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Old 01-22-2015, 10:54 PM   #1
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Escape Preregistration Not Possible In Texas?

My finance company wants a "VTR 68A" form completed for our new trailer. I didn't even know what that was. Apparently it is an application for a VIN registration for an imported vehicle in Texas. Thing is, it is only completed by a law enforcement officer in person. That would mean I'd have to tow the trailer to the Police Department in San Antonio, pay for them to inspect it and provide the form, then take that form to the tax office along with the application for title before I could get tags! Color me confused.
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Old 01-23-2015, 01:08 AM   #2
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Can you get temp plates for pickup and driving to the PD?
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Old 01-23-2015, 01:11 AM   #3
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A month on temp tags? Don't really like the idea. We won't be back in South Texas for several weeks after pick up. I'm not even sure the finance company is right in saying we need the form. I've asked for clarification.
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Old 01-23-2015, 01:19 AM   #4
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They seem to be saying that you have to have possession of the trailer before they will loan you the money to pay for it. Quite odd.
No like experience from Texas Escape Owners group?
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Old 01-23-2015, 01:22 AM   #5
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Or they're saying they'll finance it but they want a copy of the executed form after I register it. Can't imagine why. I've asked some other Texas owners if they had to do this. Sounds hokey to me.
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Old 01-23-2015, 01:24 AM   #6
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That makes more sense. I'm assuming they want to register a lien against the trailer.
Do they not have your house or some other as security?
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Old 01-23-2015, 01:28 AM   #7
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I know nothing about US banking, but I used my line of credit ( secured by my house ) to buy the trailer and the RAV. I just wrote the cheques. The car dealer suggested I call the bank to tell them I was writing a cheque for the RAV and when I did the bank expressed no interest in what I was doing with the money.
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Old 01-23-2015, 01:29 AM   #8
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Well yeah, but the lien is applied as part of the title application. This other form is apparently for verifying and registering the VIN? Apparently a cop has to physically verify the VIN and complete the form, then I take that, the bill of sale and the title application to get tags. Except for the standard title application it smacks of unnecessary red tape. We thought of using an Equity line of credit, but there are a number of US rules that make that difficult, and in Texas, the Homestead laws make it harder still. It comes of a philosophy that a man's home shouldn't be put to risk to secure personal credit. Home equity loans of any kind in Texas are subject to different rules than in other states, and until recently, they were not even allowed.
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Old 01-23-2015, 02:00 AM   #9
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Learned something today.
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Old 01-23-2015, 02:00 AM   #10
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Before the current process of picking up the Escape at Sumas, I picked up my 19 at ETI and at the US boarder US Customs physically verified the VIN. Now, with Sumas as the delivery point, could it not be assumed that US Customs verifies the VIN when ETI brings the trailer to the boarder? If so, then why couldn't the form that US Customs signed off be used instead of the VTR 68A form?
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Old 01-23-2015, 02:03 AM   #11
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Makes sense to me. After all, I'm not the importer/exporter -- ETI is. But this may be strictly a Texas DMV requirement. Don't know if it's actually needed yet since Essex has previously asked for a "required" form that it turns out was not actually required.
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Old 01-23-2015, 03:25 AM   #12
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registration

Twice, while living in Utah I bought non-operable vehicles that I wanted titled before bringing them back into the state. Utah had a form to verify the VIN and any law enforcement officer could sign it off. I used a local Montana city police once and a local S. Dakota city cop the second time. Also in California I had a VIN verified by a local officer that happened to be a friend of mine. Do you suppose a Mounty could sign the form or a Chilliwack city officer? They may only look for a signature and a title.
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Old 01-23-2015, 06:23 AM   #13
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Each state/bank has their own registration rules, some of which run contrary to being convenient. Several owners have picked up their trailer and towed them home without plates, some over a period of time. Here in Pennsylvania the vin number has to be inspected in person by an authority before plates, thus no plates before actual physical presence at the dmv.
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Old 01-23-2015, 06:45 AM   #14
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Rbryan4,


Perhaps get with ETI I know since the last problem of registration in MD they went to a new form maybe that will suffice for your finance company. See Post 65 http://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f3...html#post58742


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Old 01-23-2015, 07:59 AM   #15
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Rbryan4,
I did not use a lender, so I know not of thier requirements.
Before registering tho, I went to the tax office and they gave me a list of forms I needed to have with me. Honestly I am in Guadalupe Co, which seems to be more friendly then Bexar, but it could not have gone more smoothly!
You know that every year the "rules" change, but I would ask the tax office first.
Good luck on the process! Great to have another local Escape!

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Old 01-23-2015, 08:14 AM   #16
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Unfortunately (at least for those of us in Bexar County, TX) we do need to have the VIN doc signed by SAPD before tags can be issued. It is somewhat of a PIA because the office is located in downtown San Antonio with almost no parking or much signage to indicate the office. But it is an easy enough process and only takes a few minutes. You can get a 30 day temp tag for your journey home.

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Old 01-23-2015, 08:31 AM   #17
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My Tennessee experience was uneventful at the local DMV/tax office when I took the complete packet that Tammy sent a month ahead of pickup, but my tip is to take a printed Canada/U.S. conversion showing the smaller actual sales price in U.S. currency. The DMV felt compelled to try to charge the 7% sales tax on the considerably higher Canadian sales price, but I talked them out of it after an hour with the help of the official looking Royal Bank of Canada page.
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Old 01-23-2015, 09:07 AM   #18
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My suggestion, based on the experiences I had trying to register my trailer in NY when I was picking it up in Chilliwack & then spending 3 months on the road before returning to NY is to try a couple of different registration offices for the form, explaining your problem.

In my case, even different individuals behind the counter in the same office had completely different ideas on how to get the plate for my trailer, ranging from "it can't be done" to "do it through the mail once the trailer is in the US" to the final solution where they handed me the plate (of course after taking my registration fee & the sales tax on the trailer). In my case they accepted the unsigned import form (that Tammy sent me) as proof that it was imported from Canada as a new trailer. I suspect the person behind the counter didn't even know there was a stamp & signature placed on the form when the trailer went through customs, and just accepted the form.

I realize Texas uses different criteria, but I'm amazed how much flexibility there is in NY's DMV.
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Old 01-23-2015, 10:53 AM   #19
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In Kansas, any vehicle brought in from out of state has to be physically inspected for the VIN to match the paperwork. And then they relieve you of a nice crisp 20 for this "service". Loren
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Old 01-23-2015, 12:28 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rbryan4 View Post
A month on temp tags? Don't really like the idea.
Although I'm not a fan of temporary licensing either, it seems to be very accepted down there. Many years ago I rented a vehicle in Houston and drove it for a week of vacation. It was so new it had only a paper temporary tag in the rear window, and even that was hard to see due to the tint. I thought this seemed like a bad idea likely to cause problems - especially since we spent most of the time in another state (Louisiana) - but no one cared and we saw lots of other vehicles with similar temporary tags. Of course, we weren't doing anything to attract law enforcement attention, so we didn't really find out if there would have been an issue. I don't know if the situation has changed in the decade or two since then.

Some jurisdictions (such as Alberta) don't bother renewing trailer licenses. Others don't require licensing at all for small trailers. Does anyone really care about a trailer with a temporary tag?
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