Are you planning to buy a car? Regardless of the one you’re looking to get, you need to understand that you’ve made a good move. Yes, and that’s so because owning a car is a big investment and a necessity for us to move freely and easily from one place to another.
However, before going ahead to slip behind the wheel, there are a few things that you need to give more attention to. One of them, which is very important for you to do, is registering your newly acquired vehicle with your state.
Car registration is legal and a must for everybody in almost all countries across the world. In the US, for you to be eligible to drive your vehicle on public property you need to register the car at the DMV in your state. But here’s a burning question; is it possible for people to register their car with a warrant?
A criminal bench warrant is a legal document issued by a judge to arrest a person. So, it has nothing to do with registering your vehicle at the DMV. The best way to register your vehicle if you’re worried about getting arrested is to do it by mail.
In the rest of this post, I’ll further share with you everything that you need to know about how to register your newly acquired vehicle at the DMV. So, without wasting any time, let’s get down straight to business.
Will the DMV Check for Any Warrant?
Before proceeding to answer this question, let me start by talking about what DMV means and the exact role the department performs.
So, what exactly is the DMV and what do they do?
The Department of Motor Vehicles or DMV is the government agency assigned to manage all affairs relating to vehicles. These include safety and emissions inspection, car registration, driver’s license renewal & registration, changing of address, etc. Furthermore, DMVs are state-run in the US, and how the department runs vary from state to state.
As we all know, the DMV is the agency in charge of the registration of vehicles in each state of the US. In California, for instance, if you’re going to register for your vehicle, all you need to do is to either visit the DMV in person or apply by mail.
At the DMV, there are some requirements that you’ll need to meet to be eligible to register your vehicle. Let’s have a quick look at them below:
- First, you’ll need to submit a completed application for title or registration
- Also, you’ll be required to present the vehicle’s out-of-state title.
- You need to submit the vehicle’s out-of-state registration.
- You’ll be asked to show proof of insurance.
- Another thing you’ll be asked to submit is a valid smog certificate.
By meeting all these requirements and paying the registration fees, you’ll certainly be allowed to run your registration smoothly.
Now, let’s go back and address the burning question of whether the DMV will check for warrants. The simple and direct answer to the question is no, the department has nothing to do with criminal benchmark warrants.
As you can see, none of the requirements for car registration at the DMV talks about warrants. So, apart from the requirements listed above, you need not worry yourself about any other things, such as warrants.
Can I Get Arrested at the DMV if I Have a Warrant?
Now you know that the DMV doesn’t check for bench warrants. But here’s another burning question; does it mean that you can visit any of the DMV branches in your state without getting arrested even if you have a warrant?
As previously mentioned, a criminal bench warrant is a legal document issued by a judge for a person’s arrest. With the warrant document, the police have the right to take you into their custody at any time and place. Your failure to address the document at the right time means you have to worry continuously about going to jail anytime sooner or later.
Back to the question above – can you get arrested at the DMV if I have a Warrant?
Yes, you can always get arrested at the Department of Motor Vehicles in your state if you have a warrant. However, you need to keep in mind that the DMV will not be the one to initiate the arrest. Matter of fact, the only time you can get arrested is when you get trailed by the police to the DMV.
Do you have a warrant and need to register your newly acquired vehicle? If yes, the best way to register the car is by performing the DMV requirements by mail. This way, you can always limit the risk of getting arrested while trying to register the car.
Can I Get the License with a Warrant?
As we all know, the DMV is in charge of issuing licenses to drivers. Here’s a quick question; is it possible to get a license at the DMV with a warrant?
To answer the question, I’ll say it depends on the requirements for getting a driver’s license (DL)in your state. Furthermore, you need to understand that it’s pretty much rare to see any DMV branches that will check for a warrant before issuing you the DL.
For instance, the requirements for getting driver’s licenses in California include the following:
- First, you need an instruction permit if you don’t already have a DL.
- If you have a valid DL, belonging to another state, you’ll be required to first complete a Driver’s License or identification card application.
- After that, you’ll need to submit your social security number (SSN), an acceptable identity document, acceptable residency document, thumbprint scan, etc.
- You’ll also need to pass the knowledge test, which you can only attempt three times.
As you can see, none of the requirements talks about having a warrant or not. So, it’s safe to say that it doesn’t matter whether or not you have a warrant, you can always get the license at the DMV – so far you can provide the documents listed above.
