checked October 2026. Sources: California Department of Motor Vehicles military and veterans pages; forms REG 5045, REG 256V and DL 236; California Vehicle Code sections 6701, 12502 and 12505; California Department of Veterans Affairs form VSD-001. Fees are DMV figures for 2026 and change.. Hours, prices, laws and dates change, so confirm with the official source before you act.
Keep going
Paperwork is easier with a local in your corner
Adam has helped military families land in Ventura County for years. Home, loan, and where the DMV office is. Ask away.