NH Residency requirements for DL

[mAss Backwards]

Just a quick questions for you all.

We are closing on our house in Brentwood on Dec 20th. Does anyone know what the state requires for proof of residency, as far as getting a driver's license is concerned. Is a signed Purchase and Sale Agreement sufficient for obtaining a DL, or would the DMV require a utility bill or something of that nature?

I see that the form for a pistol permit asks for your DL number, so that answers my next question.

[mvpel]

This page has all the answers you'll need.  Enjoy!   

http://www.nh.gov/safety/divisions/dmv/driverlic/faq.html

To wit:

21:6 Resident; Inhabitant. ? A resident or inhabitant or both of this state and of any city, town or other political subdivision of this state shall be a person who is domiciled or has a place of abode or both in this state and in any city, town or other political subdivision of this state, and who has, through all of his actions, demonstrated a current intent to designate that place of abode as his principal place of physical presence for the indefinite future to the exclusion of all others.

What documents are necessary to obtain a NH driver license?
Each applicant shall provide:

    * An original or certified copy of his/her birth certificate.
      Please Note: If your name is different than what is listed on your birth certificate, you must also provide the legal document of that name change (i.e., marriage certificate).

   * Current driver license or driver license which has expired no more than 12 months prior to the date of application.

    * Proof of residency - One of the following:
          NH Valid Registration
          Town/City Clerk Approval of Residency Letter
          Utility Bill with postmarked date (i.e., Water, Electric, Oil/propane)

    * Proof of identification - One of the following:

          Social Security Card
          Passport
          Marriage Certificate
          Military discharge papers
          Military identification card
          Divorce Decree
          Valid School ID w/photo
============

[mAss Backwards]

Thanks. I had seen that page before, but couldn't find it again.

I'm guessing the "Town/City Clerk Approval of Residency Letter" will be the quickest for me to obtain.

Can't shed these Massachusetts shackles fast enough.

[error]

What the hell is a "Town/City Clerk Approval of Residency Letter"?

Does some government bureaucrat really have to approve your moving into town?!?!?

[Spencer]

What the hell is a "Town/City Clerk Approval of Residency Letter"?

Does some government bureaucrat really have to approve your moving into town?!?!?

They have to make sure that you understand and agree to pay economic rent.

[mvpel]

What the hell is a "Town/City Clerk Approval of Residency Letter"?

The Town Clerk maintains the town's records for property tax assessments, and thus has the records regarding transfers of real estate in the town.  It's just a way of corroborating your claim to domicile at a particular address.

We didn't get our drivers' licenses until quite close to the deadline, so we had a couple of utility bills to use instead.  We got the concealed carry license app in the first day after our arrival, though.

[maineiac]

Can't shed these Massachusetts shackles fast enough.

And don those shiny new NH ones?



(satisfied non-renewer since '03!)

[mvpel]

Let's save the drivers' license bolt-cutters for later on, shall we, maybe after we've succeeded in legalizing alcohol?

New Hampshire is far better than Mass, and much better than just about any other state you care to name.  The Free State Project has been going on informally for decades, and we need more people here to help defend the state's traditions of limited government, low taxes, individual responsibility, and personal liberty.

[error]

Oh, I want to do much more than that. I want to SHRINK government, down to the size where I can comfortably drown it in the bathtub.

[eques]

Oh, I want to do much more than that. I want to SHRINK government, down to the size where I can comfortably drown it in the bathtub.

[Rochelle]

Be aware that the documents they'll accept change on the website often and sometimes when you get there to register, the people won't accept the ones on the website and will require new ones. You're probably better off finding the actual statutes that say what documents you need, printing out the statute, and bringing it with you to the DMV.

Or you can just gather up every single document you can find and bring it with you. That might work, too.

[KurtDaBear]

    * Proof of residency - One of the following:
           NH Valid Registration

          Social Security Card
          Passport
          Marriage Certificate
          Military discharge papers
          Military identification card
          Divorce Decree
          Valid School ID w/photo
============

What do you mean by NH Valid Registration?

Also, aside from the fact that Social Security cards are not supposed to be used for identification purposes, they and about half the rest of these forms of "Identification" don't contain pictures.  And just to compound this idiocy, a certified birth certificate is required to obtain a passport, so that makes the first item redundant.  Sounds like a typical example of mindless bureaucrats running amok!

[mvpel]

I assume by "NH Valid Registration" they mean the registration for your automobile issued by your town.

[KurtDaBear]

I assume by "NH Valid Registration" they mean the registration for your automobile issued by your town.

It sounds like that, but why would they issue a vehicle registration to a person about whom they have doubts about legal residency?  It seems to me you should be a legal resident of the state before they register your vehicle--but they probably get a lot more money for that than they do for a driver's license.  It seems a bit hypocritical to me--and maybe even discriminatory if they're favoring vehicles over people.

[error]

I think it, and the PO Box thing, have to do with recreational vehicle owners who travel and live in their RVs and have no fixed home address.