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Texas registration issues and steps to navigate them

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Texas Delivery & Registration Process without a DS

So here's an updated process following the "finalize" step for Texas delivery without a Delivery Specialist:
  1. Tesla contacts you with VIN and shipment date, advises of balance due.
  2. You pay the balance due.
  3. About a week or two prior to shipment, Tesla sends you some California paperwork to sign.
  4. You return it to Tesla
  5. Prior to shipment (hopefully), Tesla sends you the Certificate of Origin, Texas Application for Title and other paperwork. (If not, see below.)
  6. You file the Application for Title with your County Tax Office, pay the sales tax, show proof of insurance and get your registration sticker and license plates (temp or otherwise).
  7. Your vehicle is delivered. You attach license plate(s) and go get a state inspection.
  8. You receive your Texas Title in the mail sometime later.

Note: If you get the car before you get the Texas paperwork to register it, you can get temporary tags at the DMV for $25 to allow you to drive the car for up to 30 days.
 
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So here's an updated process following the "finalize" step for Texas delivery without a Delivery Specialist:

  1. Tesla contacts you with the VIN for your car and a shipment date, advises you of the balance due.
  2. You pay the balance due.
  3. Prior to shipment, Tesla sends you the final MVPA (Proof of Purchase), the Manufacturer's Certificate of Origin, a Texas Application for Title and any other paperwork.
  4. You file the Application for Title with your County Tax Office, pay the sales tax, show proof of insurance (not necessarily on the Model S) and get your registration sticker and license plates (temp or otherwise).
  5. Your vehicle is delivered. You attach license plate(s) and go get a state inspection.
  6. You receive your Texas Title in the mail sometime later.

Thank you for this primer. What was your source?
 
So here's an updated process following the "finalize" step for Texas delivery without a Delivery Specialist:

  1. Tesla contacts you with the VIN for your car and a shipment date, advises you of the balance due.
  2. You pay the balance due.
  3. Prior to shipment, Tesla sends you the final MVPA (Proof of Purchase), the Manufacturer's Certificate of Origin, a Texas Application for Title and any other paperwork.
  4. You file the Application for Title with your County Tax Office, pay the sales tax, show proof of insurance (not necessarily on the Model S) and get your registration sticker and license plates (temp or otherwise).
  5. Your vehicle is delivered. You attach license plate(s) and go get a state inspection.
  6. You receive your Texas Title in the mail sometime later.

Thanks. I'll post this in the other thread as well.

It's tough to remember now but I believe Tesla sends you the actual California title and you take that to the DMV and the Texas title is mailed to you later.
 
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This information was gleaned from various reports on this site. I hope you will find time between joy rides to come back and verify this for us. :smile:

Thanks.

John

I have already started a bit of a diatribe for after my delivery. It will be a bit longer than many will want to deal with, but it contains anything and everything. Mayabe overkill. Maybe boring. Certainly me.
 
I have already started a bit of a diatribe for after my delivery. It will be a bit longer than many will want to deal with, but it contains anything and everything. Mayabe overkill. Maybe boring. Certainly me.

Great. I e-mailed ownership with my initial list and TXjak's checklist to see if they thought anything was out of place as well.
 
It seems like you'd have to pay Calif. sales tax if that were true.

Tesla legally can't get you a Texas title so you have to do that yourself from what I understand at least. You only pay California sales tax if you take delivery in California. Since they are shipping the car to you in Texas, you only need to pay Texas sales tax.
 
No DS in Texas question

This is slightly off-topic, but there is at least one question in my mind regarding the lack of a DS for Texas deliveries.

On Tesla's Charging page it says "Your Delivery Experience Specialist will offer you a choice of 240 volt outlet adapters when you take delivery." I'm sure there are many ways for them to handle this, but it would be nice to know how this is handled these days.
 
This is slightly off-topic, but there is at least one question in my mind regarding the lack of a DS for Texas deliveries.

On Tesla's Charging page it says "Your Delivery Experience Specialist will offer you a choice of 240 volt outlet adapters when you take delivery." I'm sure there are many ways for them to handle this, but it would be nice to know how this is handled these days.

I know that gigemags did not have his 240 adapter with his delivery .. he was one of the first to have the Texas delivery after the piss-o-gram that TX sent Tesla abolishing what we paid for.

(did I say that out loud?)
 
They can easily coordinate a FedEx for the adapters. I got my floormats that way after the car was delivered without them. But they should make extra effort to include the charging cord and adapters with the car to avoid having to do so you can drive as much as you want the first day. Perhaps the DS could drop them off at your house in the dead of night if they were missing. :)
 
I found a Fed-Ex package from Tesla on my doorstep this evening when I got home from work. This package is the FINAL package that indicates I am pretty darned close to getting my car.
The package contained a Temporary Registration Tag as well as documents that I need to take with me to the county tax office to get plates. The letter included in the package states that I should take a copy of current insurance with me when I go to the county tax office.

The package contained:

1. A Temporary Registration Tag (this is applied to the rear`inside passenger side window and is valid for 90 days. County tax office does not need this document)
2. An Application for Texas Certificate of Title (this is filled out by Tesla and just requires your signature)
3. Manufacturer's Certificate of Origin (MCO)
4. Bill of Sale (it's a copy of the MVPA stamped with "Bill of Sale" at the top)

So...I am off to the county tax office in the morning to pay my taxes and get my plates. The wait is almost over and I am excited that I will be driving my Model S to work next week.
 
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Tesla legally can't get you a Texas title so you have to do that yourself from what I understand at least. You only pay California sales tax if you take delivery in California. Since they are shipping the car to you in Texas, you only need to pay Texas sales tax.

Yes, and you don't need a Calif. title to get a Texas title, just the Manufacturer's Certificate of Origin. I doubt Telsa would bother to get a California title if they didn't have to.
 
Yes, and you don't need a Calif. title to get a Texas title, just the Manufacturer's Certificate of Origin. I doubt Telsa would bother to get a California title if they didn't have to.

Thanks. That must be what I did. Thanks for clarifying. So excited to get the car and bummed about having to go to the DMV I must have blocked it out:)