Becoming South Dakota Residents?
Join us in this episode, where we do something we never thought we’d do. Move to a cold state with crappy weather. Then we travel to see family in the heartland and treat the rig to a very well-deserved bath.
How We Did it and Why We Need An Address
Some of the biggest problems that full-time RVers face revolve around not having a permanent residence (domicile) unless they use a family or friend’s residence.
When you don’t have a fixed address, it can be very difficult to do many things that you need to do for everyday tasks in our every day lives. Here is a small list of why we need an address:
- Obtain a driver’s license
- Open a banks account
- Apply for health insurance
- Register vehicles
- File and pay taxes
- Open a credit card
- Start a business
- Register to vote, etc.
We tossed this around for TWO and a half years before we decided to pull the trigger so to speak and “MOVE” to a new state. Becoming South Dakota Residents was on our list to do before we make the trip back to Arizona. Our tags and registration were coming due in Arizona (they are terribly high there) and we felt that this is the right time for us to make the move.
There are other states with similar benefits like Texas, Florida, and Nevada but didn’t offer what WE felt we needed and we heard so much about South Dakota we went for it! This was the easiest move we have ever made.
Each of these states offers mail forwarding services that provide an address and take responsibility for forwarding on your incoming mail to a specified address (or, in our case, a virtual mailbox)
We had to be physically present to apply for a South Dakota Driver’s License. In order for us to do that we took a slight detour on our way to see family stay in South Dakota ONE night at a campground, then we had to bring our receipt, mail forwarding paperwork, and two forms of ID to the DMV.
Benefits of South Dakota Residency (domicile)
Becoming a resident is simple and painless or at least it was for us!
- NO State Income Tax
- NO Inheritance Tax
- NO Personal Property Tax
- South Dakota charges only a 3% tax on the trade difference for vehicle, RV, and motor homes trades
- NO Annual Vehicle Inspections
- South Dakota has only a 4% sales tax
You are required to sign up with a mail forwarder. We chose Americas Mailbox to handle our mail for us.
Check out Americas Mailbox in Box Elder, South Dakota. Tell them we sent you by giving them our box number #12781 when you join. We appreciate it.
You are only required to have a legal address in SD (not a P.O. Box). For your driver’s license, you need only stay in SD for a single day every 5 years! To us, this was the easiest and best option since we travel full time.
There are many factors in choosing the best state for you as a fulltime traveler. Feel free to ask us about our experience but please do your own research to see what the best fit is for you.
Family Time is the Best
The best thing for us about living fulltime in our RV is being able to visit family more often then just on”vacation” We can stay near their homes or in the driveway if we fit and work and live like we normally would in a house since we pull our home everywhere we go.
We stopped in Utah when we got back from our three months of travel in Alaska to visit our daughter and son in law. Then, after South Dakota, to changed things up a bit (see video) we finally made it visit my parents (Tina’s) in Kansas City. Our next stop is Oklahoma to visit Aaron’s family on our way back “home” to Arizona to see our oldest daughter and son in law.
We will winter in Arizona for a few months, at least through the holidays and the coldest parts of winter. Arizona will always have our hearts and will always be home for us, that is where we raised our family and spent most of our adult lives. That is the perk of being a fulltime RVer, you can call anywhere HOME and spend time with the family any time of the year…and check off those amazing bucket list must-sees at the same time.
Maggie agrees too as long as she can relax on the grass and play ball all day long….
Down Home Truck Stops for the WIN
Cleaning the truck and fifth-wheel was also high on our list since coming back from Alaska. What better place than our hometown truck stop? We have only rinsed off here and there but this time it was off to the truck spa! It is so nice to finally get all the grime off the truck and fifth-wheel. They did an amazing job! All shiny now!
Sharing is caring! Feel free to share the image below on Pinterest.
There’s a new adventure around every corner so don’t forget to join in over at YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook We appreciate you following along with us.
You might also like
15 Questions We Get Asked About Living in Our RV Full-Time
Paradise RV Campground -Thousand Trails, Washington. Tucked in the pines near Mt. Rainier Questions We Get Asked About Living in Our RV Full-Time. We have been full-time RVers since March of 2017. The questions we get asked about living in our RV full-time are sometimes surprising but most are honest questions about why we chose […]
This website contains affiliate links, meaning we may receive a commission, at no extra cost to you, if you purchase a product after clicking our link to it.