How to register a new trailer in Texas

[Mary F]

Originally Posted by rbryan4

Mary, that's a generic notice. They don't differentiate in the form whether it's a trailer or a motor vehicle, so just ignore the inspection part. You basically just pay up and they send you the license plate sticker.

Now as to why they charge so much annually for a "vehicle" with no motor, and that is on the road for such a limited time, that's another matter....

Have your notices indicated your trailer needs inspection? (I know the weight of your 19 means your notices should not include that bit of text.)

FWIW, I went online today and renewed ours. There is NO mention on the website that the law has changed for trailers between 4500 and 7500 pounds, but it took my $$ and sent me a receipt...so I'm assuming it worked.

Also, FWIW, our renewal notice says it was printed in July.

[Mary F]

Also, charmingly enough, you still have to pay the state's portion of the inspection fee ($7.50) because they need the revenue. (They itemize where the money goes.) The should probably come up with a new name for that fee... IMHO.

[float5]

Probably many are not calling that "charmingly"!

[rbryan4]

Originally Posted by Mary F

Have your notices indicated your trailer needs inspection? (I know the weight of your 19 means your notices should not include that bit of text.)

Yes, mine had the same verbiage as yours. A friend who has a Casita also received the same. That's why I say it's the same renewal notice sent to everyone, regardless of their trailer weight.

[Mary F]

Okay, great. Good to know... I don't remember it happening on our Casita but maybe because we switched trailers about the same time the TwoStep Sticker was adopted.

Grateful to have that burden lifted. It's a hassle to find someone who will inspect a trailer...

[float5]

Even in a small town, we have gas stations, oil/lube places and tire shops that will inspect the Escape --- and I am glad I don't have to use any of them now!

[gmchamplin]

My experience at the Tarrant County DMV office in Lake Worth was very smooth.

I presented the following documents:
• Completed forms, downloaded from the TxDMV.gov website:
o 130-U, Application for Texas Title and Registration
o VTR-141, Trailer Verification Statement of Fact
o VTR-270, Vehicle Identification Number Certification
• Documentation provided by ETI:
o Certification Of Origin for a Trailer
o US Bill of Sale showing cost in $US
o Photograph of nameplate showing VIN and weight
o CBP form 7501, Entry Summary
o DOT form HS-7, Importation Declaration

The clerk seemed very comfortable with what I wanted to do. I had used the full cost of the trailer, including options, to figure my sales tax. She told me that I should not have done that, because only the base price is taxed. She re-calculated the tax and saved me $471.

I walked out with a license plate and a promise of a title in the mail within two weeks.

I have the highest praise for the Texas DMV. They couldn’t have done better.

[rbryan4]

I would have the highest praise too if I got such a deal. However, the clerk is wrong about the price used to calculate the tax. Just like a car or truck, sales tax is based on the total sale price, not the base price. I don't know where the clerk got their erroneous information, but at least it was in your favor.

As for some of the other documents, such as the VTR-270, this isn't the first time that document was mentioned. However, it's questionable whether or not it applies to this transaction. The vehicle is not kept out of state, and it will indeed operate on Texas roads. That usually makes the VTR-270 irrelevant.

Again, the only thing consistent about the Texas DMV is their inconsistency. But, I'm happy it worked out to your benefit.

[float5]

The VIN verification is required when coming into the state and for obtaining a title. It is normally obtained during the safety inspection, however, we no longer have to have one. So we can do a self-certification of the VIN.

As for the sales price, what I see is that you are supposed to pay on what you paid for the vehicle so I don't know where someone gets base price out of that.

[James Gang]

Got it done today. Being as I live in the city, the city police had to do the the 68-A inspection. And they only do it the second Thursday of the month. They were booked for September, so I had to wait until this month. I had downloaded the other forms required and filled out what was necessary. Returning from the police vin inspection I decided to take a chance and stopped by Travis County's precinct four office. I knew they had a tax office and a big parking lot that is never filled. 30 minutes later I walked out with my plate and with a big hole in my bank account.

[jkordzi]

Well today I just went through this - we are picking up our 5.0 TA on April 16. The first place I went to was the tax office in Garland Texas. I had all of the paperwork from ETI, including the Importation Declaration, Cert. of Origin, Bill of Sale, etc. I also had U-130, VTR 270, and VTR 141 filled out just in case. They had no idea how to approach this. According to them, the best they could do was to issue me a "One Trip Permit." I then went to the tax office on Marsh Ln., in Dallas. They were also unable to complete the registration, but I was able to get a 30 day permit paper plate and a checklist of things I supposedly will need to complete the registration once we get back to Texas. These include a VTR 68 and a vehicle inspection report. So at least I can travel legally for 30 days and then complete the registration once we get back to Texas.

[richardr]

Originally Posted by jkordzi

Well today I just went through this - we are picking up our 5.0 TA on April 16. The first place I went to was the tax office in Garland Texas. I had all of the paperwork from ETI, including the Importation Declaration, Cert. of Origin, Bill of Sale, etc. I also had U-130, VTR 270, and VTR 141 filled out just in case. They had no idea how to approach this. According to them, the best they could do was to issue me a "One Trip Permit." I then went to the tax office on Marsh Ln., in Dallas. They were also unable to complete the registration, but I was able to get a 30 day permit paper plate and a checklist of things I supposedly will need to complete the registration once we get back to Texas. These include a VTR 68 and a vehicle inspection report. So at least I can travel legally for 30 days and then complete the registration once we get back to Texas.

This may be too late. It sounds like you live in Dallas county. We also live in Dallas county. Last July I registered my Escape before we picked it up in August.
I went to the Richardson office at 516 Twilight Trail. I was able to complete the registration, pay the sales tax and walk away with the license plate.

[tdf-texas]

If you have the clerk check with the DMV, they will find that no inspection is needed for a trailer under 7500 lbs. A VTR-68 also is not required for a new trailer - the Manufacturer Certificate of Origin is sufficient. A VTR 68 would only be needed if it was a used trailer or homebuilt.

Checklist:
Manufacturer Certificate of Origin
completed Form 130-U
CBP Form 7501 Entry Summary
Money for fees

https://www.txdmv.gov/motorists/buyi...hicle/trailers
https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/det...r-into-the-u.s.

[rbryan4]

There is a relatively consistent set of requirements for registering an imported trailer in Texas. Unfortunately, the clerks at each office will give you a different answer, sometimes from booth to booth at the same office. There really is no "how to". If I were registering one today, I'd print out each of the requirements from the State website, and be armed with all the info I could get before visiting the office.

[jkordzi]

That's what I thought. I'll work it out once we get the RV back home. At least I now have the temporary permit.

[Vermilye]

Originally Posted by rbryan4

There is a relatively consistent set of requirements for registering an imported trailer in Texas. Unfortunately, the clerks at each office will give you a different answer, sometimes from booth to booth at the same office. There really is no "how to". If I were registering one today, I'd print out each of the requirements from the State website, and be armed with all the info I could get before visiting the office.

It seems to be the same in many other states. In Oswego, NY, standing in one line at the DMV gets entirely different results than standing in the one next to it. In the case of both Escapes, I was able to obtain a plate & pay the registration fee & sales tax based on an unsigned 7501 form. Calling the same DMV said it would have to be done through the mail from Washington state...

[Butlerh]

Originally Posted by Vermilye

It seems to be the same in many other states. In Oswego, NY, standing in one line at the DMV gets entirely different results than standing in the one next to it. In the case of both Escapes, I was able to obtain a plate & pay the registration fee & sales tax based on an unsigned 7501 form. Calling the same DMV said it would have to be done through the mail from Washington state...

We are in Minnesota
with the first DMV we had Troubles the People had no idea what to do, therefore, we did not recieve our plates or Registration so we drove 8 miles to another registra and had no problems.

[ThomasG]

Originally Posted by jkordzi

At least I now have the temporary permit.

FYI, The Texas temporary permit is only valid in Texas. But, you do have something official that you can leave in the window.

I started this discussion and I had the same problems in Travis county that you had. I just gave up, got a temp permit, and then traveled for 4.5 months (on a 30-day permit without a license plate) until I returned to TX and then got the VTR68 as required by the county and the DMV (per the county, but is wrong).

By the way, the only people that questioned me about my lack of a license plate were the US customs/immigration after returning from several weeks in Canada (I just showed them all the new trailer paperwork and explained the problems with registering in Texas) and campground neighbors.

[davidmurphy02]

Just completed the registration process for our new 5.0TA in Austin and all went well - we came home with license plate in hand. Thanks to all who have reported on the process I knew what to expect. We even went in a month ago before heading to Chilliwack just in case the clerk we got might not require the VTR-68 VIN inspection form. No luck with that, but they did review all our paperwork and let us know everything else was in order. Austin requires a physical inspection of the VIN by law enforcement, which is not a state requirement, because of the high incidence of fraud / crime. Easy to have done, but they only do it a couple of times a month and schedule well in advance so it's good to schedule that ahead of time. We got home last week, had our VIN inspection scheduled for Saturday, and had an appointment at the tax office this morning so we're all set.

If you are in Travis County, although they have several outlying offices I highly recommend going to the main office - you can schedule an appointment in advance, and both times we went in we waited less than 5 minutes and were seated in front of a clerk. Without an appointment the wait can be a very long time.

[wellduh326]

Does anyone on the group have any experience with registration in Nueces County? I have already hit the "wall of inconsistency" on the phone.