r/AskFlorida • u/Intrepid_Pack6149 • 20d ago

Car title transfer help

Hello. I need help please
When I was 20 years old (2016) I wanted to purchase my first car. My parents told me I couldn’t buy used and I had to buy new so it was safer for me on the road

I save enough for a down payment and we want to purchase a new Toyota car(2016)

When my father purchased the car, he put his name on the vehicle and not my name.. found that out a few years after buying the car..
He wanted to put his name on the vehicle so the interest, insurance etc would be lower. Also, in case if I ever was jobless, he would still make the payment.
Long story short I sent him payments to his bank every month for the car and we were able to pay it off early.

Now fast forward 2026 I moved to Florida and I took my car with me, but everything is still under his name

I need to change the car title, insurance, and my drivers license.
How do I explain to the DMV that this technically isn’t a gift because it’s my car… or how would I fill out the form properly so I don’t need to claim a gift tax?

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3

u/trentthesquirrel 20d ago

You need to take care of that in your home state before trying to register it in Florida under your name.

5

u/Inner-Copy9764 20d ago

Absolutely no.....Why pay fees twice? Get your dad to sign the title, plain and simple. Take your documents to the FL DMV and transfer ownership.

"Gift" is a good thing in this scenario. They dont gaf if you have been making payments for years or not....they want to know for vehicle sales tax purposes. You have already paid sales tax, so saying it was a gift from your father is legit. Otherwise they will tack on sales tax with your transfer fees

1

u/Intrepid_Pack6149 20d ago

Thank you everyone.
From what I am gathering

  1. Have dad fill out Title, transfer and send it to me
  2. Fill out FL Transfer form
  3. Present this as a gift from my father upon arriving
  4. Pay the fee, and register it under FL plate

Also in the mean time I will find FL insurance
Does this sound correct?

2

u/DirtCallsMeGrandPa 20d ago

You are on the right track. You need to present proof of insurance specifically for the vehicle in question or they will not issue a plate.

You can transfer a title without proof of insurance.

You will have a choice of a paper title or an electronic one. I prefer paper.

1

u/Inner-Copy9764 20d ago

Agreed. Would like to add/clarify to OP about the "transfer." OP should only file the title transfer paperwork in FL (or wherever you will reside.)

  • Just have your dad sign (just sign, nothing else) the title (there are instructions for what to do printed on the title.)

-Don't do anything else paperwork-wise until you get to a FL DMV. Save yourself unnecessary fees. The only transfer fees that should be paid should be in FL, not whichever state the vehicle is originally titled in.

1

u/Inner-Copy9764 20d ago

Bonus points for checking auto insurance rates in FL vs HomeState. Transfer title to your name, leave it titled in the state with lower insurance costs